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Main page: Misplaced Pages:Reference desk/Guidelines

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July 12

Can an M82 fire the .50 AE?

Can a Barrett M82 sniper rifle fire the .50 Action Express that was originally designed for the .50 cal Desert Eagle? Acceptable (talk) 03:03, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Using the Misplaced Pages articles to compare:

• .50 BMG overall length 5.45 in; .50 AE overall length 1.610 in
• .50 BMG base diameter 0.804 in; .50 AE base diameter 0.547 in
• .50 BMG bullet weight 52 g; .50 AE bullet weight 21.1 g

The numbers aren't even close to matching. Looks like you could fit half a dozen AE inside one sniper round. Rmhermen (talk) 13:54, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

You should read about the difference between caliber and cartridge (firearms). The problem is, people commonly say things like "this is a 50-caliber" without realizing that they've not said anything very specific or useful. .50 AE is a fairly powerful handgun cartridge. .50 BMG is a ginormous (technical term) rifle cartridge. They're nowhere close to similar. Friday (talk) 16:44, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Meta-question.

What question should I ask to provoke Ref Desk regulars to read Toilet paper orientation with the solemnity that it deserves? SteveBaker (talk) 19:05, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

For some reason I think that more educated people tend to be 'under' instead of 'over', but don't ask me why. --Belchman (talk) 19:50, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

I don't see why that would be true. However, families with playful cats or kittens probably get trained by those felines to take the "under" approach. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 11:55, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

This reads like an Uncyclopedia article. Vimescarrot (talk) 19:52, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

I think you should frame the question around the concept that it is probably only Misplaced Pages that could or would ever polish such an article to Featured Article status; as the Heavy metal umlaut article used to be (before the FA standards went up). Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:55, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Speaking of Polish, I understand that in the Warsaw Hilton they are loaded sideways. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 11:55, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

I changed the title to the subject of the OP's question. That is our sole requirement for titles. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 20:35, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

In case anyone else was confused like I was : User:TenOfAllTrades set it back to SteveBaker's original topic "Meta Question". APL (talk) 02:25, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I am confused. Why on this issue of tissue did the OP violate the instruction "Include a meaningful title. Do not write "Question" or "Query",..."? Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:00, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Please see WP:POINT. Let's handle your concerns like adults... Zain Ebrahim (talk) 14:18, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

The question is not really about toilet paper: it is about the reference desk. So, "meta-question" is a meaningful and correct title. --Tango (talk) 20:23, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Truly this is one of the great debates of our time. Much like Names for soft drinks but less regional. APL (talk) 02:25, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Named driver on my car insurance

Just passed my driving test :-) but insurance is far too expensive :-( I've heard that it can lower the price if I have a more experienced person on my policy as a named driver, but would that make them responsible in any way if I crash? Would they lose the no-claims discount on their own car? This is in England btw. 86.154.105.143 (talk) 19:20, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

First things first. If you are the main driver of the vehicle and you 'lie' and put yourself as only a named driver when there's no intention of the other person being a driver on the vehicle (and then crash your car) the insurance company are very likely to investigate your claim and not pay (and if another party is involved you would be liable for potentially a lot of money). I appreciate you didn't word the question like you were going to put someone else as the main driver but it's something a lot of people do and it is pretty much akin to having no insurance at all. On to the question - no a named driver is not affected at all if another driver of the vehicle crashes it. It is not associated with them, and they won't lose any no claims discount . (I should note i've worked in insurance in the UK for the past 9 years). ny156uk (talk) 19:28, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the reply, and I do know the difference. The car will be mine and insured in my name. I needed to know if there was any downside to putting my parents on my insurance - not the other way round. 86.154.105.143 (talk) 20:32, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

You will find that for young newly qualified drivers it really does pay to get a car in a very low insurance group. After a couple of years (assuming you keep your license clean and don't make a claim) there won't be much difference in cost between insurance between the lowest few groups (for me 1 to 8 are all cheap), but its worth driving group 1 car. Get a quote and see! -- Q Chris (talk) 11:37, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Well, the downside of adding a named driver to a policy is that you have to pay extra for it. --Tango (talk) 14:25, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Congratulations on passing your test! My daughter passed hers aged 17 last year, and now has a car that she drives herself and which is insured in her name. We got quite a few quotes before we insured it, and in almost every case it was cheaper when either my husband or I were added to the policy as named drivers for occasional use. When we were both added, it became cheaper still. This amazed me, as like Tango I was under the impression that it was always more expensive to add more drivers to a policy. Apparently some companies like to see experienced older drivers on a young person's insurance. I would definitely advise you to shop around for quotes including your parents on the policy if they are willing, see what difference it makes, and explain to the company what you're doing - they can be very helpful. It can also be handy to have someone else who can drive your car for you if necessary. And as Ny156uk says, if you have a bump when you're at the wheel, it won't hurt the insurance record of your other named drivers. Karenjc 18:18, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

That's very odd... I can't understand why that would be. You're sure it was you as named driver on her insurance and not the other way around? (It is very well known that the other way around works - of course, it is illegal as ny156uk says.) Why would an extra driver being insured on the car reduce the risk? Very odd, indeed... --Tango (talk) 18:30, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

I know, it seemed utterly bizarre to me too, but that's how it is, I promise you. My daughter is insured via a completely different company from us (our own insurer produced some ludicrous quote for her when I approached them) and has third-party, fire and theft cover on a Ford Ka registered in her own name, with her dad and me as named drivers. The difference when we were added to the policy was around £80 I think, so it was well worth doing. From my point of view it's great, because my daughter is building up her own no claims bonus and getting a discount too. And whilst we don't need to drive her car very often, there have been occasions when we have needed to move it when she's not around, so the cover is a bonus. Karenjc 23:38, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

You really can get lower insurance premiums by adding another driver, but only sometimes. A long while ago, I added my sister to my policy as named driver and it cost a little extra (about £12). However, at the last renewal I was thinking I could save that £12 by removing my sister from the policy, but was quoted a higher premium without her. This was explained as being because she is female, has her own insurance for her own car, lives in an area with a lower crime rate, and would be using the car for some journeys (actually she rarely drives my car). Astronaut (talk) 04:46, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Battle of Lucas Bend

Where is Lucas Bend? Which river flows into which? As a Brit I have no idea where everything is. Anyone from Kentucky/Tennessee/Ohio around? S.G. _ping! 20:05, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Yes, the article should have a geo template. Barlow Bottoms, another location shown in the map for the battle, is roughly at 37.06389 N 89.10944 W, with Lucas Bend a bit west and a teeny bit south of that. I'm off out, but if someone could zoom in to the correct place, read off the correct coords, and add the appropriate coord template to the battle's article, that'd be nice. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 20:12, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Although Cairo, Illinois, which is very close to it, does have a geo template. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 20:17, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

According to this source, the bend is located at 36°47′45″N 89°10′00″W / 36.7959°N 89.1667°W / 36.7959; -89.1667 This location makes sense, since descriptions of the battle say that Union ships sailed downriver (south) from Cairo to engage Confederate ships based at Columbus, Kentucky. Lucas Bend is just upriver of Columbus. Incidentally, this location does not appear on the aerial photo linked to the article. It is a bit south of the stretch of the Mississippi shown in that photo. To answer the OP, Lucas Bend is just a bend, or meander, in the Mississippi River. No major tributary flows into the Mississippi at that point. Since the time of the Civil War the Army Corps of Engineers have cut off many of the bends, apparently including Lucas Bend. The historical location of these bends is often marked by state boundaries, which sometimes appear to be land boundaries on the "wrong" side of the river. In the case of Lucas Bend, where a piece of Kentucky lies on the "wrong side" of the present-day main course of the river, an arm of the Mississippi still seems to flow along the old course of the river according to Google Earth, though it is silting up. Marco polo (talk) 20:29, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

I've made a link of your coordinate, Marco, for ease of use. --Tagishsimon (talk) 22:46, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

A propos of nothing, really: In the book Show Boat (and the various plays and films derived therefrom), the ingenue lead is named "Kim", because she was born on the river at the point where Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri meet. Edna Ferber says in the book that the name was "uneuphoneous", apparently unable to see into her crystal ball that time when the name would become popular. Everard Proudfoot (talk) 18:35, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Patent expiration vs. Exclusivity expiration

I was trying to research when companies would be allowed to sell no-name versions of some prescription drugs, but drugs seem to have both a "patent expiration date" and an "exclusivity expiration date". What's the difference? 142.104.53.219 (talk) 21:14, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Can you give an example? It might have to do with this: Generic_drug#Generic_drug_exclusivity. --Mr.98 (talk) 21:50, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Building a career from scratch aged 26

A while back I read something here about getting jobs with no references. I am in the same position, maybe worse. I am 26 years old and I worked since leaving high school, but I messed up big time. I made a very bad error of judgement, which has left me with no job and nobody willing to vouch for me. Literally nobody. Word has got around in the sector I worked, and there is noone left who I can ask for a reference. I know in some ways I am lucky - I wanted out of that industry anyway, and what I did was not criminal so I have no police record. But how do I start again, with a blank space of 8 years since school? Even unpaid voluntary work seems to ask for references. I am a hard worker who has learned his lesson, and I will do literally any unpleasant job to make money and get my first new reference. Once I have that, I can volunteer to get the specific experience I need for a better career, and I'm thinking of going to university too. But I can only do it if someone will take a risk and hire me with no guarantees, just because I look and sound serious at the interview. Do any jobs, anywhere, work like that? Doodledoooooo! (talk) 22:14, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

One option is to go to a temp agency. It's been a while, but when I was working through a temp agency, there were people working there who were coming from decidedly shady backgrounds. I got sent to a variety of factory jobs, and while some of them only lasted a day or a week, it didn't take long before I landed in one that was indefinite- if they liked your work, they'd keep you on, and after a period of time, if a regular job opened up, you could apply for it and get off the temp agency's payroll and onto the factory's and... it's one possible path to rebuilding an employment history, if you are sincere about not minding manual labor. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 22:54, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

I am sincere. Right now I just want to work. Do you mean go to the agency, bare my soul and ask for their help, or just keep things vague and hope nobody mentions references at all? I don't know how things work for labouring or factory jobs, but for the pen pushing work I am experienced in, agencies always seem to check refs. That was the first thing I tried, looking for temp work in my industry but at the other end of the country. Doodledoooooo! (talk) 23:01, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

When I was working the assembly line at the factory, no one seemed to care much about references. I had at least one colleague who was a rapist recently released from prison, and another so clinically paranoid that he recorded everything that happened, all day, on a handheld tape-recorder, so he would have evidence of it later. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 23:10, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Wow. That sounds bad... but also good. If people in that much trouble can get hired, I should be able to. Then have to survive it of course :-) Doodledoooooo! (talk) 23:55, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

It wasn't that bad, actually. Pay was crap, but the repetitive work had a sort of meditative quality to it. Just quietly inserting cog A into part B, hundreds of times an hour, more or less alone with my thoughts... -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 23:57, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

If you went to university first then you would get the references you require. and probably a better job too. But in your country it may be difficult to fund the cost. 92.29.123.193 (talk) 22:58, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

It would be too expensive unless I could work a bit in termtime. There is government finance available (I'm in the UK) but it doesn't cover all of a student's living costs. Anyway I have to eat until I get there! But if I start work soon, I can apply to universities for 2011 entry. Doodledoooooo! (talk) 23:05, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

I have provided references for individuals who have made "a mistake": in one case, a long history of drinking on the job and coming to work drunk, and in another, of stealing supplies and re-selling them. In each case, my reference was qualified by "except for" and a brief explanation of the "mistake". First, I had to be convinced that the behaviour was all in the past and second, the person had to be willing to put the error in front of the potential employer, and be judged. Someone might be prepared to do that for you. The idea about retraining is not a bad one if you have some skills you could hone. Bielle (talk) 23:13, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

Do you know if those people were hired? In my case I don't think it's possible. I could ask my ex-colleagues and supervisors again, but I have already explained myself and not convinced them. One supervisor told me up front that I'd be better off with no reference than what she felt able to say. Doodledoooooo! (talk) 23:30, 12 July 2010 (UTC)

In light of the fact that you're using a username and therefore posting geographically anonymously, why don't you tell us what exactly you've done? That information would help us better craft your re-employment strategy. 218.25.32.210 (talk) 02:07, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

I really would rather not, if it's all the same. I know I have burned my bridges. I need to make a clean break, and posting all the details could only undermine that. The whole world reads Misplaced Pages, including my family and friends who don't know the gory details, and someone might guess that it's me. Doodledoooooo! (talk) 10:22, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Good luck in your career... 26 is still young!!! I personally know people who had lost everything and started much later and they had gone on to achieve great things in life. Be confident and never give up. Success, they say belongs to people who genuinely want it. There are hundreds of jobs which need no references, when we were holidaying in Rome, a Professor ( retired) from the US was chipping in as our part time guide for the day and we paid him twice the normal fee because he was very informative, smiling and not only did he speak about Rome but he spoke on several related topics which really endeared him to us....he ensured that he took good care fo us in several small ways. You can try and be a tour guide, a sales person in a boutique, an escort, a voluteer in a mortuary ( where they always have vacancies), a helper in a bakery... what not... no job is too insignificant if you seriously intend to start from a scratch. Fragrantforever 05:13, 13 July 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fragrantforever (talk • contribs)

That's the kind of pensioner I'd want to be :-)) Doodledoooooo! (talk) 11:19, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

What kinds of skills do you have? Can you be a freelancer for a while? Even if you're not making enough to live on the income, your satisfied customers may be a source of references for your next job. --173.49.10.201 (talk) 08:33, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Nothing amazing, but I can proofread and copyedit. Might also be able to translate things into English, but not sure I am good enough to get paid for it. I did look for volunteer work as a proofreader last month, but never found anything promising. Do you know a good place to find it? Doodledoooooo! (talk) 10:55, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

If you are really desperate you could do casual work where they are unlikely to ask for references, such as picking strawberries etc or building site labouring. Part time sales jobs do not ask for references as far as I recall. Look in your local newspaper, keep trying. When I got a good job in my early twenties my friends supplied the references. Perhaps you are over-estimating the demand for a reference - employers dont expect someone as young as you to have a solid career behind them - you are not middle-aged. 92.24.189.3 (talk) 10:30, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

You have cool friends :-) There are lots of strawberry farms round here, and I emailed two places yesterday about picking jobs. September is harvest time, so if I don't get anything sooner I hope I can do that. I have tried sales in the past but was useless - I found it dishonest, which meant my pitch was always off-key somehow and I sold almost nothing. Doodledoooooo! (talk) 11:15, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Anyone seriously looking for a proofreader or copyeditor would look for someone trained and qualified. I think your best bet, if you can't afford to wait and pay for training in a new skill, is to use your contacts - friends, family, neighbours - and local voluntary groups, and do some unpaid or low-paid work for them. Work hard, build it up, get them (eventually) to provide good refs, to help you get to the point where you can do something you actually want to do. Your local charity shops are looking for helpers, no doubt - it may be a pain, and be time consuming for no reward, but you'll build up trust and experience in new areas. Maybe you could help older neighbours with housework, gardening, etc. If you can start off by doing something that you like to do - or that you think that other people will pay you decent money to do in preference to getting other people, or doing it themselves - so much the better. Start off with rock bottom aspirations, prove yourself, and work up from there. Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:18, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

How long would you say I should do volunteer work before I can ask my boss there for a reference? I don't mind volunteering at all, and I'd keep on working there after I get a paid job, but I've got to eat sooner not later. Doodledoooooo! (talk) 11:23, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Wait and see how it's going, then ask them. They will want to know why someone of your age is doing voluntary work anyway (it's quite unusual), and if you can't think of a valid reason (eg "My favourite aunt died of cancer", or whatever) it's best to come clean at the outset and explain that you're looking for a new start. Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:28, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Another possibility is taking some sort of short back-to-work type training course. These are often available free of charge, particularly if you have been signing on for some time. The instructors on those courses are usually happy to provide references and, while these will naturally be rather perfunctory, they should suffice for some purposes (such as finding voluntary work or work with no experience expected). Another thought - when were you last in education? Is there a former teacher or lecturer who might provide you with a reference? Warofdreams talk 16:42, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

I've been there already, and unfortunately the course I got sent on was a waste of time. One highlight was a basic numeracy test, which the tutor told us to mark ourselves and add up the score!! By the time I found out about more useful things, it was too late to enrol on anything before the summer break. If I am still unemployed in September I can take a course, but really I need a job before that. Doodledoooooo! (talk) 19:40, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

I assume that if you could add up the score, you passed basic numeracy! These sort of basic courses, as you say, are usually a waste of time, but can be a useful source of a reference. Warofdreams talk 23:34, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

It was 8 years since I had any contact with my school teachers, and I can't think of one who would really remember me well. I passed my exams, but I wasn't anyone's star pupil and I moved schools quite a few times with my mum's job. Doodledoooooo! (talk) 20:05, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Someone who has the first 2 years of college completed could get a degree in a variety of fields with 2 more years of college, transferring the earlier credits. Someone with no college could get (in the US) an Associate degree in 2 years from a community college. Shorter courses can gain one various "certificates" such as in computer repair, or training in some trade such as heating and refrigeration, medical technician, or pharmacy technician. In the US, there are grants and low interest loans available for education. In large companies, people sometimes hire on as a janitor or some such entry position, then advance to a high paid union job. It may be necessary to test high or to know someone or to have a recommendation from someone to get such a job. Edison (talk) 17:50, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

In the UK (where I am) it's a bit different. There are interest-free student loans for fulltime courses, but the living costs element is capped at a level which means you have to either work part-time or sponge off your parents. Part-time academic courses are funded by a grant that covers all the fees, but you're on your own for living costs. Useful vocational courses like the certificates you mentioned are usually not funded, annoyingly. There's a bank loan scheme (Career Development Loans) where the government pays the interest until you finish studying, but you still have to convince a bank to lend you the money. They usually aren't keen. And I don't think a union-based career path like your janitor might follow exists anymore outside the public sector. Under our new ConDem government :-P I don't think it will last long even there. Doodledoooooo! (talk) 19:49, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Our equivalent of the associate's degree is the foundation degree. They only exist in some subjects at some institutions, and as far as I've heard they don't get much respect. Yet. Maybe that will change when they have existed a bit longer. Anyway, I've missed the deadline for university or college this year (mid-January for most courses) and there isn't likely to be much on offer in clearing. The number of student places (which are paid for upfront by the government) has been cut severely because of our public debt problem. Doodledoooooo! (talk) 19:59, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

How about printing off some flyers offering gardening services, basic handyman work and that sort of thing and put them through letterboxes? It could give you some income and if you work hard, and get on okay with people, it may lead to more regular work and possible good references in time. If you enjoy the work, you might find there is a related university degree or college qualification you could try for - possibly part time, eg landscape gardening, plumbing. Also, have a look at Open University courses. You have to pay for them, of course (I don't know if financial help is available but look a their website). With the Open University, you study at home and get credits for each module successfully completed. You get a degree when you have enough credits - different from the traditional UK university approach and it means you can spread the costs over more than the ususal three years (in England) or four years (Scotland) traditional University course. Good luck! (Edited to add OU link). Also, in my experience, OU degrees tend to be well regarded by employers as they are academically just as rigourous as traditional univerisities and successful completion shows evidence of self discipline, self motivation and determination. http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/?KWCAMPAIGN=zed_Brand&keywordid=ggluk_open_university

I'll try your first suggestion with the flyers, thanks! I can do gardening and basic DIY like putting up shelves, and maybe fixing computers too. I've "fixed" quite a few before, and usually there was nothing physically wrong with the machine. The owner just didn't know how to configure it or had let a virus slip through. I do know about the Open University, and there is finance available to cover the fees, but I'll need a job even more if I do that! Doodledoooooo! (talk) 18:54, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

This might be a little late considering all the excellent advice above, but I would just like to point out that references these days are rarely very extensive. The ones I have written (or rather, filled out) for past employees recently are no more than a few brief questions from the prospective company with yes/no tick boxes along the lines of, 'was the person punctual', 'how long did they work there', 'how many sick days did they take'. Even if I wanted to elaborate, there was no room on the form or even a request for me to do so. You sound eloquent and intelligent, so apply for the jobs that appeal, wow them at the interview and take it from there. 83.104.128.107 (talk) 13:52, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, but I think that only holds for references who found you okay-but-not-amazing. Someone who actively dislikes you will get you if given any sort of chance. There must have been a question along the lines of "would you rehire this person", surely? Doodledoooooo! (talk) 18:26, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

But don't, whatever you do, anticipate or justify your references (or the lack of them) in your written application. I once received an application in which, under "references", was the comment "see covering letter". It was accompanied by two sides of single-spaced typewritten A4, setting out in detail the applicant's grievances against his previous employer, from whom he had parted on such terms as to be unable to ask for a reference. His application wasn't bad as far as it went, but after a cursory glance at the special pleading, the place it went was the bin. Find referees to your character if necessary, or take a short-term menial job or voluntary post for the purpose of acquiring a reference as some have advised above; then apply for jobs you think you could do well and don't explain or elaborate on your referees unless you are asked directly. If pressed hard at interview, explain honestly that you made a bit of a mess of things - nothing criminal, but it wasn't your finest hour - and you've been doing your best to make a new start. Say that you understand why they might be wary of someone without the usual reference from a previous employer, and offer to accept a probationary period of some months, even if it's not in the contract, in order to prove yourself if offered the position. Most employers make up their mind on their own impressions, not other people's opinion. Good luck. Karenjc 15:02, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, I will keep that in mind. I know first impressions count for a lot. Doodledoooooo! (talk) 18:22, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Another option is just try and see. I worked for a company that had a strict rule that said the only information they could give in a reference was your job title(s) and how long you worked in each position. They had a standard form with a paragraph explaining this. Evidently they had been successfully sued over a bad reference given by a manager with a grudge. If the company where you made this mistake has this policy you might just get a standard reference. -- Q Chris (talk) 15:19, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I was very close to doing that, but my new boss would probably let me start while waiting for references. Then weeks or even months later, when I wasn't expecting it, the references would finally arrive and I'd be sacked on the spot. Doodledoooooo! (talk) 18:19, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Maybe try some volunteering, then ask the organizers to provide a reference? ~AH1 01:52, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

July 13

Self-standing pull-up bar

How can I build a self-standing pull-up bar like this one? --Belchman (talk) 21:36, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Instructtables.com is a good source. ---— Gadget850 (Ed)  21:54, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Unbelievably Instructibles does not seem to have an exact tutorial for this. However, they have a lot of tutorials about assembling similar frames out of pipes. You might look at their tutorials pipe beds. APL (talk) 03:13, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Thank you all! --Belchman (talk) 08:56, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

is driving while waring a burqua dangerous?

is driving while waring a burqua dangerous? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.128.102.181 (talk) 22:07, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Thank you for linking dangerous. I would assume so, as your peripheral vision would be quite limited and actions like looking over your shoulder to drive in reverse might cause the "viewport" to misalign. But a definitive answer would have to come from someone who has worn one before. 61.189.63.171 (talk) 22:32, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Driving in a burqua is no more dangerous than driving in a ski mask or motorcycle helmet; wearing glasses likely interferes with your peripheral vision more than a head covering. --Ludwigs2 23:25, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

I think the reason the distinction between ski mask or motorcycle helmet and burqa is hinted at by 61.189 - the burqa is made of cloth of some sort, which probably won't stay so nicely aligned with the eyeline as the head is turned as either of those do. 94.168.184.16 (talk) 00:48, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I bet it's still safer than driving while texting. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 00:52, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Meanwhile, I'm getting this bizarre mental picture of Fred Waring in Muslim "drag". Oy! ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 00:58, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

if it becomes an issue, I'm sure some enterprising person will create a "driving burqua" with appropriate modifications, --Ludwigs2 01:22, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Like the burqini? 24.189.88.30 (talk) 01:47, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

more or less, except I think they'd call it a Lamburquini <badum-bump>--Ludwigs2 02:03, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Why would you say that spectacles significantly interfere with peripheral vision? The frame does not take up a significant portion of a person's field of view, and most people's uncorrected vision is still good enough to see oncoming cars. APL (talk) 03:08, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I wear glasses, and was able to pass my driving test wearing them. However, I am well aware that my peripheral vision is significantly worse than when I wear contact lenses, because not only is my peripheral vision uncorrected, but I also end up ignoring my peripheral vision because I can see so much better through my glasses. Much like someone with one eye much stronger than the other can end up ignoring the vision from the weaker eye. The difference between playing sport (like badminton or netball) in my glasses versus contact lenses is noticable: my peripheral vision is almost non-existant in my glasses, and I react much slower to people and object that are not in front of me. Although I am safe driving in most situations, I do much more active looking around in my glasses to compensate, and there are undoubtedly situations in which I will make a mistake, or react too late, that would not happen wearing contact lenses. I won't see a motorbike approaching from the side until it is quite close, unless I have deliberately looked to the side to check. In this respect, it is very like wearing a burqa. I am sure that responsible, burqa-wearing drivers also compensate by including more active looking around, like I do wearing my glasses. 86.164.57.20 (talk) 13:50, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

It's probably not a big problem, since people who wear burqas are generally not allowed to drive anyway. Adam Bishop (talk) 03:14, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

It is a problem in western nations. Perhaps not a huge problem, but a problem that sometimes attracts media attention because of the touchiness of the subject. APL (talk) 04:34, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

France seems to have got the right idea.--Artjo (talk) 06:14, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

A problem? maybe. A political problem? almost certainly. But a very, very small problem when compared with the amount of individuals who drive too fast, who don't check the condition of their vehicle, who drink and drive or who use a mobile phone whilst driving. 86.4.183.90 (talk) 07:03, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Maybe not dangerous for the driver but definitely dangerous for others on the road.Fragrantforever 08:30, 14 July 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fragrantforever (talk • contribs)

A lot depends on the design, and whether you're wearing the sort of burqa which prohibits even clear forwards vision. In that case, then yes it is dangerous. However, the niqab, or half-face veil shouldn't hamper vision or the ability to turn the head. Let's not get political or xenophobic, eh? BTW glasses are a problem. With them my straight ahead vision is fine but my peripheral vision is terrible, and I can see that causing problems in the future. --TammyMoet (talk) 08:53, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

How bad? Bad enough that you can't see a car? Soft Contacts aren't available in my prescription, so I'm honestly curious here, but I don't have any problem reacting to things that I see 'around' my glasses. I couldn't read that way, but I could spot a car in daylight with little problem. APL (talk) 18:25, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

The problem here is not spotting a car, but estimating speed and distance, given the junction between natural sight and aided sight. I have to turn my head rather than move my eyes if I want to properly estimate how far away and how fast that car is travelling. Given the current state of my rheumatoid arthritis, that may not be an option for me 10 years hence. --TammyMoet (talk) 18:41, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

The usual burqua is a full length gown with no sleeves. It could impede dangerously a driver's arm movements for steering, signalling by indicator switch or hand gesture, horn, window winding, handbrake and gear change. Insects occasionally enter cars and a wasp getting trapped inside the burqua would be ungood for both inside. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 17:52, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Right, and someone is absolutely going to drive wearing a garment that doesn't allow them to hold the wheel. Remember that what many people call a burka is often one of the many other types of clothing worn by muslim women. For example, calling the niqab a burka is quite a common mistake. I'm sure you're well aware of this, but it is important to be very clear about it when someone asks such a question. 86.164.79.167 (talk) 18:55, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

The OP is not more than a million miles from Birmingham, UK. A driver wearing a burkha in Birmingham would attract attention from the police. A recent Crimestoppers item was "Men who carried out three robberies disguised in burkhas are being hunted by detectives." Cuddlyable3 (talk) 21:46, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

In Kuwait, female drivers are barred from wearing the niqab due to security reasons. The regulation came about almost 10 years ago when Kuwaiti security authorities were pursuing sleeper terrorist cells. Authorities feared that the niqab individuals belonging to such cells could use the niqab to pass through checkpoints unnoticed. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 21:46, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

To the OP, the correct spelling is WEARING a burqua. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 21:46, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

The spelling is wearing a burqa? That's hard to picture. I thought spellings were abstract objects, and didn't wear clothes per se. --Trovatore (talk) 07:47, 19 July 2010 (UTC)

July 14

Coke or Pepsi

When I order a cola flavoured drink in the pub, I ask for "a coke". I am often asked by the barperson "We only have Pepsi. Is that OK?" It seems to me such an odd thing to ask, since as far as I can tell they taste identical especially with the large amount of ice and lemon they frequently add to the glass. Has anyone (in a British pub) seriously said "Oh, no it's not OK. I'll have something different"? Astronaut (talk) 04:57, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

The response shows good service training and care for the customer. As someone hailing from the American south, I can beat your blind Coke-Pepsi taste test 10 out of 10 times (and have) and if you told me you only had Pepsi, I WOULD ask for an alternate beverage. In fact, I'm drinking a coke right NOW! 218.25.32.210 (talk) 05:19, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

In America, at least, there's definitely a different taste between the two. In particular, Pepsi tends to be sweeter. Too sweet, actually, which is why I like Coke better. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 05:28, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I always order something else if I am told "we only have Pepsi. Is that OK?" I, like 218, can identify the difference 10 out of 10 times. Comet Tuttle (talk) 05:37, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I can also confirm that in the US, Coke and Pepsi do indeed taste different. Is it possible that the British (the OP used the word first, don't complain to me for using it) version of these beverages uses cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup? Maybe that would make them taste similar in your particular location. On a side note, in the American South, "coke" is a generic term for any carbonated beverage and it's not unusual for you to hear the following exchange: "What would you like?", "Just a coke.", "What kind?", "Mountain Dew." Dismas| 05:41, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

In Germany, all soft drinks are called "Limonade", and a lemonade would be Zitronenlimonade. Kinda similar. 86.154.105.143 (talk) 10:58, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Lemonade is not a "soft drink"! It's made by squeezing fresh lemons and adding water and sugar to taste. Accept no substitutes! --Trovatore (talk) 17:40, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Unless you also add alcohol to it, it *is* a "soft drink" (as opposed to a hard drink). While "soft drink" is most commonly used to refer to carbonated beverages like Coke/Pepsi/Sprite/7UP, that's not the defining feature. Additionally, 86.154 was referring to the German term "Limonade", not the English term "Lemonade". -- 140.142.20.229 (talk) 23:23, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

And, of course, a link to lemonade is called for. Regional differences in language? Oh my goodness, how shocking. I only take comfort that User:Marco_polo is not here to be disillusioned by an American being intolerant of Commonwealth English (for lack of a better term). Oh! The seamy underbelly of oppression we toil under daily, hidden from the eyes of such people! In case this is unclear, this is sarcasm. Such assumptions that the rest of the world must conform to your own pattern are common on the web, but people less often meet, recognise, and remember when it is their own pattern that is being defended. 86.163.212.254 (talk) 00:23, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

In this case my objection is not mainly linguistic. I did know about the linguistic difference, but it isn't the point.

The point is that genuine lemonade is good, whereas all those other things, 7-UP and Sprite and all the stuff they call "lemonade" in the UK, are bad. I object to the linguistic usage because I object to the drinks themselves, or more specifically with conflating them with something that's actually good. --Trovatore (talk) 18:27, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

I can also tell the difference (also between Sprite and 7UP), but they are not so radically different that I am unable to drink one or the other. But maybe this is because I'm Canadian and we aren't so militant about this sort of thing. I mean, it's not like it's beer (if a pub only had Bud Light I would definitely order something else!). Adam Bishop (talk) 05:42, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

(just finished my Coke) as Bang-qiu Bugs said, Pepsi is quite a bit sweeter. I don't care for it at all. 218.25.32.210 (talk) 05:43, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

The original question seems odd to me - they certainly do taste different in the UK. Ghmyrtle (talk) 06:21, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Having lived all over the U.S., "Coke" versus "Soda" or "Pop" is a regional thing, and there's a map somewhere on the internet mapping the distribution of those phrases.

As for the actual flavors, CocaCola Classic is what we have most widespread in the U.S., and in Europe I don't remember the "classic" designation, and there is a difference between American Coke and European Coke. I remember reading that the whole Pepsi Challenge issue involved Pepsi having a higher sugar content that was good for a sip, but not for a whole 12 ounces. I don't know if that's true, however Coke did quickly switch back to the classic formula after "new" coke was introduced. I don't think it has anything to do with cane sugar versus corn syrup (molecularly sugar is 50% fructose anyway). This book has a very interesting take on the whole CocaCola thing. I definitely prefer the taste of American CocaCola Classic to whatever they have in Europe. Shadowjams (talk) 07:26, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

About "sugar being 50% fructose": Not exactly. Sucrose is formed from fructose and glucose by splitting off a water molecule; it's not the same as a mixture of fructose and glucose. If you reverse the reaction to make a 50% molar mixture of fructose and glucose, that's called invert sugar I think. There's no obvious reason it shouldn't be distinguishable by taste from sucrose. --Trovatore (talk) 08:27, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Whatever the sweetener is, glucose has a very different metabolism than fructose. Shadowjams (talk) 10:16, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

While Pepsi may be generally considered sweeter than Coke, it's interesting to note that Coke actually has more sugar in it, at least here in Canada. A can of Pepsi has 41 g sugar and a can of Coke has 42 g. I imagine it's the flavorings that make Pepsi seem sweeter. 75.157.57.12 (talk) 09:05, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Both taste the same to me - horrible!! Fragrantforever 08:30, 14 July 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fragrantforever (talk • contribs)

I don't think there is a difference from the American and the European coke. The "classic"-appellation in the US was to distinguish it from the New Coke, which was only released in the US. --Saddhiyama (talk) 08:38, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I disagree from personal experience and taste. Shadowjams (talk) 10:00, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

The UK coke tastes a lot more like Pepsi. I didn't believe this so we brought some UK coke and pepsi bottles to the USA and did a side by side comparison. The UK and USA pepsis tastes the same but the UK and USA cokes were different. I have been told that UK has the "new" Coke, which was unpopular in the USA but increased sales in the UK though I have not found a reference to this -- Q Chris (talk) 10:07, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

That's my experience too. Shadowjams (talk) 10:11, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I see. I haven't done a blind taste on them myself (in fact I have never tasted the American Coke), I was only basing my assumption on the information provided in the Coca Cola and New Coke articles. It would be nice if someone could find out if there is a difference in recipe between the US and European Coke and add it to the article. Quite relevant information imo. --Saddhiyama (talk) 10:11, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I guarantee you my personal experience suggests that Coke in the U.K. for a time is vastly different than Coke in the U.S., at least during the time period I'm referring to. Shadowjams (talk) 10:19, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Upon further research it seems that it might have something to do with High fructose corn syrup vs cane sugar. At least according to this. --Saddhiyama (talk) 10:22, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I thought I was right about that. Thanks, Dismas| 10:24, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

According to a blogspot page.......

Are you really proposing that European and North American versions of Coke are identical? Shadowjams (talk) 10:34, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I am not proposing anything, as I said I have not made a comparison myself. But I am trying to make sense out of the apparent confusion about whether there is a difference in taste regarding the US and European coke. So far the result has been that there is and that there isn't, according to the various Google hits. And not a single reliable source found on the matter as of yet. But it seems that hfcs is used in the US coke where it might very well be cane sugar in the European variant (although the blog doesn't mention anything about Europe, only Thailand), as well as the difference in taste that the local water might add as well. Which I guess would support your claim that there would be a markedly difference in taste after all. --Saddhiyama (talk) 10:44, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

From personal tasting in a small group I would say its more than that, the UK Coke is sweater and tastes more like Pepsi. I used to think they were the same, but my wife (American) complained that the worst thing about living in the UK was that the coke didn't taste right. That's why we took UK coke to the USA when we visited to do a taste - and tasting them side by side it was clear that my wife was right and I was wrong, they were very different! -- Q Chris (talk) 11:09, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

They might taste identical to some after all the ice and lemon has been added, but Pepsi will retain its flavour longer against the diluting agent of a glass half full of frozen water. Vimescarrot (talk) 09:51, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Most people in the U.S. don't add lemon. Shadowjams (talk) 10:11, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

My understanding is that the real issue is one of trademarks, not taste. --173.49.10.26 (talk) 10:58, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

The various Colas (of which Coke and Pepsi are only two) have individual formulas, and there are differences in the taste. I switched from Pepsi to Coke (i.e. Coke Classic) because I was finding Pepsi to be too sweet. Someone said earlier that the "taste test" that Pepsi kept "winning" was due to Pepsi tasting "better" when you're only having a sip, while as you drink more of it, Pepsi's sweetness starts to overwhelm. But some folks like the Pepsi taste better. I don't think it's driven by brand loyalty as such. Oh, and Sprite and 7Up taste differently also. :) ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 14:20, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

There was some legal action by the manufacturers against retail outlets in the US that served Pepsi when asked for a Coke (or vice versa) that made servers very particular about specifying what they were actually serving. Acroterion _(talk) 14:33, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

It's basic customer service. If someone shows up and asks for specific brand by name, you don't give them some other brand and hope they don't notice!

(And I do agree with everyone else... For those of us who drink an unhealthy amount of soda the taste difference is noticeable. I'm irritated when a waiter brings me a Pepsi without asking. If I'd known it was a Pepsi-only establishment I would have ordered a Mountain Dew.) APL (talk) 14:38, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

You may have seen the TV ad some years back featuring Ray Charles, who was hawking Pepsi, and "unknowingly" was given a Coke instead. He took a sip and said, "Hmm. All right, now, who's the wise guy?" ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 14:42, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Possibly a bit of a stretch but under the Sale of Goods legislation in the UK goods MUST be "as described". If you ask for a coke you could mean "I want the branded Coca-Cola soft drink" - if the server didn't get your verbal consent to serve Pepsi they could theoretically break the law by serving you something different to your request. Exxolon (talk) 16:48, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

We're talking about two different mixtures that are typically water and high-fructose corn syrup with hints of cola flavor. In the U.S., Coke and Pepsi often grant discounts to restaurant chains in return for exclusivity, which is why in the U.S. you typically can't get Pepsi at McDonald's or Coca-Cola at Taco Bell. At a certain level of abstration, despite the preferences expressed above, they're both colas. So you order Coke, the server says, in effect, we don't have that particular flavor of sugared water but we have a different one; would you like that instead? --- OtherDave (talk) 17:16, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

That's like saying all hamburgers are alike. They may all be the same nutrionally, but they taste different from chain to chain. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 17:24, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I'm just surprised that no one has brought up John Belushi's Greek-diner-owner skits in this thread yet. The ref-deskers are being very sober today. Deor (talk) 19:08, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Ah, yes, SNL's version of Billy Goat's. Memories. :) ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 19:22, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

In the past, at any rate (don't know if they still do this), Coke would send their employees into restaurants and order a "Coke". If they got any other product, they would then report back to their employers, who would take appropriate action with the restaurant. Generally, they'd ask the owner if they'd like to switch from their current cola drink to Coke brand. Everard Proudfoot (talk) 19:46, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

There are people who will say "No" to the question. I know someone who only drinks Diet Coke, and if offered a Diet Pepsi will have another type of drink instead. More importantly, even some people who will begrudgingly accept a Pepsi would be offended if they asked for Coke and received a Pepsi without being warned one was coming. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:14, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Bugs, my comment was not about the inherent virtue of one kind of sugared water over another. I was suggesting to the OP that one reason a server will offer you X when you ask for Y is that the business has a contract under which they only have X. Whichever chain has the platonic egg sandwich, if you're ordering an Egg McMuffin at Burger King, they're likely to offer a substitute for that as well. --- OtherDave (talk) 23:49, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Yes. Your typical restaurant will have a sign and/or menu item making it clear whether they serve Coke or Pepsi products (or whatever). If Coke vs. Pepsi matters to you, then you need to pay attention. If not, then any old cola will do, presumably. (Maybe not Dr. Pepper) ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 15:51, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Oh, yeah, I'm one of those. I detest Diet Pepsi, so if they don't have Diet Coke, I'll go with iced tea. Everard Proudfoot (talk) 18:13, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

I guess it just depends on how much of a connoisseur you are. Someone who rarely drinks soft drink might use the word "coke" to refer to any cola and not care about the difference. Similarly, someone who rarely drinks red wine might not care if they are getting a syrah or a merlot. I'd like to point out that in some regions of the US, the word "coke" refers to and soft drink, even clear or orange ones. —Arctic Gnome (talk • contribs) 18:36, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Yes, especially in the American south, as noted earlier (Coke was invented in the south). More generally in the US, facial tissue is "Kleenex", a paper copy is a "Xerox", etc. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 18:45, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Just to chime in on the HFCS/sugar discussion above, which didn't seem to reach a conclusion, the recipe is indeed different for various territories; eg:

• UK – Ingredients: Carbonated water, sugar, colour (caramel E150d), phosphoric acid, flavourings (including caffeine)
• USA – Ingredients: Carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavors, caffeine

I can assure you that the difference between sugar and HFCS is very noticeable. Local sellers here in the UK often stock imported Coke, and I've tasted both the American and (I believe) Egyptian versions, which both use corn syrup. The taste is vastly inferior to Coke made with proper sugar, and the mouthfeel in particular is unpleasant.

Oh and to answer the OP's question, I find there to be a clear difference in taste between the two major brands and do indeed refuse Pepsi when Coke is unavailable. I am also very disappointed when a seller withholds this information, but I unfortunately suffer from the British affliction which means I'll do nothing about it except grumble quietly while sipping my unwanted Pepsi. AJCham 19:10, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

In North America, Coke produces a sugar version for Jewish Passover. Corn is apparently not kosher for Passover. It excites a lot of soda aficionados and nostalgic types because it supposedly tastes the way Coke did before the switch to corn syrup. Although the Toronto Star says the HFCS version won their taste test. And I also might turn down a Pepsi if I'd asked for Coke, even for water. I'm only going to drink something that unhealthy if I really enjoy it. --JGGardiner (talk) 22:16, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

I will not drink Coke in the US as I find the taste much worse than in Canada. I wonder about that: does the water at the bottling plant contribute? Also9, fountain vs. Bottled seems to make a big difference. I can't stand fountain Coke in the US, but Fountain Pepsi is great. The bottled versions are the exact opposite for me. 72.2.54.34 (talk) 00:23, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Naming convention of British Army equipment

Misplaced Pages has a page on the equipment used by the British Army. I noticed that many models of the equipment have designations like L...A... What does the letter "L" stand for? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.49.10.26 (talk) 10:43, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Our article SA80#Variants says (without a source) that it stands for "Land Service". That also seems to be the prevailing opinion among random people on the Internet, and the bit of "Encyclopaedia of the Modern British Army" shown in the third search result here seems to confirm it. Deor (talk) 11:45, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

How Many American Tourists Visit The European Union Each Summer

...and visa versa? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.190.51.107 (talk) 16:00, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

This PDF on page 27 says there were 29 million tourist arrivals to Europe from North America, in 2008 (not segmented by the summer or by the USA specifically, unfortunately). Comet Tuttle (talk) 16:59, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

That's a good start. If I can now find how many Americans went to Europe in 2008, I'd be happy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.190.51.107 (talk) 17:08, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

This site looks useful, although its numbers are from 2004. --Tango (talk) 17:12, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

As an aside, how many of the circa 300 million US citizens currently hold a passport? 92.30.102.184 (talk) 23:41, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

The New York Times, in January 2007, reported that "according to the State Department, an estimated 27 percent of Americans currently carry a valid passport." (No specific source given.) So, 80 million or thereabouts now, say. Maybe more, if you count the passport card that gets you into other parts of North America if you're not going by air. --- OtherDave (talk) 02:34, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Meta-question

The Misplaced Pages article Meta notes that a meta-answer is not a real answer but a reply, such as: "this is not a good question",... The knowledge that I need but I don't yet posess, since I have no Metaknowledge, is whether a meta-question is an ungood question for which there is a good answer, or a good question for which there is no answer, or something else. Please help me understand the term meta-question. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 17:33, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I have added to the title the words "Renamed to avoid problems with table of contents", for the reason given. This reformatting of the title, as we would with a title that said "question" or "query", retains the original title in brackets, so that Cuddlyable can find their question again using the find function in their browser. If it didn't break the formatting, I would have left it. 86.163.212.254 (talk) 22:44, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I've slightly altered that - to preserve the original title at the beginning of heading - easier to find/

...I've not read the article, but if the term "meta-question" was used generally around the Internet, it would mean "a question about a question" (much as your meta-answer is "an answer about an answer"). If you were after language specifics and not general use, that answer won't help you, of course. Vimescarrot (talk) 18:12, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Couldn't a metaquestion on the Reference Desk be a question about the reference desk? -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 20:32, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

That's precisely what it means. There is no "could" involved. --Tango (talk) 20:36, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Surely that wouldn't be a "question about a question" though. It's just a question about the reference desk. If someone asked: "are all reference desk questions pointless?" that would be a meta-question. 129.234.53.144 (talk) 19:10, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

OP here. I wonder whether a meta-question is a good question that is not to be asked, such as "Don't ask me what this has to do with toilet paper!" Cuddlyable3 (talk) 19:59, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

What is the best (free) tool to convert .avi to animated Graphics Interchange Format?

Please tell, and from where I can download it ? -- Jon Ascton  (talk) 21:01, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Irfanview will save a movie as a series of bitmap files, which is half the battle. (Options->extract all frames) From there I suggest using GIMP along with this plug-in for optimization. ...In fact I think you can import movies directly into GIMP; here is a (rather old) tutorial. 81.131.22.238 (talk) 21:53, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

See also the "mplayer" (see SMPlayer) examples in Commons:Help talk:Converting video#Converting a Theora OGG video to an animated GIF - just replace the "video.ogv" with the name of your avi file. Another free tool that might work for you (but I find it creates poor quality GIFs) is SUPER video converter. Other resources might be found linked from Commons:Commons:Animated image resources, for example: Misplaced Pages:Graphic Lab. -84user (talk) 00:09, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

July 15

Re: Ohio man in news for bulldozing his own home

Did Terry Hoskins, the Ohio man in the news earlier in February of this year who bulldozed his home about to be foreclosed on, also tear down his carpet business building like he said he would in stories covering the house bulldozing? 20.137.18.50 (talk) 12:17, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

This story says it was going up for auction in March, and no news of it turned up, so I imagine not. --Sean 17:21, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Not sure if it is relevant to this question, but Marvin Heemeyer is a similar sounding individual. Googlemeister (talk) 18:35, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Overjoyed but cynical..Help

What if somebody you never seen or heard of before you meet knows everything about you like who you are, what you do, married, kids and most importantly, your secrets, what problems you are facing and even what you’re thinking after a brief meditation of 2-3 minutes in a silent room and gives you something to keep in the wallet or best tied in the body and you realize within a week’s I mean 2-4 days things just take a turn as you wanted. I am stunned to see the difference, but as I spoke to a very close friend of mine about it she tells me to refrain such blessings or help as may later cause some paranormal problems , and being highly unscientific(as per her) but since this has done wonders to my personal wellbeing. do I stay away from him or my friend .but here the question I have is “is it some psychic powers he possesses that has made all the difference” but how does he promises to resolve my other issues like he has done to my cousin as all he had to do was to take the photograph of his wife to him and she has mellowed finally kick starting the broken relationship for three years in “a week’s time”. Do you think it would have an adverse effect later for me as I have seek’ed his advice as well and things are like wonders in a handful of days. Please advice. Anyone with such experiences? I hope they do not seek some devil’s help to do it.. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.122.36.6 (talk) 13:49, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

The techniques for appearing to psychically know all about a person include:

• Getting them to give away the answers to questions implicitly
• Relying on their willingness to believe
• Guessing, and diverting attention away from the failed guesses

Somebody who has formed a relationship with you in which they have a hold over your mind is called a svengali. It's a fascinating situation to be in. There are no demons involved, but it doesn't seem ideal in terms of rationality. 81.131.66.254 (talk) 14:28, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

See also cold reading. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:40, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

And perhaps stalking. Googlemeister (talk) 15:14, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

There are many cases of people using techniques like the ones you describe to take advantage of someone, financially or emotionally. There are no cases of claimed 'psychic ability' working when the 'psychic' is separated from his or her sources of information. If you were a loved one of mine, I'd advise you to separate yourself from this person, who is more likely to be a predator of some kind than someone who intends good things for you. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 15:19, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

What this person has done is given you the belief that things can be different. When you change your beliefs, the world around you changes in response. Take this belief and run with it - but really, I advise you to ditch this person. --TammyMoet (talk) 15:29, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Yes, the person has no paranormal abilities, or the person would have challenged and won the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge. The cold reading article is indeed the most relevant article about this. Comet Tuttle (talk) 15:42, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

That challenge has fairly stringent entrance requirements. --Sean 17:26, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps, but if you can amply demonstrate them to a few people, then you would think that you could convince the media and an academic or two if you let them set the test requirements. Googlemeister (talk) 18:33, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

A more generic term and deceptively-benign sounding is "social engineering". Assuming that person is not a violent sort (in which case you should run immediately), the red flag is likely to be money. As soon as they indicate they want access to your money in some way or another, that's the time to run away. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 15:48, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Running deer

Misplaced Pages has many articles about the gates of horses (trotting, galloping, etc.), and I've noticed that the black-tailed deer in my neighbourhood do many of the same kind of gates. However, when they are running away from something, instead of galloping they do a kind of hopping run where all four feet touch the ground at the same time and their knees stay bent at a relatively fixed angle. What is this kind of movement called? —Arctic Gnome (talk • contribs) 18:40, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Pronking. Also look at gait (not "gate") --ColinFine (talk) 19:18, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

How many exam papers in British GCSEs

I'm looking at exam timetables now, and wondering if kids who take the higher tier have to take the foundation tier papers too? How many exams does a GCSE have? I know I could go into school and ask next time I pick the kids up, but I don't want to look completely thick! 81.155.57.75 (talk) 20:51, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Now many exams will depend on the GCSE in question. If its a tiered GCSE you only take one tier, though. If you take the higher tier and don't get at least the lowest grade for that tier (eg. a C if the tier is for A*-C) then you just fail completely (and get a U). --Tango (talk) 21:02, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

You meant "how many", not "now many", right? Vimescarrot (talk) 21:12, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Would you buy it if I claimed I meant "Now, many"? --Tango (talk) 21:13, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Gobfrey Shrdlu strikes again! (-: The timetable I've got here shows three exam papers for each subject, one foundation, one higher and one that isn't either. So would all kids take the third one, plus one of the others? 81.155.57.75 (talk) 21:28, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

I think whether students taking the higher tier also have to take the lower tier depends on the subject and possibly on the board too. The number of exams definitely depends on the subject and board, and particularly on whether there is coursework. Do ask in the school. You won't seem stupid. You'll seem like an engaged parent. Itsmejudith (talk) 21:47, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

If it's tiers, you only take one. Some subjects have extra papers for the very top grades (although I can't remember any GCSEs having that when I did them - SATs papers certainly did), but that's different from tiers. --Tango (talk) 23:00, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Becoming a Mercenary

How does someone become a mercenary? Do you need military experience? Where would a person go to ask to be a mercenary or get training? B-Machine (talk) 21:35, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

You would need military experience. Have you thought about joining the French Foreign Legion? Ante Gotovina, the fugitive Croatian general now on trial for war crimes, started his career as a Legionnaire. Well worth reading about, if only as a cautionary tale! 81.155.57.75 (talk) 21:39, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Modern mercenaries go by the sanitized names like "military contractor" or "security contractor" or "Private military company." However, they are exactly and completely mercenary companies: that is they are private companies that hire out their services for military operations. The most famous (or somewhat infamous) in the U.S. is Blackwater Worldwide, which changes its name from time to time to cover its bad press. It is now known as Xe Systems. Officially, under the rules of the Geneva Convention, mercenaries are not afforded protections that official military personel are. In general, they may not participate in "offensive maneuvers" but may be used for defensive protection, hense the euphemism "security contractor". During the Iraq War, services like Blackwater are used by U.S. government officials in Iraq to guard them as they travel, or at non-military installations; and as guards for convoys and stuff like that. Members of private firms such as these are almost exclusively ex-U.S. military, as they often operate in forward combat areas and need to be familiar with standard military training. --Jayron32 22:55, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps read Soldier of Fortune? My question would be why anyone would want to become a mercenary? Warofdreams talk 09:24, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I presume the pay is better than someone with that skill-set could get anywhere else - and some people thrive on the danger and excitement...although the excitement of escorting a convoy of trucks across hundreds of miles of boring desert might just maybe wear a bit thin after a while! Of course this is not without risk...but if you are desperate for work, it could be a solution of sorts. SteveBaker (talk) 13:52, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I heard a story on NPR a while back about guys who had finished their contracts with the military and then went right back to Iraq or wherever with private security firms. They were making much more than they had been with Uncle Sam and were doing similar work as some of the military, e.g. escorting convoys, etc. Dismas| 16:56, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

You might take a look at http://www.xecompany.com/ for their career opportunities, but they don't seem to be hiring mercenaries through that website right now. Everard Proudfoot (talk) 19:18, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

To the limited extent that I know about these things (through having a career soldier as a father, who has been offered posts in such organisations), competently run mercenary operations normally only hire people who already have regular forces training and experience. It wouldn't be cost effective for them to provide the basic training - which both filters out hidden physical problems and mental unsuitabilities of previously untried candidates, and is absolutely necessary for the safety of both the recruit and his/her future comrades - that regular government-funded forces provide. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 15:56, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Price variation for same book on Amazon

Was just looking for a book and Amazon and it got me thinking about the price variation in this case here a whopping £58.16 in the difference. So why would somebody skip the first book in the list to scroll down to the same book for more than double the price. And why would the seller not lower their price? Mo ainm~Talk 21:43, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

More interesting is that the last two are being sold by the same seller, have exactly the same description, yet have a £26.01 difference in price. --Tango (talk) 21:47, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Never spotted that, so even worse, they can't possibly be a legitimite buisness venture. Mo ainm~Talk 21:58, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

It might just be a mistake, copypasting the same description into a second listing which is actually different. But certainly contact them before you agree to buy. If I'm right, at least one of these items might well be a different book. 81.155.57.75 (talk) 22:02, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

quartermelon also lists the same item twice. The description for all items is minimal and appears fairly generic so it doesn't really tell you whether there is any potential difference between the items. A search on the quartermelon website only finds the lower price. However it's not that uncommon in my experience outside Amazon for one seller to have multiple versions of the same item, sometimes they the difference may be something like a different warehouse or from a different supplier. Many more sophisticated retailers will only sell the lower price item if they are the same and there's no reason to sell the other one (if for example the warehouse is in a different country then they may still sell that one, similarly if the cheaper supplier is out of stock) and quartermelon appears to have done that for their own website but not for the data they supply to Amazon. It's worth remembering many people who sell thorough the Amazon Marketplace do exist outside there. Also some retailers may be cheaper for some items then others depending on their suppliers, whether it's a core part of their business and a host of other things. Some may also source fairly unique or whatever items. Many may be partially influenced by the price others set, some may even choose not to list on a place like Amazon Marketplace if they don't think they're going to sell any at the price they can sell for but many equally will just list whatever they have or can get if no one buys it from them it's probably not much of a loss (I don't know how Amazon Marketplace works, I presume it's by commission so listing items they're never likely to sell doesn't lose them money but perhaps they do have to pay a small amount per number of items they list however even so it may still be cheapier for them to list all they have then developing more sophisticated software or hiring people to be more picky.) Definitely it's possible that some of the more expensive retailers would be making a loss if they sell it at the lowest price. Ultimately you're right few people who see that listing are likely to buy it from one of the very expensive stores unless they're desperate and no one else has it in stock or whatever so if those retailers can't sell any items for a resonable price compared to other and they have no presence outside the Amazon Marketplace they likely to die. Nil Einne (talk) 22:29, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Days of the week

Say its Monday here, is it Monday everywhere else in the world (neglecting international dateline problems)? I mean do other civilizations have a different sort of naming system for days or even a different number of days in the week, or even no weeks?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by FarTraveller (talk • contribs) 23:35, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Different systems are used, as pointed out in the Week article. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 23:39, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict)Each language has their own names for days of the week. In the romance languages, the names often derive from Roman gods whereas in Germanic languages they derive from Norse gods. Hence, Wednesday in English derives from "Odin's Day" while in French the same day is known as "Mercredi" or "Mercury's day". One obvious exception is Saturday, which in English is named after Saturn, the same as the French "Samedi" (also named after Saturn). There have been alternate systems of days of the week altogether, see French_Revolutionary_Calendar#Ten_days_of_the_week for a description of the ten-day week used in France during the years of the revolution. --Jayron32 23:43, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

(ec) Well, different languages have different names for the days of the week. Some have the same origins as the English names (eg. "Monday" is named after the moon and in French, "lundi" is named after the Latin for moon, "luna"), others have different origins (eg. the Hebrew for Monday is "yom sheyni", which simply means "2nd day"). Weeks of seven days are used pretty much everywhere in the modern world, but this article describes some other systems that have been used in the past. --Tango (talk) 23:48, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

Tango, while yom rishon does mean "first day," yom sheyni means "day 2" and yom shlishi means "day 3," and so on. DRosenbach 03:44, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

From a non-JudeoChristian perspective, days of the week are entirely arbitrary and serve no real purpose other than convenience. Lunar months are tied to reality (lunar phases), while solar months are also arbitrary. The solar and lunar years are not arbitrary -- the lunar year is approximately 354 days long and fits with the weekly calendar so that any particular lunar date in year X falls on that day + 4 in year X+1 (e.g. if Rosh Hashana falls out on a Monday this year, it will be on a Thursday next year) until a leap year occurs. 7-day weeks x52 is nearly 365 days in a solar year. But assuming someone has another sort of religion or no religion at all, there's no reason for them to have a 7 day week unless they wish to integrate with those who do. DRosenbach 03:42, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

The Jewish method of naming the days of the week is to link each day with the following Sabbath, namely: the first day of the Sabbath, the second day of the Sabbath, and so on. Simonschaim (talk) 09:14, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Simonschaim -- In Hebrew, "second day" would be yom shniya -- yom sheinu is "day 2", and so on a so forth. And you fail to translate Sabbath properly in your statement. It does not refer to Shabbos but to the week itself. A similar use of the word shabbos (or shabbat) can be seen in RH 3a, on the 9th and 10th line up from the wide lines. DRosenbach 16:34, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Slavic languages have a simple pattern for naming the days of the week. Starting with Sunday, they are, roughly translating into English:

• Non-working (day)
• After the non-working (day)
• Second (day)
• Middle (day)
• Fourth (day)
• Fifth (day)
• Sabbath

— Kpalion 19:34, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Yes, it always amazed me that the Bolsheviks didn't ban those weekly reminders of Christianity (Sabbath and Resurrection) by changing the names of those days of the week. They had no qualms about rewriting/airbrushing history in many other respects, and changing the names of many cities to make their eponymous heroes un-persons. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 20:50, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Portuguese also numbers the days, except for Sabado and Domingo. Rimush (talk) 21:58, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

See http://www.geonames.de/days.html. -- Wavelength (talk) 23:31, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

The table here translates יום שני literally as "2nd Day" (rather than "Day 2"); יום שלישי as "3rd Day"; יום רביעי as "4th Day"; etc. Are those translations mistaken? --Магьосник (talk) 05:53, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

July 16

Pokémon Special

Where can I read Pokémon Special online? It used to be on Mangafox, but they removed it a while ago. Mangatoshokan still had it then, but they just removed it today. A quick Google search found sites which had also removed it or which only had the first 7-8 volumes. --138.110.206.102 (talk) 00:32, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Mawashi vs Thong

Is one a development of the other, or do they have seperate origins? Just asking. Chaos N. Mayhem (talk) 02:08, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

According to our thong article, garments for men and women that cover mostly only the pubis have been around. The mawashi is much newer; sumo dates only from about the 16th century CE.

Seeing that the garments have different purposes (one provides modesty, the other a grab handle) and are of different design one weighs 6 to 11 pounds, the other maybe as many grams), it seems likely that the sumo garment is sort of an independent development. PhGustaf (talk) 02:32, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

OK, I'm not a sumo fan by any means, but I just wonder - if one of them manages to lose that loincloth, what then? I'm guessing that bowing to the audience is out, for example. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 19:12, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

It says in our article that he's disqualified. PhGustaf (talk) 20:04, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

universities in stock market

should universities register in stock market? what are advantages and disadvantages? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.118.23.116 (talk) 11:57, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Could you be more specific on what you mean by "register in stock market"? Do you mean should universities own shares in publicly traded companies as an investment, or that the university itself be listed on the stock market such that an investor can go buy 100 shares of Yale, or Harvard? Googlemeister (talk) 13:22, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I assume we're talking about the latter - the ability for universities to sell shares in their institution. The trouble with that from the universities perspective is that publicly traded companies have a legal obligation to work in order to maximize the expected return for their investors. That is clearly not an acceptable thing for an educational institution. Aside from that, there would be the issue of academic independence - which is much prized amongst universities and wouldn't be given up without a fight. It's not impossible that this might happen - but it's gotta be a last-ditch measure of a failing business model - and that's not the kind of thing that investors are usually interested in funding. SteveBaker (talk) 13:47, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

There are education sector stocks. E.g. Apollo Group (Nasdaq: APOL) owns several universities and other schools; Strayer Education (Nasdaq: STRA) is the corporate face of Strayer University; Career Education Corporation (Nasdaq: CECO) consists of several colleges and universities. 88.112.56.9 (talk) 14:16, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I assume you're asking for advantages and disadvantages to the institution. An advantage would be a wider source of funding for the university: it could use its listing to raise capital from the financial market instead of just government. A disadvantage is that it would have to change its objectives (from, say, producing high-quailty academics/professionals/research) to maximising shareholder wealth. If it doesn't do this well, the cost of capital would increase (ie shareholders would require a higher return on their investment). If it decides to provide a nice return for shareholders at the expense of its research/graduate quality then fewer people would go study (or do research) there. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 14:44, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Turtles

How come turtles don't eat insects and berries we give them? we see them in our yard and stick them in a bucket, but they never eat? they are box turtles.Diver62 (talk) 17:28, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

The article Box turtle indicates those things might be part of their diet. I would speculate that they have certain ways of finding food, and that looking in buckets is not one of them. Or, maybe they can't get into the bucket. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 17:43, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I guess i had incorrect grammar. we put the turtle in the bucket and try to feed it from our hands.Diver62 (talk) 18:12, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Also, some reptiles do not eat very often, so it could be that they are not very hungry right now. Googlemeister (talk) 18:23, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

It may simply be stressed out about being in a bucket. APL (talk) 18:27, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I think being in captivity makes it not accept the food.Diver62 (talk) 18:31, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Being in a bucket might be scary and make it (literally) pull into its shell and worry more about staying alive than about eating. And as noted, reptiles do not constantly eat like warm-blooded animals do, so it may be operating on its own schedule. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 18:33, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Sure thing. they do pull into their shells, and one movement and they're in there ten more minutes. that's why i like active frogs much more than passive turtles!Diver62 (talk) 18:41, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Great Barrier Reef

When do you start to see the Great Barrier Reef by Australia? About how many feet? What's in the coral? What organisms have you seen?Diver62 (talk) 17:30, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

The article Great Barrier Reef looks promising. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 17:42, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Actually, it does not -- I couldn't really find answers to any of the OP's questions. DRosenbach 17:55, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

It does say it's visible from space, but it might actually be easier to see far away. As far as "organisms" are concerned... isn't the Reef a known hangout for the Great White Shark? ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 18:08, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I figure the OP would like to know when one can see the reef coming from Australia, as in how many yards or miles must one travel off the coast before you can see/reach it. DRosenbach 19:02, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

yes. some sharks love reefs including the great white shark, and are like police patrolling the reef and eating prey that lives in them. Interesting, Huh?????Diver62 (talk) 18:14, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Frogs

Cheminterest is my brother and I,Diver62, am his sister. We go frog catching in streams along with our other five members. i've always wondered, can frogs hear you talking to them if you shout in their eardrum? Diver62 (talk) 17:33, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I would think the answer is "yes". I googled and this detailed explanation about their hearing was one of the first things that came up: ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 17:40, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I don't have the internet, only wikipedia, etc. so i didn't find it. I'll stop shouting at frogs. thanks for helpDiver62 (talk) 18:16, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I'm trying to imagine what I would even say to a frog. Maybe "Nice legs!" ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 18:31, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

That's cool! maybe delicious legs!Diver62 (talk) 18:36, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

A Latin student was invited by his friends to go frog hunting. As the group crept quietly towards the pool where frogs lived, the student shouted "Animadverto anura!". His friends chided him for making such a noise that the frogs were frightened away. He protested "But how was I supposed to know they understood Latin?". Cuddlyable3 (talk) 19:36, 16 July 2010 (UTC) that's funny.Diver62 (talk) 19:58, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

You say you are ChemicalInterest's sister. Horseluv also said she was ChemicalInterest's little sister. Are you the same person? It's seen as a bit rude to pretend to be two different people, rather than telling people when you're using two names. 86.163.212.254 (talk) 21:21, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Couldn't ChemicalInterest have more than one sibling? But I'm not understanding how Diver62 could have Misplaced Pages but not the internet. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 22:10, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I assume it's because responsible parties have limited the child's access to the internet. 61.189.63.171 (talk) 22:49, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Oh, it is no doubt possible. Just seems unlikely that they would both appear at the same time, with such similar writing styles, though (as you say) possible. It is also possible that they are the same, young, 'inexperienced' person, who didn't know the community dislikes multiple accounts for a single person without explanation. And there are other possibilities too. The above post seemed the best way of raising the possibilities, and potentially sorting out any misunderstandings that need to be sorted out. 86.163.212.254 (talk) 23:19, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Has Diver62 ever considered that it is perfectly possible to frolick about outdoors without seriously annoying the local wildlife by placing specimens in buckets or yelling at them? --Saddhiyama (talk) 22:13, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

But ... catching frogs is fun! And they're interesting to observe up close as well. APL (talk) 00:03, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

In my childhood, I was told that holding a frog in your hands could hurt it just from your hands being warm and (I'm guessing) dry, or drying out. Does this have any basis in fact? I mean, obviously, holding it out of water for so long it gets dry is not going to be good for a frog, but could just a few seconds of contact with dry (or dryish) hands hurt a frog, assuming gentle handling? Or did my parents just want to stop me catching frogs? 86.163.212.254 (talk) 00:27, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

A frog is not going to dry out by being in contact with your hands. In fact, since they typically piss as soon as you pick them up, your hands are unlikely to be dry for long. Matt Deres (talk) 01:12, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

And after that, go to the drugstore and get some wart remover, just to plan ahead. :) ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 19:10, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

The best jet-fighter

What has been considered the best jet fighter aircraft over time? Have they always been American, or have they sometimes been from Russia or other nations? Thanks 92.29.123.251 (talk) 22:50, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will give you a better answer, but during WW2 the only jet fighter was the Messerschmitt Me 262. It terrified allied pilots because in many ways it was a quantum leap more deadly than the propeller planes everyone else was using. (Even though it had a number of problems.) APL (talk) 23:58, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

"Best" is highly subjective. In jet engineering, every advantage comes with a disadvantage. During the late Cold War, the US and the USSR had very similar capabilities, though their planes were rated for different goals (some were faster, some could make tighter turns, some were cheaper and could be mass produced, etc.). I don't think one could say in general whether the USSR or the USA were necessarily always the "better" one, whatever that means, anyway. They were pretty neck-and-neck. For the most up-to-date planes, see Fifth generation jet fighter. For slightly older ones, see Fourth generation jet fighter, which makes it clear that lots of countries manufacture pretty good jet fighters. --Mr.98 (talk) 00:12, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

I believe the largest jet vs. jet conflict to date was the Korean War, and that article has an entire section on aerial combat that will be of interest: Korean War#Aerial warfare. Unfortunately it appears that the shootdown claims made by the Americans, Chinese, and Soviet Union all vary wildly. Our article calls the two sides evenly matched while it was the North American F-86 Sabre versus the MiG-15. On the other hand, our Aerial warfare article calls North Vietnam, during the Vietnam War, the most heavily-defended-from-air-attack region up to that time. Comet Tuttle (talk) 07:19, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Freelance

Thinking freelancing writing right up my ally. This isn't the 1st time that I thought about this, but still unsure on all of this. Even after looking into it in the past.

How do I come about getting paid for my work. Because I really need the money then my current way. My dads pays me for volunteering and work around the house/etc.

Plan on taking on my time on this.

Thank you, in advance. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mybodymyself (talk • contribs) 23:09, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

You may want to visit your local bookstore for a magazine on writing. It may have some pretty good pointers. Additionally, and I know that you didn't ask for a critique, but your grammar could use some work. If the above is an example of how you would write for a client, I for one wouldn't want to read it. Dismas| 23:15, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Dimiss,

Thanx and yeah I'm aware of my grammar needs work.--Jessica A Bruno 00:27, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Try and get on a creative writing course, so that you can have your work critiqued by your peers. --TammyMoet (talk) 06:51, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Our article Freelancer is pretty poor but may have some useful links. I agree with the suggestions of Dismas and TammyMoet. A hard part about being a freelance writer, by the way, which you may not have considered, is that my impression is that you have to spend 80% or 90% of your time selling, selling, selling yourself to new clients and present clients and trying to get that next gig. Comet Tuttle (talk) 07:10, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Caution: "creative writing" generally deals with fiction genres (stories, poetry); freelance writing jobs, especially for novices, are more likely to be for nonfiction. For any job you intend to tackle, besides its appeal, you ought to consider: are you good at the task, and good enough that someone will pay you to do it rather than others? A prospective employeer (e.g. an agency) will probably ask you to submit a resume of your education and activities (volunteering, areas of interest) showing your background and fund of knowledge, and a portfolio of samples. Consider picking up writing skills as an editor (e.g. rewriting others' work, possibly translations by non-natives) while developing your freelancing (independent writing) alongside this. Remember that a freelancer's pay doesn't include benefits and perqs, and you might consider an inhouse job while you're accruing experience. And keep your word-processing skills current and in top form; consider too that desktop publishing might give you a competitive edge. -- Deborahjay (talk) 15:48, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Thanx, again for the answers. Really haven't thought about that aspect. Was never satisfied by taking them in the past. Even though I love to write, read, etc along those lines. Still felt it wasn't for me some reason or other. --Jessica A Bruno 16:04, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Disassemble built-in wardrobe

Hello Wikipedians, this might be a bit of a weird question, but here goes anyway. I just bought a big house, with many extra bedrooms- I thought why not convert one into a musicy-type room. It's 3.6m x 3.6m, but there is a built in wardrobe which is 0.6 deep alongside one of the walls with a mirrored front and sliding doors. Is there any way to disassemble or unbuild this wardrobe?

Thanks in advance, 110.174.151.109 (talk) 23:50, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

If you want an answer from us, you're going to have to at least supply us with a little more information. Like, what is it made of, how is it put together, that kind of thing. And even then, it's not like we're actually there to examine it. Frankly, a good crow bar should take apart just about anything you care to work it over with. Matt Deres (talk) 01:19, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Was it a factory made unit like Ikea furniture, held together with fancy little screw fasteners, or was it stick built in place from lumber and boards and plywood, nailed and glued together? It can certainly be removed, but if the removal involves a reciprocating saw, crowbar and sledgehammer, it will be kindling when it leaves, rather than a unit which can be reassembled somewhere. I expect I, or the average handyman, could demolish and remove such a unit in a couple of hours. Some repairs or patching to walls/floor/ceiling where it stood might be necessary, but maybe not. Basic questions: Is it attached to the walls and ceiling? Can it just be carried out? If some trim pieces next to the ceiling were removed, could it be separated into two or more smaller units which could be carried out? Possibly it was built as subassemblies in a shop and screwed together on site, with molding added to join it to the ceiling and to hide any gaps at the sides. The worst case, from your perspective, would be if the unit were installed before the walls, ceiling and floor were installed. But I once removed a pantry and had to the install a new floor and ceiling, so it is still possible. Edison (talk) 01:24, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

I don't really know anything about it, and all I can say is it's just a normal bedroom wardrobe with a sliding door. It seems to be connected to the floor using screws, and that's all I can see. Thanks for your replies, though. 110.174.151.109 (talk) 03:31, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

If it's a 'built-in' wardrobe - as you say - then you can remove the doors and perhaps the internal shelving - but then you end up with an odd wardrobe-shaped hole in the wall. Anyway, if these are the usual kind of sliding door then you can probably just lift them off the tracks - then remove the tracks by undoing the half dozen screws that hold them to floor/ceiling. If they are hinged then you just unscrew the hinges. This is so easy, it's hard to say anything meaningful beyond "just undo all of the screws". SteveBaker (talk) 04:02, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

One caution is that until it's been removed you don't know the condition of what's behind it. There might be a perfectly good wall that just needs a coat of paint to match the rest of the room, but maybe there's damage or even an incomplete wall. Still, there is only one way to find out. --Anonymous, 07:17 UTC, 2010-07-17.

Don't rule out the possibility of converting the wardrobe into a stereo/TV cabinet. But first maybe watch HGTV for a few days. :) ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 21:04, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

July 17

Lightsaber?!

http://en.wikipedia.org/File:Crowd_controlfestival.jpg - What is the Japanese cop on the left holding? Thanks in advance! Rimush (talk) 12:46, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

The picture might have been retouched. It looks like the handle and the "blade" of the "lightsaber" are oriented in slightly different directions. --71.185.179.38 (talk) 13:07, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Fake. Such a brilliant object if real would cast light on the policeman's left trouser leg. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:34, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

I don't think it's fake or retouched; if you look at the original source of it, the guy who uploads these photos seems pretty serious on the whole. I suspect it is just some kind of either metal baton or a large plastic traffic baton (for directing traffic), and the light it hitting it funny in the photo. It looks like it is made out of red aluminum to me (Cf. ), but it could just be plastic lighted from within (e.g. ). --Mr.98 (talk) 14:42, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

If you download it and zoom in, you'll see that 71's comment is on the mark - that the angle of the handle is different from the angle of the "light saber" portion. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 15:45, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Nah, don't agree Bugs. There is no sign of retouching around the baton and the 'angle' that you talk about is barely perceptible and could be due to the angle of viewing or the angle of the light or even designed construction. Given the uploader's history and the plain ordinariness of the photo I think we should take it in good faith and I agree with Mr 98. Oh, and by the way, if you want to buy one have a look here Caesar's Daddy (talk) 16:23, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

It's more than barely perceptible, as two of us noticed it. Download it and zoom in and you can tell it's about a 5 or 10 degree angle. Seems unlikely they would put a "bend" in a baton, and the examples cited by you and another editor don't show a bend. I'm not necessarily saying it's fake - but we need more information before we can say it's real. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 16:36, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Either way, it's somewhat incidental to the article in which it's being used.--Shantavira| 16:41, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Here's another photo in that series showing a cop holding a red baton of some kind. The photographer took a ton of photos from that parade, so I would think it's unlikely he would throw a "ringer" in there. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 17:04, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

I don't think the baton has any bend in it. It just looks like that because you can't see the whole base, his hand is covering it. Again, I see no reason whatsoever to conclude it is fake, and find that a rather improbable conclusion. --Mr.98 (talk) 19:14, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Did you download it and zoom in on it? ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 19:19, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

I did and couldn't see what you were talking about, even after holding a straight-edge up to my screen. APL (talk) 19:52, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

At 8 times zoom, I can't see any evidence of faking (though this might not show up in compressed format), nor can I see any unlikely angle. If you are really worried, ask the uploader (politely) if you may have a copy of the original uncompressed picture. That would settle the matter. Dbfirs 20:16, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

I was about to comment that if the OP gets real desparate, he could simply ask the one who took the photo. I don't think it's fake either, despite the peculiar bend between the handle and the rest of it. I would just like to see the rest of it. My guess is the photographer took no notice of it at the time. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 21:03, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Money for hiring people

Is it legal in the US that a company receives money to test-drive a candidate?--Mr.K. (talk) 13:11, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Could you be more precise? Where is the company receiving the money from? What does "test-drive" mean in this context? What is the candidate a candidate for? --Tango (talk) 13:26, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Candidate is a job candidate. For example, getting money from a university to hire one of its graduates for a couple of months.--Mr.K. (talk) 13:27, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Don't know about the US, but in the UK there have been a number of Youth Training Schemes under which employers gained advantages provided they took on and/or trained youngsters. See the wiki article Youth Training Scheme.Froggie34 (talk) 13:54, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

In the UK many employers will have a 'probationary' period when you first start - that is to say they will give you the role but review how you are performing after a set period. I presume similar things happen in the US. Here's a link that explains the idea a bit further (http://www.safeworkers.co.uk/ProbationaryPeriod.html). Is that the sort of thing you mean by 'test drive'? ny156uk (talk) 18:06, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

I meant receiving money for hiring, not paying for hiring. A probationary period still implies that the employee is being paid by the company. The money in my question is just flowing in the opposite direction (employee - company). --Mr.K. (talk) 18:43, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

I can't think of any law it would violate. Is there a reason you think it might not be legal? --Tango (talk) 22:56, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Traditionally, this is called an "apprenticeship premium". Itsmejudith (talk) 23:52, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

As the crow flies

Anyone know any websites that'll tell me the distance between two geographical points? Vimescarrot (talk) 18:58, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

The article As the crow flies has a couple of links that might be useful. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 19:09, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Google Earth is pretty good for this sort of thing. --Mr.98 (talk) 19:11, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Wolfram Alpha appears to do it (example: ) but I don't trust Wolfram Alpha. (I had to tell it I didn't want it to understand New York as a "financial entity" ... it has some pretty crazy default ideas.) 213.122.61.160 (talk) 19:13, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict)Excellent - http://www.acscdg.com/ from the as the crow flies article seems to be what I'm after. Thanks for that. Vimescarrot (talk) 19:18, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Gather energy - true or false?

Does gathering energy from people's bodies by stacking your hands over their head make it easier to lift them up?

I watched the show Explorers of the Human Body (an educational show) and was kept confused by this question, brought up at the end of episode 4. You may watch this part of the show with the illustration here (from 6:00 to 8:00) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCwY6rifOwE

Were they only acting to confuse viewers or is it really true? This show often contains things that sound incredible at first but are proven right scientifically. But this one is too strange, so I wonder. 117.4.128.112 (talk) 19:25, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

There's no such thing as "gathering energy" that way. There could be a psychological impact, i.e. they might try harder to lift him the next time. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 19:39, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

This is similar to a pretty common trick for selling suckers bogus "strength enhancing" bracelets or other such charms. Hand someone something that looks easy to lift, but isn't. (For example, a paper bag ... with a brick in it.) The first time they reach for it they are surprised by the weight of the thing, and have some difficulty. It's important here that you stop them from trying to lift it after a second or so and don't let them make a second attempt. They are left with a sense of how surprisingly heavy the object is. Now you give them the bracelet, have them drink the energy drink, or have them go through some silly exercise and have them try again. This time they have in their mind that the object is really heavy (after all, they couldn't lift it.), so they lift it with all their strength, and low and behold, they lift it easily. Like picking up an empty milk-jug.

This video shows a similar trick. The object they're lifting is not surprisingly heavy, but they're being obliged to lift it in an uncomfortable way. Add to that the fact that the liftee may cooperate (subconsciously even) by sitting more rigidly when they're expected to be able to pick him up. APL (talk) 20:07, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

I can't watch the video, but this sounds like "how to levitate" (rightmost panel), which is a proprioception trick. Then I found , which gives the impression that you actually will be able to lift the person. Perhaps this works too as APL says, and has evolved from the previous trick. 213.122.61.160 (talk) 20:12, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Characters

http://www.quazacolt.com/

Can someone tell me the characters on this website's banner please?

http://www.quazacolt.com/dmmlq/tenshisomeone.jpg

Also, who are the two characters here? 64.75.158.200 (talk) 22:46, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

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