Revision as of 00:49, 24 March 2008

• Computing
• Entertainment
• Humanities
• Language
• Mathematics
• Science
• Miscellaneous
• Archives

• WP:RD/M

Main page: Help searching Misplaced Pages

How can I get my question answered?

• Select the section of the desk that best fits the general topic of your question (see the navigation column to the right).
• Post your question to only one section, providing a short header that gives the topic of your question.
• Type '~~~~' (that is, four tilde characters) at the end – this signs and dates your contribution so we know who wrote what and when.
• Don't post personal contact information – it will be removed. Any answers will be provided here.
• Please be as specific as possible, and include all relevant context – the usefulness of answers may depend on the context.
• Note:
  • We don't answer (and may remove) questions that require medical diagnosis or legal advice.
  • We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate.
  • We don't do your homework for you, though we'll help you past the stuck point.
  • We don't conduct original research or provide a free source of ideas, but we'll help you find information you need.

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Reference desk/Guidelines

• The best answers address the question directly, and back up facts with wikilinks and links to sources. Do not edit others' comments and do not give any medical or legal advice.

• Teahouse
• Help desk
• Village pump
• Help manual

March 18

When is It Acceptable

I have a few um...peculiar questions. This will probably be some odd questions.

When is it acceptable...

To pee in the shower?

To use the middle finger?

To pull down your pants in front of public?

To burp as loud as you can in public or in a restaurant?

To run around town screaming your heart out?

To do all of the questions above without looking insane?

Thank you, Always Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 06:04, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Always, sometimes, never, never, never, never. But that's just one opinion.HYENASTE 06:32, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Amen--88.109.88.16 (talk) 07:27, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

"When on television"? --Masamage ♫ 07:36, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Not on television. I'm talking real life. I should say where more then when. Cause I know some cultures find somethings more acceptable then we do.71.143.3.182 (talk) 07:40, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Rva

Shy John Safran ran naked through the streets of Jerusalem wearing only the scarf and beanie of his favourite football club, St Kilda. I think it was the second day he did it again to get his body on video and more people in the background that the police collared him. Otherwise, the loony bin. And you seem to be trying for something here CR, is this for your book? then Safran's a good study in breaking the fear barrier. (Ps, the middle finger is a must for driving in traffic in Australia. You wouldn't get by without it. ) Julia Rossi (talk) 08:13, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

See Saturnalia and Carnival. As to where, Berkely,California is my recommendation. Rhinoracer (talk) 10:27, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

It depends on the circles you are in. When I was at University on a good night out all the above could happen. If I did it now I would be Send to Coventry by my neighbours and my wife. -- Q Chris (talk) 10:31, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Since you are a cardinal, assuming you're from the Vatican, I suggest asking the Pope. Neal (talk) 12:49, 18 March 2008 (UTC).

Yes, I am writing a book a book about freedom and society complexes of what is allowed and wasn't allowed.The naked thing I am exploring most because I see no real deal in nakedness. I'll check that guy out he seems to be of some good reference. Cardinal can mean red. I was going for Red Raven. But cardinal sounded much cooler. I'm not religious in any shape or form. I have my own views of how life had gotten started. Ha, Well I will have to do Middle Finger push ups before I go to Australia. 71.143.3.182 (talk) 16:32, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Mind you, and with all due respect to my highly esteemed countrywoman Julia Rossi, there are actually some Australian drivers who don't actually find it necessary to actually use the middle finger ... ever, actually. I'm sure she must be talking about other people. I have assessed her to be a gentlewoman of substance and integrity, she is as well-mannered as I am, and she would never allow herself to be provoked into such coarse behaviour. Then again, she may live in a metropolis, where God-knows-what goes on. I live in the real Australia. :) -- JackofOz (talk) 21:12, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I hope you know I was joking. I myself rarely use the middle finger. I find it highly rude. We are adults and we should be able to solve our problems with words. Not with violence or with fingers. Its a childish thing to do. That's my opinion on it as well. If you have nothing to say to me then sticking the finger in my face I will disregard you. Or that is my thinking.

How do you have a verbal discussion in different vehicles at 70 MPH? HYENASTE 01:15, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

My thoughts on nudity are that we see ourselves naked in the showers all the time and we see ourselves naked when we go to bed with our spouses. There should be no problem with being naked on television. Nudity shouldn't be censored. We have reduced the human body to something disgusting and something only used in a sexual manner. We have made the human body to be hidden behind our clothes. Yet, our ancestors when we were caveman or maybe even more primitive didn't wear clothes.

Peeing in the shower is just when I am lazy and I don't want to get out of the shower. Shoot it all goes down the same drain. In my view sometimes burping can be disrespectful, but most of the time its like saying "thanks I've been fed well." The only time you should have to pull down your pants in public is when you really need to go to the bathroom and can't find a toilet....then again you might get arrested. Sometimes you just need to run and let all the stress out. Running around and screaming isn't a big deal, but people might view you as crazy. Guess I'm just laid back. Thank you, Always Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 22:36, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Nice catch O Jackoz, how astute you are to assess me like that – I should have included that it is a gesture of the metropolitan culture and needs to be used selectively so as not to provoke road rage. Any visitor needs to be aware that it can't safely be used when stuck in traffic but only when making a clean getaway. If Cardinal Raven perfects the middle finger push-up and is ever dragged onto the bitumen in such a situation, merely demonstrating his pushup power would send the offender/s slinking away, using the respect gesture with the pinky and thumb oops, index of both hands. ; ) Julia Rossi (talk) 23:07, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

One for CardinalRaven more re Safran is here an interview on ABC television. I didn't know cardinal meant red and makes sense of the cardinals flocking in that colour at Vatican get togethers. Thank you, and best with your book, Julia Rossi (talk) 23:17, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for more information on Safran. We learn something new everyday. colors deep red: a deep strong red color, like that of the robes of a cardinal. This is in my dictionary. Thank you for the good luck on my book. So I'm just trying to accomplish more with a book now. Yes, I'm perfecting that middle finger push up right at this moment. Its like playing piano keys. One, two, one two.lol!

Thank you,

Always Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 23:22, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

You're welcome, congrats and lol : )) Julia Rossi (talk) 23:58, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Since its has been all ready spilled on this field. Could you help me with a title I am really bad at that?71.143.3.182 (talk) 03:52, 19 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Can you sum up your proposal/content for some background or would something from Safran's point of view be helpful? Julia Rossi (talk) 06:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

While you;re working on that how about things like these for working titles, Choose an empty street (crossing the line and other issues in sociobiology), Naked dinner (towards a personal ethic in socio...), T-shirt warnings (and other clues to staying eccentric and safe in public). this is fun Julia Rossi (talk) 06:26, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Ha, Naked Dinner.71.143.3.182 (talk) 03:32, 20 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

I think it rather depends upon whether you intend to wear a mask whilst doing these things. 8-)

Never,Never,NEVER EVER!!(I'd call the police or sue) ,never,never,never. But that is only my opinion.--SlaveofBetrayal (Talk)

I believe they are all considered as rude or crude behavoir and should not be acceptable at all if you had any self-respect.

Shaved heads

For some time now, I've considered shaving my head. The reasoning being, I'm a middle aged guy with prematurely grey hair which, judging by the amount left in the shower tray, has now started to receed. It's quite a big step to take, so I have a some questions before I get out the scissors and razor:

1. Can anyone convince me the "style" looks good on middle-aged white guys like me?
2. How often would I need to re-shave (blade or electric?) to keep it looking smooth-ish?
3. How much other weekly (or daily, or monthly) maintenence is required?
4. Would my dandruff stop?
5. Is sunburn a major hazard?

Many thanks. Astronaut (talk) 09:56, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

welcome to the rest of the planet! Most 'middle aged guys' and some a lot younger go for a short shaved haircut eg military style -with the buzzing clippers at a hairdresser or whatever why not try that first. eg try crew cut or buzz cut that should be a lot less hassle that keeping your head shaved and shiny. Take a look around on the street - you'll see lots of middle-aged white guys who have done just that.

Someone else can advise you on total baldness - but yes apparently sunburn can be an issue.87.102.74.53 (talk) 11:50, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

But don't forget that many guys look really good with shaved heads, and are often, though clearly not always, advertisng their "gay" sexuality. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.145.241.167 (talk) 14:45, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Sure they are. Neal (talk) 14:51, 18 March 2008 (UTC).

You should try a shaved head. Many middle aged men look better with shaved head then some weird comb over or trying to save what's left of your hair *cough cough* Donald Trump. I think that its a wonderful style. Don't worry about sunburn just put some sunscreen on your bald head. It will keep your head shiny and smooth there is a plus to sunscreen. I can't help you on the rest though. I've never shaved my head and I don't think I will have to for a while. Since I'm in the age group of 18-29.

As always, Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 22:40, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Yeah, convinced of that!--88.109.88.16 (talk) 14:54, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Ask the barber/hairdresser for a number-one comb – the closest. A number-two comb gives a fuzzy finish. Julia Rossi (talk) 23:32, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Just about anything looks better than a comb-over, IMHO. Preserve your dignity and keep it short. Steewi (talk) 00:38, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

TRADE FAIRS

DISTINGUISH BETWEEN A TRADE FAIR, TRADE SHOW,TRADE EXHIBITION AND TRADE MISSION —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.113.72.74 (talk) 10:10, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

There's no need to shout (typing all in UPPERCASE is usually considered shouting).

Anyway, I think a "Trade Fair", "Trade Show" and "Trade Exhibition" are pretty much the same thing - an event where those employed in a certain type of industry get together to show off their new products to each other and to potential new customers. A "Trade Mission" is usually a group government and private sector employees sent to foreign country with the purpose of developing trade between the two countries; for example, here is the calendar of trade missions undertaken by the US dept of commerce. Astronaut (talk) 10:31, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

south east siberia

I wish to travel to Birobidzhan does it have an airport? how would I go about finding an english speaking person to show me around? are there hotels/b&b's and are there resteraunts? Thanks l'chiyem 193.115.175.247 (talk) 13:45, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Dough

This article is very lacking in vital info. eg airports, hotels and places of interest. please help —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 15:32, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

As far as I can find out, the nearest large airport with international service is at Khabarovsk some 200 km to the east. You can probably use the Trans-Siberian Railway to take you the last bit of the journey (2 hrs). You might find it easier or more interesting to get to Vladivostok instead and spend a night on the train. Once in Birobidzhan, I would be very surprised if a city of nearly 80,000 people did not have hotels and restaurants - Google Earth has a photo of a Hotel Vostoc. The city's official site has a list of tourist businesses and some info in English. As for English speakers, I suspect you will easily find several people who do speak English, but take a Russian phrase book. Astronaut (talk) 15:50, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Airborne Bugs in Planes - NOT A MEDICAL ADVICE QUESTION!!!

Yet again, my wife has caught a serious head cold and URTI (breathing problem that exacerbates her normally controlled asthma). Yet again, she had to be hospitalised and nebulised with oxygen and ventalin after yet again, returning from a continental holiday by air. We are not seeking medical advice - we have that in buckets already - but does anyone here know of an effective face mask she could wear during future flights to prevent her breathing in other people's exhaled and distributed bugs? I understand that airlines only refresh a proportion of the used oxygen exhaled by those on board due to the pohibitive cost of refreshing it all and heating it up. So yet again, any preventative advice would be most welcome and gratefully received. Thanks in anticipation. 81.145.241.167 (talk) 14:40, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Try not to fly, ever.--88.109.88.16 (talk) 14:53, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Remember those flu masks some people wore when everyone was panicking about SARS? Try to find one of those. However, one with a filter would work better, but those are more expensive, need replacement filters, and draw looks from the ignorant. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 15:02, 18 March 2008 (UTC)206.252.74.48 (talk) 15:00, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't believe that the cold bacteria can just fly around by themselves—they are usually attached to things like saliva, etc. So a simple mask ought to work pretty well if all we're talking about here is your standard cold. But remember that if someone sneezes and it makes its way to, say, food you put in your mouth, that undoes any effect the mask might have. Lately I've started to feel like Howard Hughes when I'm on an airplane—I view children as disease vectors more horrific, I refuse to touch anything with my bare hands, I start to suspect the people next to me as being sources for all of my future misery! It's not entirely rational but after you get sick a few times on a plane it makes one pretty miserable, and there are times when I do a lot of flying. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 15:59, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Can anyone tell me if there is something better than GagaLive for an embedded, minimal Flash chat client? Without ads, cost free and supporting IRC.

(moved to Misplaced Pages:Reference desk/Computing)

Trolls

Without Pwning me too bad, im not really sure what a troll is in internet terms. I readWP:troll, and i still dont get it. the sentence "Trolling refers to deliberate and intentional attempts to disrupt the usability of Misplaced Pages for its editors, administrators, developers, and other people who work to create content for and help run Misplaced Pages" just sounds like a vandal to me.the juggreserection 14:51, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

So you basically believe that a troll and a vandal are not the same? Neal (talk) 14:53, 18 March 2008 (UTC).

well no, they just sound like the same thing.the juggreserection 14:55, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Right, take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/Troll_%28Internet%29. Vandals don't talk, they just vandalize. Trolling involves conversing. Neal (talk) 14:56, 18 March 2008 (UTC).

(ec) A troll, in internet terms, is someone who is disruptive for the sake of being disruptive; they get their kicks from upsetting people and they post things in order to see the reactions it causes. Misplaced Pages vandals are not necessarily trolling; they may be bored, showing off to their mates, trying to prove a point, or have any one of a number of motives. Misplaced Pages mainspace isn't a very attractive environment for trolls because, as Neal said, it doesn't involve conversation; the trolls message will just be removed rather than being responded to. FiggyBee (talk) 14:59, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

oh. I see. thanks for clearing that up.the juggreserection 15:24, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I am a troll hence, I feel that it is the wikipedians who find problems with the thought patterns of others that have the problem not the trolls, if a wikipedian gets upset at what some one else has written, they call him a troll, this is not the said trolls fault, but the fault of the wikipedian. please expand. lol —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 15:31, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Not really. The purpose of a troll is to upset and disrupt, so it's their fault when they do so. If someone upsets and disrupts by accident, that's not trolling (though it may be mis-labelled as such). AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 15:45, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Agreed. A troll is defined by what their objective is. A troll isn't just someone in a minority view. Neal (talk) 15:47, 18 March 2008 (UTC).

A practiced troll doesn't even look like a troll at first—they throw out some sort of comment that looks genuine and then get people to pull their hair out trying to explain why it is wrong, stupid, whatever. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 15:55, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Of course stupidity, ignorance or naivety (see hanlon's razor yet again) is always an explanation. I believe the troll also gains benefit from wasting your time.87.102.47.176 (talk) 16:49, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

4 edits up starts I am a troll therefore... so all the answers under there, are VERY VERY FUNNY. people do tend to make arses of them selves on occasion. LMFAO! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 17:17, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Oh don't worry, I saw the "lol", but decided to inform anyway. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 00:23, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Trolling is essentially just the internet equivalent of prank calling. It can range from amusing for all involved to outright hate speech. --S.dedalus (talk) 03:16, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

And, hence the expression "don't feed the trolls" arose - which means that you shouldn't give the troll more food (don't respond) as he thrives off responses. Ignore him and hopefully he goes away. Sandman30s (talk) 10:45, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Saving a few seconds at a long red light via elaborate and questionably legal maneuvers...

The maneuver I am referring to is skipping a long red light (US driving system) by making a right turn on red, moving into the center lane, making a U turn, switching to the outermost lane, and then making a right turn. See a diagram here. I am looking for the name of this "turn." Thanks in advance, 152.3.44.183 (talk) 17:43, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I'd just call it "impatient", doubting that it has any particular well-recognized name (note that "well-recognized" is the key here). — Lomn 17:54, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I would have sworn there was a Misplaced Pages article on this at some point. I looked everywhere and couldn't find it. 152.3.44.183 (talk) 18:18, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Not quite the same, but you may be thinking of a Michigan left. Bovlb (talk) 19:17, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Any junction where you have to make that manoeuvre is called a Superstreet. Laïka 20:12, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

It's called an xkcd, silly. Mac Davis (talk) 08:32, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Note that in some jurisdictions there are laws against "circumventing" traffic control devices. (The one I warned of when I learned to drive was skipping a red light by cutting through a parking lot.) Depending on where you are, it may be illegal to "skip" a red light by doing a Michigan left-type maneuver. -- 128.104.112.85 (talk) 14:56, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

You could plausibly claim you changed your mind about which direction you were going in. I've heard of this law before but it was always explained to me specifically with the example of cutting through a parking lot. If you stay on the street the whole time, would it still be illegal? Not sure how they're word a law like that. Friday (talk) 15:01, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I did this manoeuver some years ago when I was young and foolish. It was 2am, the London streets were deserted apart from me... and a police patrol car. They pulled me over and asked about my "interesting" manoeuver. I was rather embarrassed, but as I was clearly not drunk and had not done anything unsafe, (there were literally no other cars around and I'd not gone through any red lights) they let me go. As far as I recall, I didn't even turn the key in the ignition for about 10 more minutes, while I finished trembling, lol. --Dweller (talk) 15:35, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

presidents

i had asked a riddle he invented it and hated,and got a lot of un helpful answers.on my own research,i googled and found benjamin frankling invented bifocals because he hated wearing glasses.i was so clos i received a bonus clue..that the guys first name ryhmes with the current us presidents.so help... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.220.113.117 (talk) 20:45, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

could it be gorge washington carver the inventor of peanuts...he hated the stuff —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.220.113.117 (talk) 20:49, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

The inventor of peanuts? -- JackofOz (talk) 20:55, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Apparently George Washington Carver invented stuff using peanuts. :) As to the riddle, I sure don't know. The first name rhymes with the current President's? What the heck rhymes with 'George'? --Masamage ♫ 21:01, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

It has often been said he invented peanut butter (and many other things), though he didn't actually. Alas. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 22:06, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

It should be noted that the answers you consider "unhelpful" are due to (as has been noted numerous times) the utter lack of rigor to these riddles. There exists no one unique solution to such vague clues, and I suspect your friend is playing some version of this game every time you come back with an answer. I recommend instead challenging him to explain why your answers are wrong. — Lomn 21:50, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

You also need to be more precise if you're going to get anywhere. Last time the 'riddle' was he discovered it but he hates it. Discovery and invention are not the same thing. Algebraist 22:19, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Could it possibly be Ascanio Sobrero who invented nitroglycerine and kept it a secret for a year because he was so disgusted and frightened by his discovery. Yes, I realise Ascanio doesn't rhyme with George or Walker, Richard Avery (talk) 08:31, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Neodymium Hook Magnets

Are these type of magnets good to be used on bathroom wall tile?--logger (talk) 22:12, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

As long as the magnets are coated in nickel, and no body gets their skin pinched, they're fine. Mac Davis (talk) 08:31, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Does magnet stick to tile - no. Unless it's a metal tile.?83.100.183.180 (talk) 14:23, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Grad

Where could I get a red tuxudo suitable for grad?Jwking (talk) 22:47, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Dunno - maybe a donut shop?87.102.47.176 (talk) 23:10, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Costume hire, wedding hire, somewhere theatrical? sounds creative so even asking around design students if you know any. Julia Rossi (talk) 23:39, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

The Junction? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.144.62 (talk) 02:54, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

March 19

Names

Why do we call famous people by the names we do? I mean, why is it that we call some people by their full names (e.g. Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ralph Waldo Emerson), others by their initials (e.g. H. G. Wells, J. D. Salinger), some by just their first and last names (e.g. Charles Dickens, Edith Wharton), and still others by a combination (e. g. Dwight D. Eisenhower, F. Scott Fitzgerald)? – Psyche825 _(talk) 00:45, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

When it comes to the J.D. Salingers, H. G. Wellses and F. Scott Fitzgeralds of the world, we call them that because that's the authorial name that appears on the cover of their books, rather than "Jerome Salinger", "Herbert Wells" or "Francis Fitzgerald". As for the Shelleys, Emersons etc - it seems to be just that we've come to know them by their full names, and referring to "Percy Shelley" or "Ralph Emerson" would now sound odd, because nobody says that. Which doesn't really answer the question of how this habit started in the first place, I acknowledge. On the other hand, we do also refer to them by surname only - Shelley, Dickens, Shakespeare - exactly as we do for John Keats, Robert Frost, Henry Lawson etc, as Keats, Frost and Lawson. The other side of the coin is that composers are more often than not referred to by surname only (Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms), except for living composers. But some very well-known long-dead composers always get their full name, most notably César Franck. Why this is so is a mystery to me. -- JackofOz (talk) 01:05, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Famous people aren't always known by the names they prefer. Lee Harvey Oswald was just "Lee Oswald" to those who knew him, but he died before he could get the Dallas PD and the media to stop calling him that. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 02:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I've heard (perhaps it was speculation) that criminal suspects' names are often given in full to lessen the chance of embarrassing the hypothetical R. Lee Oswald, James Robert Ray, John Donne Gacy, and so on. —Tamfang (talk) 07:22, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, that's why police and the media initially use full names of suspects. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

(afterthought) Dan White escaped the phenomenon because he was already a public figure, but what about Charles Manson? —Tamfang (talk) 21:07, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

The New York Times long referred to him as "Charles M. Manson." But once a defendant becomes well known, there's no need to keep using his full name if it's not how he was generally known before his arrest. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 03:07, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I agree entirely. That doesn't explain why John Gacy, James Ray, Lee Oswald et al still always get the full-name treatment, whereas Manson doesn't. The media are paragons of inconsistency on such things, though, so I guess they have a reputation to defend. -- JackofOz (talk) 03:14, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps the name on the cover has something to do with some of them. For example, neither Fitzgerald nor C. S. Lewis cared for their given names, so when they published their books, they didn't use their given names. Others may have just signed their names in some way for some other personal reason (like the other ones given). – Psyche825 _(talk) 20:10, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes it's the real world's equivalent of disambiguation. I've no idea how chuffed Pitt the Younger was about his epithet (probably less happy than Pliny the Younger was) but it's handy being able to differentiate the composers called Bach, the Bushes called George etc As such, the need for disambiguation sometimes will come after the person's time, in which case they'll have no say in the matter. Pliny the Elder died when his namesake was a nerdy stick-at-home scholar, as the latter makes clear in his own tale of the former's death. --Dweller (talk) 11:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't know about the others, although the posts above are educational, but it's pretty common for female writers to be required by their editors to use their initials rather than full names--or even to take a male pen name--because they don't think people will buy stuff by female writers, especially science fiction books. This is as modern as J. K. Rowling, whose friends know her as Joanne or Jo. Other examples are Andre Norton, James Tiptree Jr. and C. J. Cherryh (whose last name is actually Cherry). There's a website somewhere that lists a bunch more, and it's bizarre and freaky how many there are. I wish I could remember where it is... --Masamage ♫ 23:36, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Oh, hey, check it out: Category:Female authors who wrote under male or gender-neutral pseudonyms. --Masamage ♫ 23:44, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Phyllis Dorothy James remarked that in hindsight she was glad to have chosen that form because it made booksignings easier on the hands. —Tamfang (talk) 21:10, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I know I put mostly authors' names for examples (my mind went blank, and there's a bookshelf right next to my computer), but this question extends to other well-known people, as well. – Psyche825 _(talk) 20:10, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Depth parameter

How is this parameter calculated when determining the depth of a Misplaced Pages? Please be as detailed as possible. -- Leptictidium (mammal talk!) 01:12, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

According to m:List of Wikipedias it's ((Edits/Articles) × (Non-Articles/Articles) × (1 − Stub-ratio)). Algebraist 02:21, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Having a ton of stubs seems to result in great shallowness - the Polish WP has a depth of 8, barely above Volapük WP at 6. Following Jimbo Wales's comment here led me to meta:List of Wikipedias by sample of articles where Volapük comes in 93d, far behind Polish WP which receives the 10th highest score by that measurement ---Sluzzelin talk 15:46, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Scivias online?

Does anyone know where I can find a copy of Hildegard of Bingen's _Scivias_ as an e-book or webpage or something similar? 71.220.109.203 (talk) 01:22, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Unfortunately it is a book which has only been translated fairly recently in the 20th century—the original is out of copyright, clearly, but any translation would be copyrighted, which reduces its chance of being online in anything other than Latin, and even that seems wanting. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 04:25, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

At least some of the book is on Google Books here. Astronaut (talk) 11:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Thank you both. I'm just going to buy it - no need to stay online and be unable to see parts. 75.161.129.138 (talk) 19:56, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

US census -- basements

I'd like to get statistical data on where in the United States basements are more common. I know that generally that the West and South don't have them and the Midwest and Northeast do, but I'd like some hard data if possible. The basement article gives some interesting information about what types of soil are necessary, etc., but again, it'd be nice to have data.

(I'd also ideally like it for around 1980, but if that wasn't possible, I'd survive).

I found this list of census data available for 1980—amazingly out of all of those variables I couldn't find anything that would help me with this task. But maybe you are more clever than I am? --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 02:02, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Can't help you with census results i'm afraid, but US basements are generally obligatory nowadays in areas most susceptible to deep ground frosts so that services like gas, water, electricity etc. can be located below the house at a level below the frost line. As a resident of Scotland, where we don't usually have basements, and where we have cold water storage tanks in the attic, it sounds like a good idea to me. So I would tend to concentrate on the northern states were I you. Good luck. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.145.241.243 (talk) 18:49, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Who is Louis C. Waldman?

I really want to know who Louis C. Waldman is. All I really know is that he was living circa 1902 and was an "certified architect in Riverside, California. He was an active architect around this time. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 123abd? (talk • contribs) 02:24, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Try this: go to the Misplaced Pages page on Riverside, California. Follow the external links at the bottom of the page to the municipal government's website and the local history societies. The city's website will give you the contact information for the local library, which is usually the best place to search for historical information on a local person. (826-5213). The historical societies also offer contact information, as well as links to old phone directories. Good luck! WikiJedits (talk) 13:10, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Alarm clock

For years, I have owned this alarm clock whose design I have always liked. However, it no longer works properly. It appears to be a copy of a regular alarm clock and it is made in China based on the sticker on the bottom. Does this particular design look familiar? Is there a replacement somewhere? It could be a brand name like Braun but my Google search leads me nowhere. What can you tell me about my alarm clock? --Blue387 (talk) 03:03, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Googling (hint hint) gray desk clock (images) gets you something close-ish but newer in Seiko. Julia Rossi (talk) 06:34, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

If it's the case you like you could 'easily' get a replacement mechanism - I assume it's quartz. Make friends with a proper jeweler and hopefully they should be able to just pop a new mechanism in?83.100.183.180 (talk) 14:22, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Blister

When a person has blister, such as from a burn, what is the liquid that forms it? The article on blisters simply calls it a "liquid". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.194.74.154 (talk) 08:40, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

It's serum — blood with red blood cells and clotting agents filtered out. . Weregerbil (talk) 09:45, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

See Blood plasma --Tagishsimon (talk) 15:16, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Rush Plant

Can anyone get me a picture of the pith of a rush plant? 220.233.83.26 (talk) 09:21, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

No, but in a couple of months, once they start growing again in my water garden, I could mail you some ;-). Seriously, there's nothing too unique about rushes (juncus) as compared to any of the fibrous grasses you may have seen.

Atlant (talk) 12:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Strange illnesses

What are some of the strangest human illnesses? 200.127.59.151 (talk) 11:34, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I do not think "strange" is aa good category for an encyclopedia. You might look at the existing article on rare disease. WikiJedits (talk) 13:03, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat describes a number of very unusual mental illnesses. --Sean 13:28, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps leprosy or ebola. Useight (talk) 15:12, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

What's the one that renders the sufferer insensible to pain? 200.127.59.151 (talk) 16:28, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis? Skittle (talk) 17:42, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I knew someone who had that condition, his girlfriend liked kicking him at random. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 19:10, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Exploding head syndrome definitely has the coolest name. I guess it's a little strange too. Recury (talk) 20:38, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

There was also a condition where every injured area of the body turned into bone until the person became a living statue. Unfortunately I have forgotten its name. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 20:46, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

You're referring to Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. I always thought Harlequin type ichthyosis is quite strange. Dismas| 21:32, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

This is great, thank you very much. I'll add another two, but I don't know their names. The first is a neurological (?) condition that renders the sufferer inherently sociable and friendly but makes it very difficult for him/her to follow logical reasoning or perform practical tasks. (insert name). The other is also neurological and the sufferer feels as if he is being grasped and moved by invisible hands. This can happen in any part of the body even inside. I wish I knew the names. 200.127.59.151 (talk) 22:24, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

For the first, try Williams Syndrome Bunthorne (talk) 06:13, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

How about Foreign accent syndrome? -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:12, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

It's a pity that Oscar von Redwitz-Schmölz died in 1891 and isn't around to answer this question. He was a German dramatist and poet (composers such as Liszt and Pfitzner set his poems to music), and also an extreme hypochondriac. He visited a doctor every day for 28 years, during which time he complained of over 10,000 different ailments, most of which were completely unknown to medical science. (This information was contained in the Book of Lists #2, ed. Irving Wallace et al, and the author of the article was William A. De-Gregorio, but it isn't confirmed by any English-language Google hit.) -- JackofOz (talk) 03:41, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Water urticaria, an allergy to water. (Okay, technically it’s not an illness.) Aquagenic pruritus is similar and is an illness however. --S.dedalus (talk) 06:20, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Water urticaria is sometimes described as an allergy, but it is poorly described in the literature because of its extreme rarity. My friend who suffers from this - and once almost died from it - is a nurse, and his father is a doctor, and I think they'd both have a lot of trouble in accepting that it's not an illness in the ordinary understanding of the term. It's certainly a debilitating medical condition. -- JackofOz (talk) 07:18, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

What does a sufferer from this condition do when they get thirsty? --S.dedalus (talk) 22:54, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Afaik it only happens when water contacts the external skin, and even then it depends on the temperature. The Melbourne girl mentioned in the article seems to have an extreme case, where any water contact is bad. My friend is only affected by cold water; he loves long hot showers. -- JackofOz (talk) 23:39, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Here's some interesting psychotic ones that I like: Capgras delusion, Folie à deux, Fregoli delusion, Intermetamorphosis, Syndrome of subjective doubles, Cotard delusion, Mirrored self-misidentification, Somatoparaphrenia, Reduplicative paramnesia, Syndrome of delusional companions, Clonal pluralization of the self. These are all monothematic delusional misidentification syndromes. Mac Davis (talk) 21:12, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Also, progeria, and xeroderma pigmentosum. Mac Davis (talk) 00:09, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Thank you all very much. 200.127.59.151 (talk) 21:30, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

vandalizing the vandals

I tried to fix some vadalism stating that this can make green hair grow out of ones arse. however, I sem to have made a bit of a mess, could someone with more knowlege plese fix this up for me as I feel quilty now thanks Phencyclidine

I took care of it. Just a couple missing }} at the end of the info-box template. --LarryMac | Talk 15:42, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Well done Captain Cheers and Beers and PCP —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 16:11, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Oven - What does "the war" and "the ovens" refer to?

Was talking to an old man recently and he kept talking about the war and the ovens what was he on about? wiki the ovens comes up with nothing as does google. thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 16:35, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Presumably the old man was referring to World War Two and The Holocaust. The end of this section should answer your questions. --Dweller (talk) 16:52, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

The Nazis burned the corpses of their concentration camp victims in ovens like these ones at Buchenwald concentration camp. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 16:56, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Consider the possibility that old men occasionally talk to fools. I do, even in soliloquy. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 18:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Most likely the second world war. But also depending on the age of the user it could refer to world war two, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Iraq: part two. Its basically assuming that you understand which war they served. БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є 20:10, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, but ovens didn't really play a major role in any of those wars. If it had been the war and Khe Sanh, or the war and the IEDs, that'd be something different. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 00:54, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Or maybe "the war" and the inconsistencies. Mac Davis (talk) 21:15, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I have started the article, buy boy does it need work. any help would be greatly appreciated.

lord of the trolls

I am of the opinion that some people enjoy or benefit from the actions of internet trolls, whilst not being trolls themselves. Such persons might exhibit an 'authorative' or 'holier than thou' attitude and seek out positions of responsibility - in short relying on trolls to justify their existence on the net.

Joking aside (ie Answer=administrators) has the internet or popular culture got a name for such people or such activity?83.100.183.180 (talk) 17:08, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't know of a specific term, but here we tell people not to feed the trolls. You may hear people refer to such folks as "drama queens" but this is a more generic term. Friday (talk) 17:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I think his question was "is there a word for people that appreciate trolls/trolling." And such people are not trolls themselves. Good question. I don't think there is 1 (can't instantly think of 1). I'd have to think about it. Neal (talk) 19:28, 19 March 2008 (UTC).

Yes that's right - a bit like a witcherfinder general might appreciate the activities of witches - if you see what I mean.83.100.183.180 (talk) 20:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Maybe petty king? Vranak (talk) 20:08, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Mmh that's an interesting answer - and a good one. Thanks hadn't even thought of that.83.100.183.180 (talk) 20:32, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Ratcatcher Shirt

My granddaughter takes riding lessons...part of the show apparel is a "ratcather shirt". HOW IN THE WORLD DID THE SHIRT GET THAT NAME? Where did it come from? Help. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.156.188.254 (talk) 20:19, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

That's like asking why things are the way things are. Take a look at cause and effect. Ask for the particular question, you may need to provide the company of the shirt, or ask them. Or your grand daughter. Neal (talk) 21:06, 19 March 2008 (UTC).

And we need to ask why things are the way they are. ;) Sometimes it's even fun. Take a look at etymology. --Kjoonlee 21:13, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

The OED defines rat-catcher as "Unconventional hunting dress" (our article on fox hunting refers to it in the Attire section). I can't find any information on how it came to be used in hunting - maybe that style of shirt originated with actual rat-catchers, or maybe 'rat' was slang for fox (as they are considered by some to be vermin). Just a guess. — Matt Eason 21:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

The two earliest citations for ratcatcher shirt in the OED are:

1910 KIPLING Diversity of Creatures (1917) 310 He came back to the bar, after he'd changed into those rat-catcher clothes. 1928 J. B. THOMAS Hounds & Hunting 254 Rat-catcher - referring to one informally dressed when hunting.

Remarkable that what in 1928 was thought of as informal is by now considered formal wear. It rather sounds like a slur which has made its way to being some sort of in-style dress code. See also Euphemism Treadmill --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:41, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

... what in 1928 was thought of as informal is by now considered formal wear: Yes, remarkable. In many cases, the opposite would be true. -- JackofOz (talk) 05:37, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

We have an article for such topics: semantic change has some info on amelioration. --Kjoonlee 11:53, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

If you went hunting,it was considered to be bad form to wear a pink coat(that is, the red jacket you see on hunting prints,they are called pink after the original maker not the colour)until the hunt invited you to.So you would wear a tweed jacket like the sort we now call a hacking jacket.This was everday countryside sporting wear for other activities such as shooting or ratcatching.Only when you had shown you knew how to behave were you invited to wear a red jacket with the hunt's button on it.

mm/dd/yy

Not sure if Misplaced Pages has a page on this, what is generally the more accepted format in formal writing when writing the date- mm/dd/yy or dd/mm/yy? Acceptable (talk) 22:07, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Calendar date is the nearest thing we have. mm/dd versus dd/mm seems to be country specific, with our USian cousins choosing to employ the less logical format, and most of us failing to employ the most logical, which is yyyy//mm/dd. Meanwhile in formal writing, I'd opine that 22 February 1977 or 22 February 1977 would be favoured. Your country / rules of etiquette may vary. --Tagishsimon (talk) 22:16, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I think it's regional. The USA uses mm/dd/yy but just about everywhere else uses dd/mm/yy. See Date formats for more. APL (talk) 22:18, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

In formal writing, write out the name of the month, in one form or another. It is much more precise that way, and avoids the sort of ambiguity that "03/02/2008" leads to (is it March 2, or February 3?). Whether you do it as "3 February" or "February 3" hardly matters. Personally I avoid indicated the s and s because it looks a little informal (more like speech) but again, it's not all that important, certainly not wasting too much time fretting about. Above all else, pick a style, and stick with it—consistency does matter. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 00:52, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I notice on your user page that you are Canadian. I've checked the banners of a couple of respected Canadian publications and found that they follow the same standard that prevails in the United States: mm dd, yyyy (for example "March 19, 2008"). Note that in running text, a comma needs to follow the year as well. (For example, "On every day from March 19, 2008, through the end of the year, Jessica visited her mother in the nursing home.") Marco polo (talk) 01:07, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

(slightly OT) When dealing with automated alphabetisation, the Chinese format is most convenient: yyyy-mm-dd. The alphabetisation puts dates in chronological order. Steewi (talk) 01:10, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

See also ISO 8601— Matt Eason 01:51, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes, to reduce ambiguity, the month is given in Roman numerals, thus "20.III.2008". —Tamfang (talk) 20:11, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

However, the original question was about formal writing, and in formal writing the use of small numbers or abbreviations is avoided. "March 3" would generally be acceptable, but some documents use things like "the third day of March". 03/03 is right out. --Anonymous, 04:24 UTC, 2008-03-20.

See also Names_of_numbers_in_English#Dates. BrainyBabe (talk) 17:27, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

March 20

Big Lake, TX

What is this big purple thing on the yahoo map at these Coordinates: 31.189466,-101.444438 ?

The same object is dark green on Google Maps. It's hard to say what it is, but I suspect that it is an irrigated field where sod or maybe vegetables or flowers are grown. There are other odd purple spots in the area on Yahoo Maps, and I suspect that they are the result of an error in the coloring of the photograph. Marco polo (talk) 00:59, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Your coordinates appear to me to point to a patch of ground to the west of Big Lake Country Club, in Big Lake (Texas). The purple thing to the north west is Reagan County Airport. --Tagishsimon (talk) 01:00, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

The airport is on the other side of the town from the object the questioner asked about. Marco polo (talk) 15:44, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Earthquake (comedian)

I love the comedian Earthquake! I kind of want to go see him perform. Does he have a website, or at the very least is there an unofficial site listing his tour dates. I tried a Google search, to no avail.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 01:41, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

http://www.quakeshouse.net/loudbaby and http://www.myspace.com/quakeshouse2. Can't find any tour dates though. — Matt Eason 02:49, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Thank you! I think he must not be touring at present.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 23:21, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Formula One gear ratios

What are some sample gear ratios a modern Formula One car, such as the one used by Scuderia Ferrari, might have? Thanks Acceptable (talk) 03:14, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I can't find a damn thing online talking about the gear ratios used by F1 teams, and I've tried about eight different permutations of search terms at this point. The F1 site itself has nothing, and every piece I've seen talking about the cars doesn't get to that level of detail. Sorry... anyone else? Tony Fox (arf!) 17:39, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I can't give you any example numbers - like Tony, I drew a blank. What I can tell you is that they change the ratios (that is, the physical cogs) for each race. So for Monaco, for example, they'll have a much smaller change between each gear and a "lower" top gear, for maximum acceleration. Whereas for the circuits with longer straights they'll need a higher top gear to let the car reach top speed. Even the weather will affect the choice of what gears they drop into the box before the race. FiggyBee (talk) 18:42, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Uhm, best I can tell you is to try rFactor's F1 mods available online - they do have numbers, though unsure how accurate they are. It seems that 1st gear does about 0-100, and then the remaining 100mph is divided more or less evenly between 2-7. -mattbuck (Talk) 19:31, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Basic gear ratios from F1 2007 MMG Rfactor mod, for comparison with whatever. -mattbuck (Talk) 20:03, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I figure that since the car have such ridiculously high acceleration and have extremely high-revving, but relatively low engine torque, engines, they must very aggressive gear ratios to achieve such accelerations. Acceptable (talk) 21:32, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I'll post a little more information on your talkpage, because the details qualify as WP:OR, technically, though the formula used is relatively simple and can be used on any car--what it boils down to is dividing the engine speed by the rotational speed of the tyres themselves. Of course, these vary greatly depending on the track, and which gear is being considered; rear differential gear ratios used by NASCAR teams, for example, range from approximately 3.90:1 at the superspeedways to as high as 7.0:1 or more at the short tracks, according to various broadcasters. Rdfox 76 (talk) 04:41, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Don

Why does the Mafia use the word DON to describe the boss? Where did it start, who was the first? I've looked in Misplaced Pages, and was unable to locate anything. Grazie.

There's some discussion of this in Don (honorific). Regards, -- Flyguy649 04:16, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Logic Boldface Opinions

As humans beings we say a lot of things are based on logic. Even scientific study we base on logic, but wouldn't be cool if logic was just boldface opinions. Opinions with some data given to them to make them logical. What is your "logic" on this theory?71.143.3.182 (talk) 05:12, 20 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

It's very illogical. There are lots of ways to define/describe logic, but one of the traits of logic is that if all your assumptions are correct, then logical conclusions derived from them cannot be wrong. --Kjoonlee 11:35, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Kindly note that Misplaced Pages is not a forum; we are not here to do your homework for you, or to answer about opinions. Thank you. --Kjoonlee 11:36, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

For one, you aren't very clear in distinguishing between Inductive reasoning, which is used in science, and Deductive reasoning, which is what "logical" traditionally refers to. Deductive reasoning isn't a matter of opinions. If something follows deductively, then the conclusion is guaranteed from the premises. Inductive reasoning involves taking data to confirm a given theory (and hopefully providing disconfirmation of rival theories).--droptone (talk) 11:56, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

This might be a long-shot but it sounds like what you want are something like Rudolf Carnap's contributions (in particular) to logical positivism -- a world full of simple, axiomatic statements from which to build up a strong logical and rational understanding. Check it out. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 12:57, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

past to present in fiction

Has any one ever made a correlation between the Elves and the Vulcans, as the Elves left earth. Also and likewise the Orks and the Klingons. Dragons and dinosaurs. ect

I assume you mean 'elves and orcs' in the sense Tolkien wrote about them - these are fictional works, as are 'flash gordon' and 'star trek'. I don't think there is much of a connection in terms of influences of the respective authors. They could be considered similar variations of archetypes which might be worth reading. eg archetypical 'bad guys' - I haven't heard of anyone talking this any further.

As for dragons and dinosaurs - yes numerous people have made this connection, and there are various theories of this - including legends of dragons being based on memories of human/dinosaur interactions.

For instance dinosaur bones were considered to be evidence of the flood destroying vile beasts such as dragons.

Searching for 'dragons dinosaurs' will turn up numerous links that explore this connection83.100.183.180 (talk) 16:45, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

eg try http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=dragon+dinosaur&meta= and take your pick - you can see that many have made the 'dinosaur=dragon' association83.100.183.180 (talk) 16:47, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

It's a shame Isaac Asimov isn't around anymore; I think he'd get a kick out of the idea of elvin/Vulcan goblin/Klingon unification. IMNSHO, one of the coolest things ever done in fiction was when Asimov took several disjoint series of his novels and short stories (the original Robot short stories, the Foundation/Galactic Empire series, the Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw detective series see) and wove them all into one grand tapestry. He'd be just the guy who could have done what is proposed in the question.

Atlant (talk) 16:59, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Not everyone loved the result. It has been said that a thriller or a farce is allowed exactly one preposterous coincidence, and good scifi ought to have just one preposterous piece of technology, e.g. Laws of Robotics or FTL or psychohistory ... —Tamfang (talk) 20:14, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Star Trek put dinosaurs and aliens together in one bizarre Voyager episode. Who knew dinosaurs were capable of space flight? Adam Bishop (talk) 01:14, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The episode in question was Distant Origin, if you're interested - quite a good one, and easy to enjoy even if you're not a Star Trek fan :) -Elmer Clark (talk) 08:24, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

recycling

What countries buy recycled products?? or where can i find out this information?? MaryRom (talk) 20:38, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Water is the oldest recycled product and is the main component of all agricultural produce. I suspect that all countries import some food stuffs.

Ignoring humus - presumable the second oldest recycled stuff - you would have ferrous metals, glass, paper and timber. Our article on recycling may be a good starting point, unless you have already checked it. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:39, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Fox News UFO

I have seen on Fox News (of all places) that someone took some really bizarre UFO pixes, and now two PIs are after the photog, who has since disappeared. Has anyone else seen this ? The UFO looks like - well you have to see it for yourselves. 65.173.105.141 (talk) 22:13, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

From what I've seen, this is a bizarre looking ship, and a HUGE one at that. Has anyone else seen this ? 65.173.105.141 (talk) 01:12, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Not wanting to be condescending but Fox News is a dodgy source, famous for irresponsible journalism and sensationalism. They are about two steps above Weekly World News when it comes to UFO stories—they don't claim Bat Boy is out there but they'll imply, wink, and smile that he is. Anyway, they have reported all sorts of silly UFO sightings over time (and of course never follow up on them to see how unidentified they stay over time), and there are a million non-conspiratorial reasons that someone might not be able to be found. Would you trust Fox News to report on if they end up finding him, and it turns out he just took a vacation? I wouldn't. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 01:58, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Distances on road-signs

How accurate are the distances given on road-signs (i'm primarily interested in the UK)? Are they 'as the crow flies' or are they the actual distance using that road? Also are they 'exact' - is the sign that says "York 22 miles" bound by rules on how far/close it can be to be 'legal'? If it were 22.7 miles away but said 22 who would know? Just wondered if anybody knows about this sort of thing. ny156uk (talk) 22:43, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Here's a recent discussion on the same topic, though more US-centric. As for being exact (again, US-centric) I can note that they're not. I've observed variation in distance remaining (for instance, signs 15 miles apart might show a 17-mile difference) and having multiple cities per sign strongly suggests that measurements are not exact to any fraction of a mile. — Lomn 23:57, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

More US-centric info: I've been told that the milages are to the main post office of the city. Otherwise the question would be "15 miles to where in the city?" Edison (talk) 00:16, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

For some Australian-centric info... The distance is by the shortest available route using that road in the direction the sign is facing, not as the crow flies. I just assume the distance given is rounded to the nearest whole number on the big main signs; however we also have very small signs replacing the old milestones that I assume are meant to be the exact distance. The distance given is usually taken as the distance to the post-office of the indicated town, as that is typically at the town centre. I can also vouch that they're not entirely accurate, at least the main signs. For example, I have seen instances where a sign will display distances to a number of towns on the one sign, while a similar sign say 10km down the same road will give different relative distances, i.e., they don't all decrease by 10km. I have seen other errors as well, but haven't made a practice of measuring exact distances very often. Personally, I just take them as an indicator of how far away the town is. --jjron (talk) 14:33, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

UK info, from personal observation: they don't show crow-flies distances, but they're not necessarily the shortest road distance either. They show the distance by the route the planners intend you to take from that point, which is not always the shortest. This is noticeable with the distances to the channel ports on the M2, IIRC. Algebraist 16:22, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

UK-centric, again: each town or city has a point from which the distances are measured. There used to be a small monument to mark this point in Exeter until the area was redeveloped. SaundersW (talk) 17:25, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Similarly I've been a bit puzzled by signs at city limits of the form "San Francisco, elevation 150 feet". Is it the altitude at the sign? The ground at City Hall is only ~70 ft; elevation in the city varies from sea level to 925 feet. —Tamfang (talk) 04:36, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

I think in the US, the distance to a city is based on using the city hall as the reference destination. --71.162.242.38 (talk) 23:43, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

March 21

The Bolles-Brendamour Company

The Bolles-Brendamour Company I recently acquired a bicycle headtube badge with this company's name on it. It was a sporting goods business in the 1920's and '30's in Cincinati,Ohio. I am looking for more information on the company and the bicycles they sold. I would imagine the bikes were built by Schwinn or another company and rebadged when sold at the sporting goods store. Anyone know of or have ever seen a bike with the Bolles-Brendamour name on it?

• A Google search turns up very little. Hopefully someone from around that way has some more direct info. --jjron (talk) 14:35, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Mistake

In the East York Collegiate Institute article, you guys made a mistake. According to the TDSB site, there no such name as George A. Brown, but Gordon A Brown.

Thank you for your suggestion. When you feel an article needs improvement, please feel free to make those changes. Misplaced Pages is a wiki, so anyone can edit almost any article by simply following the Edit this page link at the top. The Misplaced Pages community encourages you to be bold in updating pages. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes — they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. If you're not sure how editing works, check out how to edit a page, or use the sandbox to try out your editing skills. New contributors are always welcome. You don't even need to log in (although there are many reasons why you might want to). -Elmer Clark (talk) 08:27, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Trolling or just being an a##hole?

I was playing a nice good old game of Halo on my PC when this guy reads my name and starts making crude comments towards me. I ignored it for awhile until it started to bug the crap out of me and my clan.(please excuse the poor use of grammar)What was his motive? Was it to piss me off? or Was it to get under my clan's skin? In the end we ended up banning him so all is good.--SlaveofBetrayal (Talk)

Maybe he was having a bad day, maybe he gets kicks out of making random strangers mad, maybe he was losing and was trying to make up for it by running his mouth. Perhaps you could have just muted him? Useight (talk) 05:12, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I'd got the impression that this was common. Quite probably just 'being friendly' in a spirit of 'heated competition' - some people love this sort of this and give back. Seriously. If you don't like it - yep - just ban him. Some people like 'trash talking' each other.. Don't ask me why.87.102.16.238 (talk) 12:14, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure the title question actually presents two opposing ideas. In my mind, trolling is being an ass. It sounds like you took the best course of action, ignoring and then banning. --LarryMac | Talk 14:36, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

As we aren't him, I would say it looks like an example of cyberbullying. Which I am against. So your ban was justified, in my opinion. Neal (talk) 20:11, 21 March 2008 (UTC).

I don't appreciate that kind play and I am glad you all agree I took the apropitiate course of action. The fact that trash talking is not allowed in the server what so ever is the fact that bothered me the most and I wish people could follow the rules accordingly.--SlaveofBetrayal (Talk)

Dr. Detroit

Why is it Detroit became center of the auto industry? I'm aware Cleveland was a major car mfg center early in the 20h Century, & so was Indianapolis, with places like Racine, Wisconsin, & Springfield, Massachusetts, among pioneers. I'm also aware Detroit/area was fairly big in wagon manufacturing (in the 200K-plus/yr range). Was that the sole reason? Were there others? In a similar vein, why was the Model T so successful? Just price? Reliability? Something else? Thanx! Trekphiler (talk) 05:07, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Our article on the history of Detroit says Henry Ford chose Detroit due to the wagon industry and others followed him there. -Elmer Clark (talk) 08:33, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

One reason Detroit became a center for automobile manufacturing is its location. Almost all of the resources needed to make cars can come down Lake Huron or Lake Erie to the factories. The iron could come from the UP or Canada and wood could come from anywhere. One thing that wasn't so close was rubber which had to come from Central and South America. Henry Ford's good friend Thomas Edison tried to solve this problem with a plant called goldenrod which rubber can be made from. The plant wasn't productive enough to use on an industrial scale. The location of the other cities is also near the Great Lakes (Massachusetts by the ocean) so would have the same reasons for being a major automobile manufacturing center. The Model T was so successful mainly because of the price. The assembly lines were so fast that they made the car cheap enough for regular people to afford. I think the time it took to make a car was 90 minutes, but I'm not positive on that.

Incidentally, our article on the assembly line lends credence to the 90 minute thing. 93 man-minutes isn't really the same as 93 clock-minutes, but it's an impressive figure regardless. — Lomn 16:45, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The goldenrod research was to provide for rubber substitites in future wartime. Tires made from goldenrod were never very good or very cheap. Edison (talk) 22:22, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I understand New England was also strong in technicians/tech-skilled people, one reason Springfield nearly became "Detroit". Trekphiler (talk) 03:20, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

do NIOS passed persons face any difficulty??

The person passing from the National Institute of Open Schooling,Do they face any problems regarding jobs as compare to a CBSE or some other Board passed out?

Lilt

Does anyone know why Lilt is less fizzy than other carbonated drinks by Coca-Cola? Lanfear's Bane | t 14:14, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Presumably they don't carbonate it as much. Preference by the drink's original manufacturer most likely. -mattbuck (Talk) 20:07, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Would they have done this to make it distinctive as well or was there a demand for less fizz? Julia Rossi (talk) 23:48, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Free Range Chickens

Do free range chickens run away often?

While free range chickens have more space than caged chickens, they aren't running wild as you seem to think. My chickens have a yard of appox. an eighth of an acre and can be considered free range. They do have a fence which confines them though. It also aids in keeping predators out. Also, last year we bought a few chickens from a local farm when we lost some of ours to a predator. The chickens that we bought can legally be called free range although they aren't kept outside. They were kept in a barn and the only sunlight that they saw was through a couple of windows in the wall. They had never seen grass before we bought them. Dismas| 15:03, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Nice answer - I think this was a joke though (I hope) and probably funniest of the day. Best wishes.87.102.16.238 (talk) 15:24, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

This wasn't a joke....

While it's true that "free range" chicken are not really "free", I find the question of whether chicken tend to run quite interesting. (Yes, there were and still are some of those chicken held without any fences.) Apparently they don't run all too often, otherwise nobody would do it. But why do they stay close to the house/barn at all? Food? Fear of predators? Convenience? ... And how often do they go for a stroll? ... --Thanks for answering (talk) 17:40, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

When I first got chickens, we weren't as strict about keeping them in their yard and would let them roam. They did stay fairly close, though they did wander to the neighbor's houses. They would come back every night to roost and, although they could find food while scratching around on the ground, they would come back for food as well. Every so often though, we would lose one during the day and they wouldn't come back at night. We suspected that predators got them. When we moved to our new house, we started keeping them confined more often as we have more wilderness around us now than before. Dismas| 17:56, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

There are "feral" chickens which roam all over Fair Oaks, California. The town has an annual Chicken Festival where ... chicken ... is served in a variety of ways. There have been suggestions to round up the chickens, but they've apparently been there for years, they don't belong to anybody, they just wander the streets. They've become sort of a town mascot. Corvus cornix_talk 18:09, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

In villages that I have visited in the Usambara Mountains, non-feral chickens roam the dirt "streets" scavenging for food. Though they wander, villagers know who owns which chickens, and the chickens do not stray any farther than the outskirts of the village. I suspect that they don't stray because the people and the activity of the village keep them safe from predators, and because they do not want to be too far from their roost. Marco polo (talk) 20:00, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

When I was growing up we had chickens in a fenced in chickenyard. A very few went feral, flew over the fence, and set up housekeeping in trees in the woods. Not sure how long they lasted there. Perhaps a whole summer. They might have come back in the winter. Edison (talk) 22:20, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

dooomeeessstttacccatiooon :) Perry-mankster (talk) 22:44, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

What is purpose of the notch in butter knives?

Pretty much my question. I was eating breakfast in a swank hotel this week and they had a full table service. I wondered what the purpose the little notch in butter knives is for? The entry on butter knife didn't mention it. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 16:47, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I guess the obvious is that it makes the utensil readily identifiable. It may be as simple as that. FiggyBee (talk) 17:18, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Personally I think the article has it wrong - the top knife in the image looks like a fish knife, anyway - what's the knotch for in a 'fish knife' - yes - i've often wondered that myself!87.102.16.238 (talk) 17:43, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

One possibility (ie I'm guessing) is that the notch can be used to pick up a knob of butter (inverting the knife) - in a polite way - rather than spearing it. See cheese knife87.102.16.238 (talk) 18:56, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I didn't see that there could be considered two notches in the butter knife entry. I was originally asking about the notch on the side. The butter knife I used had a smooth rounded end (like the last two "butter spreaders" in the entry photo), but also had the side notch that the top two "butter knives" have. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 19:31, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Agree with 87.102 they are fish knives esp after checking with google images. Maybe the rounded end with a notch is a butter knife image like this and these butterknives for picking up the cheese slice. Julia Rossi (talk) 23:41, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Whether a butter knife (or a fish knife, for that matter) has a notch on it has NOTHING to do with its type. The notch is solely a design feature and is only meant to look nice: it has no meaning whatsoever. You can take two similar cutlery patterns by the same manufacturer, and one will have a notch in the top of the butter knife but not the fish knife, and the other will have a notch in the top of the fish knife and not the butter knife.

The difference is that a fish knife is supposed to be sharp (to cut through the backbone of a fish steak). A butter knife is generally blunt so it doesn't tear the bread. --NellieBly (talk) 07:57, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

best time for foliage in New England?

When is the best time to see the foliage in the New England states, esp. in Vermont and Maine? Rather in the first half of October, middle of October or end of October? (Any even more specific times are even more welcome.) I know that some websites tell you about the foliage each year, but are there any sites with an overview/average to get an idea when it will be most likely in upcoming years? Thanks, thanks, Thanks for answering (talk) 17:37, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

It depends on the weather. Yes, October is the best time in general but getting any more precise would have to take into account weather patterns. I don't have any links for you but just wanted to make sure you realize that whatever date range is given is still just a guess. The color in the leaves also varies slightly due to altitude. So if when you come, you don't find the color you're looking for, check a mountain side. Whenever you come, I hope you enjoy your stay here. Dismas| 17:46, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

P.S. http://www.foliage-vermont.com/ seems to have some helpful information about 2007, they may have some about 2008 as the year goes on. Dismas| 17:50, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The time of peak foliage depends not only on the weather and altitude, but also on latitude. The farther north you go, the earlier the peak comes. The timing is actually fairly predictable without huge variation due to weather. Weather is more likely to affect the intensity of color. You can't control the weather, of course, but you can be fairly sure of seeing some color if you book a holiday vacation according to the normal peak for a given region. In northernmost Maine and the higher mountains of central Maine, the peak may be as early as mid-September. The last week of September is a good bet for the mountains of central and northwest Maine and northernmost New Hampshire. The week around October 1 and maybe the following weak is usually the best time for the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Green Mountains running through the center of Vermont. During that week, you will still see some green mixed in with the yellows and reds. During the following week, you will mostly see yellow and red in those places, and the peak will have moved south to the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts and the rolling hills of the lower parts of New Hampshire and Maine. By the second or third week of October, northern New England and the higher-elevation parts of southern New England are past peak, but we are enjoying our own peak foliage in the low hills of eastern Massachusetts (likewise in Connecticut and Rhode Island). Marco polo (talk) 19:45, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

See our article on leaf peeping. There's a map and everything. --Milkbreath (talk) 19:48, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The map in our article suggests earlier dates than I am used to seeing. I think that it may be based on old data (before the onset of climate change in the 1980s and 1990s). You might also look at the narratives and maps in this archive. Marco polo (talk) 19:53, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Plumbing

What does term top out mean in the plumbing fieldGilligan01 (talk) 18:02, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

My ability to summarize seems to have deserted me, so I'm going to point to this page, specifically the first paragraph. --LarryMac | Talk 19:32, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Ways of meeting lots of people

How can I meet thousands of people in the shortest possible time? (meeting just on-line counts, too) --Taraborn (talk) 18:13, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I think "thousands" is overly ambitious, and I am unclear what "meeting" technically entails, but a few preliminary suggestions might include:

• WP:IRC and other chat rooms
• Church
• Speed dating
• Depending on where you live, you might find websites like Meetup.com useful

--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 18:35, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

You'll need to define "meeting" a little more rigorously here. Send them a message? Get one back? Become their "friend" on MySpace? What counts, what doesn't? --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 18:40, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Who appointed you captain of the reference desk?--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 18:57, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The Commodore Ref Desk, I guess. --Masamage ♫ 19:21, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The job had been open for awhile, so I took it! ;-) Some might call it presumptive—I call it entrepreneurial. Anyway, I've been around here a lot longer than this account's creation date would let on (more years than is healthy to admit). Note that it is simply an honorific title, of course. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 20:04, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Taraborn, I can't really help you if you need to meet zillions of people urgently. But if you're prepared to wait a little longer, you could always go into politics. Then you'd have a perfect reason to knock on every single door in your city or electoral district, and who knows how many new friends you'd make. Even better, run for the Spanish Senate and you'd have a perfect reason to knock on every door in your entire province. Better yet, run for President, and you'd have the ... you can see where is leading, I hope. When people ask you why they should vote for you, tell them you're a Misplaced Pages Ref Desk volunteer, and they'll in most cases promise you their perpetual vote and those of their entire family, then invite you in and make you their life-long friend. A few poor benighted souls will ask the Spanish equivalent of "Wiki what? What's the hell's that!!" and then slam the door in your face before you've had a chance to tell them. But that's the swings and roundabouts of public life for you. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:57, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the useful and funny replies :) In this case having them as an instant messenger buddy with whom you can have a 5 to 10 minutes lasting conversation about twice a week would be enough. --Taraborn (talk) 09:39, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

You could sign up to an MMOG, either a free one like Second Life, or a subscription one such as Ultima Online, World of Warcraft, etc, where there are many people online at any time, and start chatting to whoever you meet there. Some will then exchange messenger details with you, and others will not. SaundersW (talk) 10:31, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Harder to shift in lower gears

When driving a car outfitted with a traditional manual transmission, why is it harder to attain a smooth 1-2 shift compared to a 3-4 shift? When I'm driving in 1st gear and let go of the gas to shift to second, I can feel that the temporary decrease in speed when I let go of the gas to be much more drastic than when I let go of the gas in, for example, 4th gear. Why does this phenomenal exist? My guess is that since the lower gear has a larger reduction ratio, its engine braking effect is much more pronounced than the higher gears. Am I right? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 20:34, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, you're right. If you're feeling a big lurch due to engine braking, then you're not putting the clutch in soon enough. FiggyBee (talk) 20:41, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Automobile Terminologies

I have several questions about transmission terminologies in automobiles:

• The engine torque after being multiplied by the transmission is called the transmission output torque.
• The transmission output torque after being multiplied by the differential gears is called insert name.
• Is the differential gear also called the final drive ratio and the transaxle ratio?

Are these correct? Acceptable (talk) 21:16, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Purpose of differential gear reduction

What is the purpose of the reduction gear in the differential?

For example, suppose the following for a car:

• Differential gear- 2:1
• 1st gear- 4:1
• 2nd gear - 3:1

So the torque after being multiplied by the differential and transmission is 8:1 and 6:1 for first and second gears, respectively. But why not just have the following?:

• Differential gear- 1:1
• 1st gear- 8:1
• 2nd gear- 6:1

Would the car not perform similarly? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 21:19, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, you need a differential whether it changes the gear ratio or not. So, they might as well add a reduction gear there. This allows you to change your overall gearing just by swapping out the differential. That wouldn't be possible, under your idea. Friday (talk) 21:20, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

There are (at least) a couple of reasons, mostly relating to ease of manufacturing and engineering. Take a look at the picture of a cutaway differential at right—the drive shaft enters at the bottom right of the image, the power is transmitted to the rear axles at lower left and upper right. In order to have a 1:1 differential gear ratio, the incoming drive shaft (with its helical gear) would have to drive the bevel gear of the differential around once for each revolution of the drive shaft. Accomplishing this would require a larger helical gear (and consequently more weight, and more space to accommodate) or more aggressive pitch (requiring more costly materials or reducing the torque the gear can survive). In other words, it's just 'easier' to have a reduction at the differential.

Similar arguments apply at the transmission/gearbox. Material strength puts a lower limit on the size of the smallest gear in the set. If the highest gear ratio is 8:1 then the largest gear must be eight times larger (roughly) than the small gear with which it meshes. Dividing the gear reduction into two stages thus reduces the size and weight of the transmission/gearbox.

Per Friday, it is also possible to adjust the overall gearing of a vehicle by swapping the differential—a process that is almost always faster, easier, and less costly than replacing the entire gearbox. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 17:01, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Free or cheap music composition software.

Is there any free or cheap (cheap means $0-40, not $200-2000) software I can use to compose music? Please no MIDI stuff, it sounds too unnatural to me. MalwareSmarts (talk) 23:18, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

How about trackers? They usually sound a lot better than MIDI and there are a million of them available for free. FL Studio comes in a few different flavors with different prices—I used it once a long time ago and thought it was both very easy to use and produced very good sounding results. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 00:27, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Schools abroad

When I finish my undergraduate degree, for a change of pace I'm considering moving to the UK, specifically England. I want to get a Master's degree, what would in the US be a MFA in Graphic Design; I understand that MAs in the UK are still around 2 years of study, like MFAs here. Furthermore, I'll be moving with my boyfriend (we plan to get engaged by then), and he's graduating this summer with a degree in Biology so will need to get work. Does anyone have some advice as to resources I can use to conduct research as to schools offering Master's degrees in Graphic Design and areas with large companies where he could get work? Kuronue | Talk 23:59, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

For courses, Prospects might be useful. The Sunday Times University Guide is probably the best-known information source about how students feel about their university, as well as facilities, local area etc. For jobs, The Guardian Newspaper has a large number of job adverts, but mainly in arts areas. Most of the biology-related jobs seem to be for teaching posts. Milkround offers job ads and information for graduates, concentrating on graduate-training programmes (The Prospects site also does job ads). One of the British-based orgs in Category:Biology_organizations might be useful; I don't know much about them, but my own trade body does ads, and the British Society of Biologists (or whatever!) probably will too. --Kateshortforbob 00:16, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

It may not be such an easy matter for your boyfriend to find work legally if he is neither an EU citizen nor possessed of rare skills as a biologist highly in demand in Britain. British employers are not allowed to hire non-EU citizens unless they can make a convincing case that no EU citizen was available and qualified to fill the position. Even if your boyfriend does have unique skills that might be needed, some employers will hesitate to go through the bureaucratic effort of sponsoring a non-EU citizen. Marco polo (talk) 00:57, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Actually, I need to correct myself. It seems that the situation has changed since I tried this. There is now a program called the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, for which your boyfriend might well qualify. According to the UK Border and Immigration Agency, most applications are decided within 3 months, so now would be a good time for him to apply. Marco polo (talk) 01:13, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

March 22

Why is Everything Sexual? Why do we view the body disgusting?

Why does everything go back to being something sexual? Such as nakedness. And why do we find the human body so disgusting? Such as someone saying we shouldn't be naked because its gross. It's you right therefore you are saying you are disgusting. Not everything is sexual. When you take a shower is that disgusting, is that sexual?

Thank You

Always

Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 02:36, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Regarding the first question, I believe it is the society that leads us to that conclusion. Advertisements show people getting what they want by eating the promoted chocolate to give the impression anyone can get what they want by simply eating a candy. Just as in the dark ages everything had to do with witchcraft, or when Dungeons & Dragons and metal music began to get recognized everything had to do with the devil, nowadays society thinks (or even wants) everything to have to do with sexuality. I would even quote 4chan "Rule 34": If it exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions.

About the second question, again society is the one that leads us to believe the naked body is disgusting. Original tribes didn't cover their bodies because they thought they were disgusting, but because of feeling cold or warmth. -- ReyBrujo (talk) 03:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

You can largely thank a man named Sigmund Freud for Western culture's belief that everything must have a hidden sexual undertone. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, though. And sometimes it's a penis. You win some, you lose some, with Freud. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 03:21, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

But really there is nothing sexual about being naked. Sometimes the naked body is used for sexual desires, but other times it doesn't. Our bodies are our temples. Do we really want to look at our temples as sexual and disgusting beings?71.143.3.182 (talk) 04:47, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

What leads you to think that most, or even many people do regard nudity as being sexual? What makes you think that most people even regard sexuality as being disgusting? As for the question of why everything is about sex, this can be easily explained by evolution. A species that does not propagate will die. Therefore sex is fundamental to the way we view the world. From a humanist point of view it is our purpose in life. --S.dedalus (talk) 05:13, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

The majority of our society is religious, therefore leading me to think most people do regard nudity as being sexual. Many religious friends when I ask why someone can't be naked in public and they reply "because its disgusting." The naked body just doesn't mean sex. Yes, evolution does control most of what we view as sexual and non sexual. I watched a show about how woman wanted breast feeding mothers to feed there child in a restroom and somewhere nonpublic because they thought that seeing another womans breast is gross. Breast feeding your child isn't gross. Our world has a problem with viewing the body. In English dubbed versions they cut out unnecessary things such as someone taking a shower. Nudity is nudity. Sex is sex. As long as it isn't being used in a sexual way it should be all right to be naked.71.143.3.182 (talk) 07:21, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

I agree with you that nudity doesn't mean sex (incidentally, I'm an atheist). Perhaps when Christianism is almost completely wiped out in Europe (in a couple generation's time?) the equation nudity = sex will make no sense to most people, I guess. --Taraborn (talk) 09:50, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I think you are exaggerating Cardinal Raven - people don't see these things as disgusting at all - they just have boundarys and a sense of propietry.87.102.16.238 (talk) 12:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Do you really want to see everyone walking around naked? Imagine an old woman walking down the street naked. Disgusting, isn't it? Now try to get that image out of your head. You should be grateful people wear clothes now. It's just the way our minds are wired, it's got nothing to do with Christianity (one of God's earliest commands was to have sex, also a whole book about sex), so don't complain.

I don't mind. An old ladies body is an old ladies body. There is nothing different between and older persons and mine. Yeah, there are wrinkles. That's not disgusting. In our first years of life when we first evolved and stood up right. I think we were all naked. I don't see problem with that. If its a hot summer day and you need to cool down. I don't mind. Its only natural. Do we put clothes on animals? No, they walk around nude. Well, technically they have fur, but that's not really clothing. Its natures protection. I am not exaggerating were I live and who I talk to they view nakedness as disgusting. Shoot, I just have an example. Do you really want to see everyone walking around naked? Imagine an old woman walking down the street naked. Disgusting, isn't it? An old ladies body isn't disgusting. That's rude. You just viewed the human body as disgusting and traumatizing.71.143.3.182 (talk) 16:34, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Why is everything sexual? False question - everything isn't. Why do we view the body disgusting? Who's we - not all people view bodies as discusting. Not all bodies are equally discusting. Wondeful - more redundant questions. Sigh. Neal (talk) 18:50, 22 March 2008 (UTC).

Good point Neal. There are many bodies one would find to be the antithesis of disgusting. Everything would balance out. --S.dedalus (talk) 21:59, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Photo ID?

Can somebody clarify? I know baseball cards are sold in (for instance) gum packs, but are they ID for the gum maker or for the printer? I'm thinking specifically of the Star Player cards (which I've heard of but never seen), & I have trouble imagining "Star Player" gum (which I've never seen, either). Thanx. Trekphiler (talk) 03:16, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I can't understand your question exactly, but Topps was originally a gum manufacturer. They began selling baseball cards in 1951 and put the two together in a package one year later. For decades, it was the norm for baseball card manufacturers to include a stick of gum with each pack of cards. During the baseball-card boom of the 1980s, new manufacturers, like Upper Deck, began selling cards without gum, which appealed to collectors (who thought gum messed up the cards). Topps stopped including gum in their packs in 1992. I have no idea what you mean about "ID." -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:32, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Black allegiance

DivX to MP4 Converter

Can somebody find me a program that converts DivX files to Mp4 format? Also I don't want silly trial versions that only let you convert 5 mins of the file and I don't want to be buying anything!! 220.233.83.26 (talk) 07:15, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Your best bet would be to ask at the Doom9 forums. http://www.doom9.org/ --Kjoonlee 09:13, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Or the WP:RD/C computer desk. ;) --Kjoonlee 12:52, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

RfC: UK versus England

Template:RFChist I keep finding people (Roomstep444 would seem to be the latest of several) going about changing each geographic reference they find from United Kingdom → England. Is there any guidance, or better still, a rule? I'm sure this must have been asked already somewhere else ...Zir (talk) 12:54, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, I'd hate to see what would happen to[REDACTED] if someone tried to claim that Edinburgh was in England rather than the UK... I myself would personally go for UK, since I'm somewhat of a unionist, but I don't think there's a hard and fast rule. -mattbuck (Talk) 13:12, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

It's a bit touchy. What Roomstep444 is doing is changing nationalities from "British" to "English" and changing descriptions of towns in England so they say they're in England and not the UK. You're right that the UK and England are different: England is one of the four countries that makes up the nation of the UK, along with Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. (It's the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, after all.) But many people in the UK strongly and vehemently protest the use of the term "British" to describe nationality. It can make them figuratively foam at the mouth. To them, someone from England is English, from Scotland is Scots, from Wales is Welsh, etc. All are citizens of the UK, but none are "British". I don't know why this is, but they will fight you almost until death about it. (Of course, much worse is what too many Americans do - call people from Scotland or Wales "English" or assume the entire country is England. It's a mess.) --NellieBly (talk) 13:14, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Agreed, but I was after something more along the lines of "house style" rather than starting a long discussion....Zir (talk) 13:21, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm afraid this is far too fraught an issue for Misplaced Pages to have managed to agree on a house style. Misplaced Pages:Nationality of people from the United Kingdom is an attempt, but it doesn't seem to say much. Algebraist 13:43, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

See the numerous discussions at Misplaced Pages talk:UK Wikipedians' notice board and its archives, including Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style (United Kingdom-related articles) and its talk page. -- zzuuzz 13:47, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, I shall wade thro' UK Wikipedians' notice board archives when I have time to spare. The others seem to favour UK, so I'll not feel toooo bad about reverting any England → UK when I come across 'em...Zir (talk) 14:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

It's easy. All the above comments are absolutely correct - BUT - whilst most folk in the UK have no difficulty with constituent residents calling themselves Scottish or Welsh etc., it is, as an Englishman living in Scotland, my experience when filling out Passport Applications etc. that clearly have a wider world context, that we generally call ourselves British. Of course, there are vehement protesters to that rule, but hey, you can't satisfy all the people all the time, including those Scots who claim to detest the English, but who spend all their summer holidays in Blackpool. 81.145.242.134 (talk) 14:59, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I personally consider myself british first, then english. Generally, I think, Scots have more problem with being British than the English do, though there are exceptions on both sides of the border. Northern Ireland is a very touchy issue, and Wales... is generally just happy to be included in discussions. See also the West Lothian Question, Scottish Nationalist Party, etc etc etc. -mattbuck (Talk) 16:31, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Likewise - if asked my nationality I would always say "British", and I find the sort of insistence on "English" that NellieBly describes to be in somewhat bad taste (though I can't really say why). A few weeks ago I was a test subject for some research into the 2011 UK census, and the interviewer made quite a big deal about this question. I got the impression my opinions on the topic were slightly unusual - which if true would be a shame IMO. 81.187.153.189 (talk) 12:42, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't know if this is wandering off the subject,but there does seem to be a rise lately in English nationalism-maybe with the devolution of Scottish and Welsh Parliaments and the strong support for their nationalist parties,the English want to state their nationality as a definite identity.Apparently in mediaeval times,'England' was used to describe the entire United Kingdom. Lemon martini (talk) 21:06, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Cost of electricity (UK)

What is the approximate cost of electricity per kilowatt-hour in the UK? I'm particularly interested in central Scotland, if the prices vary at that kind of regional level. Ta. Angus Lepper 17:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Southern England. I pay 9.32pence per unit for my electricity. I have no idea how big is each unit. Richard Avery (talk) 18:25, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

And I am in Central Scotland where I am supplied with Electricity by .....Scottish Gas.......who have just this week told me to expect a 15% hike in both Gas and Electricity prices forthwith. But currently (no pun intended) I am paying 22.772 pence per kWh for the first 67 kWh and 9.962 pence thereafter - but that is subject to me getting a 5% reduction for buying both Gas and Electricity from the same supplier - and a preferential rate (so they tell me) for paying my bills by regular Direct Debits. And yes, utility prices here do vary significantly from street to street, depending on who your supplier is - we can have 5 or 6 different meter reader vans in our little street in the same day. Hope all that helps. 81.145.242.134 (talk) 18:41, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Interesting... In the US I only know of one community that has two different utility suppliers serving the area. One has a line on the road back of the property and the other has a line on the road in front of the property. Do your utility companies have different lines on the same pole or is the distribution service shared on only one line with the utilities charging the same for distribution but different for supply? How does your system work? 71.100.1.14 (talk) 22:40, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Since privatisation of electricity began in Britain in 1990, quite a large market has developed in electricity suppliers, although they all use the same lines. In the last couple of years, the idea of switching suppliers to get a better deal has really taken hold, and there are many websites which will compare electricity suppliers in your local area; there are also "specialist" suppliers which sell electricity generated from renewable sources (although it is all sent into the National Grid to be dispersed). There also exists the ability for private citizens to generate their own electricity using wind turbines etc. and feed it into the Grid: they are paid or have money deducted from their electricity bills in return, although obviously this is only a small percentage of the population. There is an (incomplete) article: Electricity billing in the UK which may give some additional information. --Kateshortforbob 00:00, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Actually, that's now the norm in much of the US as well. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:26, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Care to provide a map and a list? We have no such thing for local telephone service or electricity, although it has been the norm from the beginning for Internet Service Providers and a little earlier for Long Distance Carriers. Local phone and electricity service in all places in the US as far as I know are limited to the original constructor of the telephone and electric lines. 71.100.1.14 (talk) 07:46, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Do a Google search on /utility deregulation states/ and /local telephone competition/. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 15:43, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

In the Scottish Highlands, Scottish Hydro charge me 9.05p plus standing charge of £29.88, plus VAT (17.5%) less direct debit discount of £18.40.--Artjo (talk) 19:55, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Are you sure that you pay 17.5% VAT Artjo? I only pay 5% (response prior to your own).

SORRY! yes you are right, 5%--Artjo (talk) 13:58, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, that's a good bit of information I was looking for! Angus Lepper 16:13, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Exercises to reduce flabby waistline girdle??

I don't want surgery, I don't want to take drugs, I am already doing regular and testing rowing exercises, and crunches, walking, and other gym work, and am willing to do more specialist exercises, and I have started using an abdominal pulse-belt, but I would like to reduce the circle of girdle flab that has developed since I embarked on a weight reduction programme that will continue for some months and another 50 pounds or so. I am middle-aged and reasonably active, so is there any chance it will just shrink and if not, any advice - not medical advice - would be most gratefully received. Thanks. 81.145.242.134 (talk) 18:12, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

If your energy usage is > than your calorie input then the difference is supplied by the reserves of your body.

In any case, if you take the high road and then take the low, or, on your travaux to Athens to accompany a moose in Greece with the bagpipes, fifes and drums you will lose on your roundabout what you have gained on your swings. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:25, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Sorry - maybe I should explain - I do not speak German - and maybe you don't understand what I meant by flab - ie - it is not flesh, that has gone, what I am talking about is the loose skin remaining after the flesh went. Kaput? Danke.

It just takes time for your skin to catch up. It's possible that some sort of collagen cream would speed things up, since it's the reduction in collagen that makes skin less elastic as we get older. I know I've seen such creams around. — Laura Scudder ☎ 21:49, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Sorry for my infantile jokes, 81.145.

Maybe, if you are concerned about flabby skin, you should check with a dermatologist in your area. As you know, the RD is not a venue for medical advice. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:34, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I remember seeing some investigative report where they concluded that abdominal pulse-belts were essentially scams, but I can't seem to confirm this anywhere. I'd look into it at least, but since you've already paid for it I guess it doesn't really matter... -Elmer Clark (talk) 01:49, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

The RD is not a venue for medical advice, but there's one point the above responders are forgetting: skin isn't fat. No amount of exercise will get rid of excess skin: none. The ability of skin to shrink back after being stretched is limited, and varies wildly due to age, sex, genetics, and avoidable risk factors such as sun exposure and smoking. (The best chance is for a young redheaded male who doesn't smoke and stays out of the sun.) If there were a better way to get rid of excess skin than expensive and risky plastic surgery, millions would be happier. --NellieBly (talk) 08:29, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Grozny

Can someone give me a link to some photos of grozny. БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є 21:50, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

grozny links at bottom

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=grozny&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=grozny&meta=

87.102.16.238 (talk) 21:57, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Learning a language

Okay, so I want to learn Arabic, right? I got this teach yourself course with cds, but the basic phonology is just so difficult to understand from their descriptions and audio. It's bothersome to the point where I've just about given up. If I can find some way to master the sounds of the language, I think I'll be good to go, but I need help with that part. Please help with both your own knowledge and outside resources. If someone knows a way to do this for any common language in general (for future use), that would be great--Abccbaqwerty (talk) 21:58, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Arabic is extremely difficult to learn on your own, especially if you only know English. You should take a class taught by a native speaker, who can teach you the sounds (it takes a lot of practise and repetition!). Just listening to the CDs is not enough, because they can't correct you, you can't see their mouths, and you can't ask them questions. I suppose this true for all languages - "teach yourself X language in 30 days" or whatever is a cash grab, no one will be ever become fluent using something like that. Adam Bishop (talk) 22:49, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, it took me several months of living in the Philippines to get a handle on Tagalog. Useight (talk) 01:55, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

With no commercial axe to grind at all, I can recommend Pimsleur language audios. They break down the sound and make you speak as well, at a pace that allows your ear to become accustomed to the phonology at the same time that you practice speaking. They also ask questions that refresh your memory at just the point when you are about to forget something. On the downside, they are not cheap. SaundersW (talk) 12:34, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Differences between flaming and baiting

I don't see the difference between flaming on the internet and baiting. Can someone please elaborate?--SlaveofBetrayal (Talk)

I'm not positive, but I think baiting is saying something with deliberate attempt to make them lash out back at you, while flaming is just ragging on someone without needing a reply. Useight (talk) 23:12, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Im pretty sure thats it useight. БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є 23:34, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Okay, good. Useight (talk) 01:54, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Book source

I'm a book that talks about geodes. See me as Rocks and Minerals, written by Fredrick H. Pough, ISBN 0-395-91096-X. Can I be used in the Geode article ? 65.173.105.141 (talk) 23:44, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

You appear to be a reliable source, so if a Misplaced Pages editor finds useful information from you to add to the geode article, it would be very nice if he would do so and cite you. (Interesting question format, by the way!) -Elmer Clark (talk) 01:53, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

March 23

RAW SCORE

IN MEDICAL EVALUATION: WHAT IS RAW SCORE AND WEIGHTED SCORE?

A raw score is simply the number of questions gotten right, points received, or something similar on an examination. Weighted scores weight certain sections or categories to give them more or less influence on the overall score. -Elmer Clark (talk) 10:49, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

There is even an article on raw score. ---Sluzzelin talk 13:27, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

"Leading sour cream dip"

What is the "leading sour cream dip" that Philadelphia dips are advertised as having less fat than? NeonMerlin 05:49, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

In 2005, the market leader in sour cream production appears to have been Daisy Brand Sour Cream (16.69% market share), closely followed by Kraft Foods' Breakstone's Sour Cream (15.72%) . See DairyField Don't know about dips. What brand does McDonald's use? ---Sluzzelin talk 09:03, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

It's just a marketing phrase. Admiral Norton 17:46, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Uses of expired milk

Can long-expired milk be used for any purpose, culinary or otherwise? NeonMerlin 06:01, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

No, it absolutely cannot. Spoiled milk contains a large number of disease-producing bacteria, including staph and bacilli, as well as yeasts and molds. All of these can cause serious food poisoning, and some produce toxins that can't be inactivated even by boiling. They also digest the proteins in the milk, causing putrefactive odors and tastes.

This is why it's factually inaccurate to say that yogurt, cheese, etc. are just "rotten milk". (This also explains why people get confused and wonder why they can't drink spoiled milk.) Culturing milk involves the use of certain specific bacteria (mainly members of the Lactobacillus genus) that digest mainly lactose. --NellieBly (talk) 08:13, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

To add to my previous comment - because of the high bacteria load, it isn't a good idea to use it in any non-food ways, either, because it would be dangerous to even handle it excessively. I wouldn't even put it in my compost pile. --NellieBly (talk) 08:14, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Come,come the compost will survive - that's probably were the bacteria that started it hang out anyway.87.102.16.238 (talk) 11:33, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, actually, no. The average home compost pile is notoriously unable to deal with meats, dairy products, and fats. If you put a bunch of those into your compost pile, they will turn into a stinky, disgusting mess. (And I'm talking the-neighbors-two-houses-down-will-complain stinky.) I'm not sure whether the other bacteria and their by-products would active poison your compost, but they certainly won't do anything good for it, either. Pour the rotten milk down the drain. —Steve Summit (talk) 14:35, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

ooooh... what about yogurt that has been left out of the frig all night, not stowed before hitting the sack, having been left on the counter after shopping that same morning? Smells okay - just a lot warmer than I'm use to with the strawberries a bit squishier than I like and the container a bit swollen but still sealed. 71.100.1.14 (talk) 11:16, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I've never known yoghurt not be ok - I'd put that back in the fridge (because I like yoghurt cold) and yes - still eat it.87.102.16.238 (talk) 11:33, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I once took a swig out of a gallon of milk that turned out to have gone bad, wow, that was the grossest thing I've ever tasted. Useight (talk) 15:25, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Question: insects and insect repellant

What is the longest time an insect has been on a person who has used pour-on insect repellent? 58.164.118.252 (talk) 11:18, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Now that's an interesting question...you could try looking at insect repellent reviews, but aside from that it may be hard to find an answer to that :). FusionMix 20:29, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Sony Corporate Addresses

Can someone provide me with the physical mailing addresses for the Sony Corporation's main office in the USA and their main corporate headquarters in Japan? I would appreciate it greatly. 95springer (talk) 16:21, 23 March 2008 (UTC)John

1-7-1 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0075, Japan and 550 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10022 — Matt Eason 16:27, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

What was the first edit ever made on Misplaced Pages?

I'm just curious. Also, what was the first case of vandalism? MalwareSmarts (talk) 17:11, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

This is the oldest edit still preserved, although there were probably edits made prior to this. Carom (talk) 17:21, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

(For some explanation of the edit, you might be interested in the current version of that page) Angus Lepper 18:27, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks! :)

Oldest Living Person Still Living Independently

I am trying to find out the age of the oldest living person still residing in their own home versus a retirement home or other institution. Missymiss1000 (talk) 19:56, 23 March 2008 (UTC)missymiss1000

Here's a link to a New York Times article about the topic: click here. That's for oldest woman, try this for a list of oldest people in general. FusionMix 20:24, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

According to this source it seems to be CoppBob ;-) --hydnjo talk 20:35, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

That makes him only 87. Let's not confuse anybody here... FusionMix 20:46, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, sorreeeee ;-)  ;-) ;-) --hydnjo talk 21:19, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I recently read about a plumber in the UK who, at the age of 101, still goes to work every day and refused to have a day off for his 100th birthday. There must be a refence around somewhere. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:51, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=757172. It seems he is going to run the London Marathon this year as well. Good luck, Buster ! --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:55, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

trolls

are all trolls dumb? how does the troll intelligence distribution fare against that of non-troll internet people? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Happyangler (talk • contribs) 21:34, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Is this a real question or a troll? Who can tell! Anyway, lacking any sort of rigorous study of trolls vs. non-trolls I think it is pretty much safe to say that nobody knows. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 21:45, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

1) No, not all.

2) See the Captain's response above. --hydnjo talk 22:25, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

most of us get viewed as both from time to time

Interesting. From the article, "Intelligence may include traits such as creativity, personality, character, knowledge, or wisdom. However, some psychologists prefer not to include these traits in the definition of intelligence." Hmmm... If both trolls and non-trolls are smart then how it's contributed and valued comes into it. Your question raises interesting questions – would a troll care about the answer? Julia Rossi (talk) 22:45, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I've actually managed to get a couple of trolls into a one-on-one conversation in a newsgroup, and they were dumb as dirt. It was pathetic, and I now feel sorry for them, mostly. They feel left out and inferior, so they try to get the upper hand any way they can to make themselves feel like they have some control. I'm sure there are other kinds, though. --Milkbreath (talk) 23:23, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Trolls are either really dumb and don’t have anything better to do with their lives, or they are really smart and are consciously trying, for whatever reason, to spread ciaos and destruction in a given internet community. The smart ones are the dangerous ones. I don’t have any sources for any of this though. :) Here’s an interview with a self proclaimed Misplaced Pages troll. I find this interview confusing to follow though. --S.dedalus (talk) 23:50, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

The vast majority of "trolls" I've met weren't really trolls. The ones that really were trolls have generally been pretty sharp. -GTBacchus 23:56, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Intelligence (a few more human traits come to mind) is party evaluated by the quality of its public application and public reception.

• Consider, for instance, Sequoia, whose efforts in devising the Cherokee writing system was considered by some to be just trolling by a busybody smart arse.
• Consider the option that the Pope and the cardinals may be seen as a bunch of obnoxious trolls by other cultures.
• Consider the stance of a blind person to whom Michelangelo, Picasso and the WP:RD are arrogant trolling agencies who aim to exclude her/him from participation.

Having said that, I partly agree with Milkbreath. Most people who embark on pathological attempts to gain attention (= trolling / sometimes vandalism) suffer from some psychological problems, diminished self esteem and feel the sense of powerlessness. My working assumption, however, is that the psychological condition is unrelated to intelligence.

As Julia Rossi says, the method of contribution and the method of evaluation seems to count more than the weight and substance of the contribution. I am, of course, excluding gross and malicious vandalism. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 00:05, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Land needed for Livestock

Approximately how much pasture land is needed for these animals? Sheep(meat) and Cattle(beef). I prefer not to get the industrial land amounts.

Effiminance versus male homosexuality

When I was in high school working for the summer in a job in New England I met a young man who lived with his grandmother and who had been raised by her after his parents were killed in a highway accident when he was only three. Although he attended public school he had identified closely with his grandmother's personality and gender but was fortunate in that despite his effiminance his first sexual experience and those which followed were with members of the opposite sex. In other words he was effiminant but heterosexual. Everyone who heard him talk or read his writing believed him to be gay. While it is understandable that effiminant males might attract a homosexual male as their first sexual partner the fact that this did not occur in this case tells me that the gender of the person with who one has their first sexual experience has the greatest influence on whether they are heterosexual or not. Can anyone confirm of refute this conclusion? 71.100.1.14 (talk) 00:48, 24 March 2008 (UTC)