Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 December 16

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December 16

BORAT THE NEXT DR.STRANGELOVE

What are the chances that borat will do for the war on terrioism what dr.strangelove did for the cold war.

If you mean this movie, in my opinion, the war on terrorism isn't quite as MAD as the Cold War was. Borat is probably just another pebble being thrown at the lake of opinion about modern politics. 64.90.198.6 00:27, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure I see the analogy. The influence of the character Dr. Strangelove was to become a stock symbol for the (il)logic of nuclear strategy. I'm not sure what Borat is supposed to be taken as a symbol of — the success of the character is less in its own portrayal than the reactions it gets from others, and I'm not sure that has much to do with the war on terrorism as a whole. --24.147.86.187 00:38, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Borat is a symptom of changing attitudes in the West, not a cause of it. Vranak 00:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Lord of the Rings

I was wondering if anyone knows of a website where I can find out if Lord of the Rings is going to be playing again. I see that it's on tonight, but I would like to tape all of them, but I can't find a website that would say that. I've tried Yahoo, and T.V. Guide, but they don't seem to help me, any suggestions.

Are you talking about in the US? Go to the movie's page on imdb, and click on the "on television" link on the left, it will show you when a movie is showing on TV. For example, the "on television" page for "The Fellowship of the Ring" is at http://imdb.com/title/tt0120737/tvschedule. User:Zoe|(talk) 04:10, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Many Movies,Many Screams

What do you are some of the scariest movies of all time.

I liked Videodrome, Night of the Living Dead and The Shining, myself, to name a few... 惑乱 分からん 02:41, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Again, there are numerous lists. On a personal note, I have an extremely high tolerance for scary movies, and I'm picky. The only scary/horror movie I've seen in the last few years that I thought was good, although I wasn't scared, was The Ring. I thought Se7en was boring, I thought Saw was OK, but the only horror movie that ever kept me awake at night, even though I saw it as an adult, was It. I swear balloons gave me a start for about 2 years after seeing that movie, and if I happened to think of the movie at bed-time, I slept with the light on. No fooling. Anchoress 02:47, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I thought The Ring was creepy as hell -- but Aliens was the scariest (and most thrilling) overall. Vranak 03:10, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I thought the movie with Freddy Kruger was scary as shit, granted I was not particular old when I saw it but still its one of the only movies that ever scared the shit out of me. Joneleth 05:32, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

That's A Nightmare on Elm Street, that and the original Alien were indeed good. (Didn't care much for the 2nd Aliens, just felt like a regular action to me...) 惑乱 分からん 17:12, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The movie that really scared me was the remake of The Thing with Kurt Russell. I couldn't sleep after seeing that one. --Shuttlebug 17:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

An Inconvenient Truth does it for me. Compared to it, made-up horror pales to insignificance.

Atlant 18:59, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

When The Wind Blows; depsite being just a PG, the deceptively childish animation and simple yet brutal concept (old couple survive World War II, underestimate power of atom bomb, survive World War III, die slowly and painfully). Laïka 21:12, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The Premature Burial (1962). JackofOz 04:15, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Recently The Descent scared the living daylights out of me. Sandman30s 13:16, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

As a Child I found Stephen King's It extremly scary. A murderous clown? Now that is a badass villian. Aetherfukz 23:57, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Also there's the scary as in "OMG I cannot stand the horror of it" as opposed to "OMG that guy just jumped through the window and killed that other guy with a chainsaw", and for the first I'd also have to cite Grave of the Fireflies. Seeing it as a 13 year old boy on television, I was scared to hell, couldn't sleep the whole night, because, ya'know - it really happened. Just as scary as it is sad. Aetherfukz 00:01, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

Anti-obesity

Does anyone know a site with a good video that talks about the negatives and risks about obesity in children? Jamesino 01:43, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Well I don't know whether it's any good or not, but THIS SITE has a host of educational videos, including those about childhood obesity, and you can preview them (so you can decide for yourself if they're good). I found the site with THIS GOOGLE SEARCH. Anchoress 02:49, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Being fat or grossly overweight

Whose fault is it?--Light current 01:46, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

What I really meant to ask was: Is it true that some people cannot lose weight however hard they try? The article doesnt seem to come down on one side or the other.--Light current 18:19, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Certainly not the fault of a child who is fed lots of empty calories (via soft drinks and junk food, for example) and encouraged not to exercise. Marco polo 02:57, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Blame the original robber-barons, and guys like Henry Ford -- I think that it's an echo-effect of industrialization. You can make cars in a factory -- why not food? Vranak 03:11, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Its peoples own fault, while they may have gotten fat while they were children then theres no excuse for why they are still fat when they are adults. Joneleth 05:29, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually I believe, for various biological reasons, it is incredibly hard to avoid being a fat adult if you were a fat child. Skittle 13:38, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

LC, have you read our article on obesity? I'd have expected an experienced Wikipedian like you to know about our convenient search feature, over in the tool panel on the left side of your browser window. Cheers! TenOfAllTrades(talk) 06:21, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Blame the bastard Evolu Sean. It's winter and scare ressources that turned us into fatbags. The absence of predators helps. Keria 11:36, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

There are rare individuals with mutations in genes encoding, for example, Proopiomelanocortin and the melanocortin and MCH receptors, that result in a disregulation in the appetite pathway. These unfortunate indivduals can become morbidly obese because their body tells their brain that they are hungry, so they eat continuously, even when they are full. In extreme cases, individual will go to extraordinary lengths to eat. It is very difficult indeed for these individuals to lose weight unassisted, though clinical intervention can help. Rare mutations in the gene encoding leptin have a similar phenotype. In such cases leptin replacement can help [1]. It should be noted that such dramatic genetic effects are very rare. While there are very likely complex genetic predisposition in a lot of obese people, the environmental effects (such as doing not exercise and eating high calorific diets) are majorly responsible. Thus for most people, "blaming ones genes" is not a particularly constructive, nor accurate, interpretation of their obese condition. Rockpocket 02:38, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

THere is one guy on British TV who used to be a boxer (so not overweight). Hes now a comedian. He says when he stopped boxing, his weight ballooned and there is nothing he can do to get it off even going on a very strict diet. He therefore thinks its wrong to discriminate agaist fat people becuase some of them (like him ) cant help it. Do we believe him?--Light current 13:52, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

You got to see very few fat people after a while in Nazi concentration camps, Soviet Gulags or Ethiopian famines. I suspect this proves something about the possibility of losing weight if one has no choice in certain matters affecting food intake and energy expenditure.....

Other knowledge:

• The body responds to significant reduction in food, by change of metabolism, effectively going into survival mode and preparation for famine. So fat can be stored if the diet isn't well chosen. BUT
• Ultimately (energy out) minus (energy in) = (energy taken from fat, and other body tissues). That's the equation, and that's how it works.

You might also find the article on Metabolic typing useful for some ideas, in examining how diet and weight loss work together. too. FT2 ^{(Talk | email)} 06:40, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia Strengths and Weaknesses

If you had two choose two wikipedia articles to demonstrate Wikipedia at its best. And two articles that showcase the weaknesses and disadvantages of the wikipedia format... which would they be?

Just out of curiousity Wedgeoli 02:50, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Thats an extremely subjective question, theres no definitive answer to that and thus any answer you will give is a direct opinion of the person answering. Joneleth 05:27, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I personally like the series on Bait (dogs) -- especially the Monkey vs Dog article.

The worst? -- anything written in esoteric (specialized) language. If it's worth explaining, it's worth explaining in straightforward, comprehensible layman's terms. Vranak

Yes, many of the science and math articles fall into that category. Others suffer from repeated vandalism or constant edit wars over controversial issues, like terrorism. Then, we still have articles which simply lack sufficient content and/or lack sources. Wikipedia might do best on certain obscure, but uncontroversial issues. One example is the SR-71 Blackbird, a discontinued US spy plane. A paper dictionary would likely have no mention of the plane, or perhaps a paragraph on it, while we have a rather extensive article. StuRat 05:41, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The SR-71 obscure?? What are you, a non-geek or something? --Anon, December 16, 05:55 (UTC).

Tee hee, anon :). Wedgeoli, you may find Why Wikipedia is so great and Why Wikipedia is not so great interesting reading (assuming you haven't already read them!) — QuantumEleven 10:26, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The following answer is a subjective answer to a subjective question. It consist entirely of my own opinions. Although it does not meet WP:V, please do not delete it. For Wilipedia at its best, try Project Excelsior for interest and detail (I have to confess bias as I originated that article), and global warming as an example of a great objective and balanced article on a controversial topic. Not so good stuff - well, there are lots of rather sad stubs like The Fighting Temeraire (a random example) that deserve more care and attention. And well-meaning but poorly written articles like this one (another random example) do not show us at our best. Gandalf61 12:38, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I suspect editors will have favorite pages and metapedians will have hated pages. I can think of pages, like List of U.S. state legislatures that I like, but not really any that I don't... The REAL bad ones are generally so bad that the most superficial fix (EG. Blanking) is the best course and so don't survive vary long. Also, edit warrers and noxious editors will probably have favorite pages. 68.39.174.238 06:44, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Two bad articles: First category: Those about utterly non-notable things: example CHCH-51 Television Tower. Someone took a database and made a stub article out of every entry. Stubby articles about non-notable 2 lane state highways, bus routes, random schools and churches, grocery stores, post offices, and city streets. Second category: Things in the news, or people with their 15 minutes of fame: James Kim, who got lost driving through the mountains and died of hypothermia while wandering around. There are thousands of news stories for a few days, the they fade off the radar screen. Baby Jessica falling in the well, and blond girls who disappear are in this category. Wikipedia is not Wikinews, and phenomena of transient importance do not make articles of long-term value, although they sell newspapes and acquire a following of editors who watch breathlessly for each installment in the search. Somehow hundreds of thousands of people who also die in accidents or disappear but aren't as mediagenic do not get the articles. Edison 16:10, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

how do I destroy my profile on Facebook?

I don't see a question typed out, so I'm assuming the heading is the question. After clicking "My Account" from the left side of the screen, scroll all the way down to "Deactivate Account," and you can follow the steps from there. Mike H. I did "That's hot" first! 08:09, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Incorrect spelling of surname in title

Hi!

Title for WILLIAM DUFRIS has incorrect spelling (Dufries). There should be NO letter 'E' in the surname.

Hi, thanks for posting. The correct place for your comment would be either the Help Desk, or the talk page of the article in question. If there is reliable evidence that the title is incorrect, the article can be moved. Anchoress 03:00, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

"What links here"

When we look at the "what links here" page of a Wikipedia article, the articles are arranged in some order. They're not alphabetical, so what is going on there? -GTBacchus^(talk) 06:58, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I think it's chronological based on the date of creation of the articles shown. — BrianSmithson 07:14, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The "what links here" articles are kept in a database record. When you click "what links here" the database record is retrieved and I believe the referencing articles are listed in the order they appear in this database record. New references are added on the end, so the sort is chronological by date of creation of the reference (not creation of the article). These database records are also sometimes rebuilt (for example for some software updates), in which case they seem to end up alphabetical. So, in general, there's an alphabetical list of "old" references followed by a chronological list of "new" references. I think the bottom line is you can't really count on any particular ordering. -- Rick Block (talk) 18:13, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

how can i join you?

hello.

first of all whoever is reading this mail.or rather request,i want to thank him/her for spending your valuable time on it.

as you have requested for some monitory help for this noble mission to spread free knowledge. i realize i shuld make myself useful to this organization.i'm a student of B-Tech [in I.T dept.] final year, so i dont have any money to help your mission.

but still i want to help you. may be you have thousands of employee,working on this project.so you dont need another one but i want to join your project.

now my problem is how will i be able to do that? as you know my qualification.what i have to do to join your company/project?

now again thank you for your time.I'll wait for your sugession.

Sandeep Laik — Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.91.176.178 (talk)

(email removed, to prevent spam).

I think you have the wrong idea. We don't have employees, everyone is a volunteer here. I suggest signing up for an account, and/or simply start editing! I've left a message with useful things on your talk page. --Wooty Woot? contribs 07:17, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

If you have particular areas of expertise (like computers), you could either add to articles in that area or answer Ref Desk questions in that area (at the Computer Ref Desk, for example). While it's not required to sign up to do most edits here, it is encouraged. StuRat 07:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

thnx man............ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.91.176.178 (talk)

State colleges without the state name

Hey there Wikipedia, there are apparently two state colleges which do not reference the name of the state they're in in their title. One of them is Rutgers; what is the other one? Thanks a bunch! 71.128.115.247 07:45, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Wayne State ? StuRat 07:50, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

There are many state colleges in the US that do not contain the name of the state. Just in Pennsylvania, I can think of about half a dozen (including one which bears the name of another state!). alteripse 13:36, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually, Rutgers doesn't even fit this. Its proper name is Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. — Michael J 14:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

If you're referring to the State of Camden and Amboy, check Rowan. 68.39.174.238 06:37, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

If you mean the official state college (as in University of ____), I suppose "SUNY" would fit, but SUNY means "State University of New York," so it is quite stated. Every other state has either a "University of ____" or "____ University." But you and other people are correct, New York and New Jersey are the only states that do not have explicit "University of New York" and "University of New Jersey" names, although there is a New York University, which is not public. Mike H. I did "That's hot" first! 08:05, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

The University of Memphis is a state college which doesn't mention the state name. So are Boise State University and Weber State College. User:Zoe|(talk) 00:32, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

Serial killers in the news

A few weeks ago in Atlantic City, police found the body of four women, most of them prostitutes, in a drainage ditch. There was some coverage in the newspapers/TV, in the region, but that's about it. [2] Now in England, five women were found dead, and it's a huge story not just all over Britain, but even in parts of the rest of the world. (It's on the Wikipedia front page, for example.) I'm just wonder, how does stuff like this work out? One more body surely didn't change the "newsworthiness" of the story much... So why is one story huge and another not so much? Is it merely random chance? zafiroblue05 | Talk 08:03, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

How sympathetic the public is to the victims is of critical importance. Here are some factors that make people more sympathetic:

• Living near the victim.
• Age of the victim, with children and elderly getting more sympathy.
• Gender of the victim, with females getting more sympathy.
• Rarity of the event.
• Heinous nature of the crime.
• Morality of the victim.
• Similarity with the victim in race, ethnicity, etc.
• Attractiveness of the victim and availability of photos/video.

So, a young, female, attractive, morally pure victim of a rare and heinous crime with a major collection of available photos and videos gets major media attention, like JonBenet Ramsey, while an ugly, middle-aged male criminal who is shot during a drug deal gone bad may not make the news at all. Of these, I suspect the rarity of the event is the diff here, as Atlantic City has a higher murder rate than England, making each murder less significant. StuRat 08:20, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I think it's also to do with the timeliness of the findings - the women whose bodies were found on Tuesday only went missing last week, so the killer is still active and still a threat, and women are continuing to work despite it. Too little is known about the Atlantic City killings yet for there to be the same sense of imminent danger. Most of the coverage in the UK has centred on three themes - the safety of streetwalking in general, the impetus of heroin addiction and 'there but for the grace of God go I' - these were (generally) middle-class girls gone bad. Coverage such as that of the interview with one of the victims last week stating she was well aware of the danger but was compelled to work to feed her habit highlights the sadness of the case, and feeds public sympathy. Natgoo 09:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Missing white woman syndrome may provide interesting reading for you. — QuantumEleven 10:23, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I was also struck by the disparity of coverage, especially right here on wikipedia. Despite StuRat's and Natgoo's erroneous assumptions, the two stories are nearly identical. The local papers in Philadelphia have covered the AC story in some detail. For example, AC has a fairly low murder rate (as opposed to, say, Philly, which just logged its 400th or 500th for the year-- I forget which). The overwhelming majority of US big city murders are young black men shooting each other over drugs or disrespect and that sad story is too common to be newsworthy. But the road to prostitution and the kind of people who get there seem to be very similar in Ipswich or New Jersey. You will have to come up with some other distinctions than the kind of victims or the local murder frequency. And this is the antithesis of the "MWW syndrome"-- no one even noticed these white women were missing until the bodies were found. alteripse 13:31, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The murder rate is, indeed, significantly higher in the US. Here are the relevant rates in murders per 100,000 people [3] [4] [5]:

United States:     5.7   England and Wales: 1.61
Atlantic City, NJ: 3.3   Ipswich, England:  2.16

StuRat 14:34, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

But notice less than a 50% difference between Ip & AC. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 159.14.138.203 (talk) 14:40, 16 December 2006 (UTC).

That's still significant. The 350% plus increase in the overall US murder rate relative to the England and Wales rate is even more significant in the perception of US murders as not newsworthy, relative to England and Wales murders being perceived as newsworthy, however. StuRat 15:00, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Looking at the murder rates and population, I see that Ipswich has 2.5 murders a year average while Atlantic City only has 1.3! Rmhermen 16:58, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

That's why the stats are always equalized by population. Otherwise, even the most dangerous little towns would look safe, because there aren't many people there to kill. StuRat 17:11, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Plus, prostitution in the United Kingdom is legal (although most activities surrounding it are illegal). Therefore, there's much less of a "who cares - they were criminals!" attitude surrounding them, and far more of a "who on earth would do this to five flawed but essentially innocent girls?" Laïka 19:22, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The level of coverage given to any news story also depends on what other stories are around at the time. --Auximines 10:02, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

That's right, with stories which affect the future of all humanity, like Monica Lewinski displacing trivial stories like Osama bin Laden. StuRat 14:29, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Other factors:

• Great rarity of high speed killing sprees in the UK, of this kind
• Rarity of kill sprees in the UK, of any kind
• Newsworthiness of killing sprees of this kind in UK (not "Ipswich"; the wide reporting was for the benefit of the UK etc, not the local population)
• Size of UK which places Ipswich as being within 200 miles of most of the population.
• Size of US, closeness iof Atlantic City to "most people" in US, kill spree frequency of reporting in US, social attitude differences to crime and victims
• Perception internationally in 3rd party countries about what is "exceptionally newsworthy" or "of interest to readers" in different countries (news about crimes and homicides has to really be out of the norm to get significant international reporting).....

I think those cover a lot of it. FT2 ^{(Talk | email)} 06:29, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

Tanning inner arms

Hi there. I just spent a week out in "the bush", being outside a lot of the time with my shirt off. I've come back from my holiday with a nice tan everywhere except on the inside of my arms. The contrast is quite bad: I'm completely pale in that area, but very tanned everywhere else. I figure I now need to do some form of corrective tanning. What are the best ways to tan one's inner arms? Any specific positions or techniques? Any help appreciated. 196.25.255.250 07:06, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

It's difficult to answer this without stating the obvious - assume a position in which the inner arm are exposed to light and get into some sun. Arms outstretched in a gesture of openness seems like one possibilty. Alternativelt arm over the head lying on the side is an other. Maybe you could get a t shirt and put slits down the side..87.102.4.180 13:37, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Just get some fake tan in a bottle. It's very cheap. Wash your hands after using it, as tanned palms look weird.--Shantavira 13:51, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

What about going somplace sunny, and "pointing" your armpits at the sun? | AndonicO ^{Talk | Sign Here} 16:36, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

This would also be my recommendation. If you live above the Tropic of Cancer, you'll have to wait until May to do this of course. :) Vranak 20:41, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

More like June. --Proficient 19:08, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

Cost of life near Stockholm

Hi, I tried searching for some info at the Invest in Sweden Agency and sweden.se, but I couldn't find what I was looking for. What would be the rough cost of life in Stockholm, within commuting distance from Danderyd Municipality? I read there needs to be a deposit of around 3-to-6 months' rent, but how much rent would you pay for one month's lodgings for one person, or two? I don't need precise numbers at the moment, so rough numbers would do nicely.

Much thanks in advance, --Kjoonlee 15:01, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

This article has a great graph table to put it in comparison to a few US cities, and as such it appears very expensive (more so than San Francisco!). Also, keep in mind that Sweden is a socialist nation with fairly high taxation, a burden all its own. Droud 15:11, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. :) Um, that's actually a relief, because Seoul (where my brother lives) is number 2 on that list. ;) Yep, I need to keep the tax on my mind. Can anyone give me some pointers about the costs of food, coffee, clothes, housing, and entertainment (CDs), please? --Kjoonlee 15:35, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I live in Stockholm. What do you need to know? Rent is generally quite high, reaching thousands of Swedish Krona/SEK each month (That's a couple of hundreds of Euro or US$), I think commuting is about 600 SEK a month, a CD is about 150-200 SEK, depending on where you buy it, and how popular it is. A movie is between 50 and 100 SEK. I think overall, Stockholm is quite expensive, say, compared to Berlin... 惑乱 分からん 17:17, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Uniross charging times

I recently bought some 250mAh AAA rechargeables and realised that I lost the instructions with the charging times.

I have a really old Uniross charger that is no longer manfactured by Uniross, so they have no documentation on charging times. So I'm afraid I may blow the batteries.

What is the charging time for the batteries?!

The only useful info that I have is that it charges 800mAh AA batteries in 7 hours.

Ikrizalllid 16:30, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Some chargers scale the charging current with battery size while others just run the same current no matter what the size; for this later type, you could just scale the charging time with the battery capacity. I don't suppose your charger knows enough to stop when it's done, no matter what the size?

Atlant 19:06, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Unfortunately it has absolutely no features - just a light to tell you when it is plugged into the mains.

Ikrizalllid 21:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

In that case you are taking a risk, but I recommend the following: Your charger seems to be a relatively simple model, so I doubt it does anything fancy like scale current with battery capacity, or automatically detect the end of a charging cycle. From "charge 800mAh in seven hours" indicates that your charger charges at around 115mA. For a 250mAh battery, that adds up to just over two hours of charging time. Something to watch out for - NiMH batteries heat up fast when they are full and still being charged, so keep an eye on your batteries when you charge them the first time, if you notice them heating up (or if two hours have passed), remove them! If you have a voltmeter, check their voltage when fully charged (it should be around 1.25V), if it's below 1.2V your batteries are probably not fully charged (depends on how new they are, NiMH need several charge-discharge cycles to attain their full capacity). Good luck, and if you are planning on using many rechargeable batteries, I recommend you do some research and invest in a good charger which regulates currents and automatically ends the charging cycle when the batteries are full. It will save you a lot of pain in the long run. — QuantumEleven 11:26, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

(Just FYI) A few otherwise-very-primitive chargers still do manage to scale charging current with the battery size: as you fit different-sized batteries, you move one of the contact points back-and-forth and that selects different series resistors, setting the charging current. I've seen simple ones that just bend the contact back when a (say) "AA" is fitted instead of a "AAA", eventually touching a second contact and thereby shorting out some of the resistance. I've also seen more-complex designs that slide the moving contact across an array of contact points, accommodating a variety of sizes from (say) "AA" all the way to "D".

Atlant 16:39, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Religious publication

I listened to an interview on a radio program sometime ago. I don't remember the the name of the person being interviewed or the person doing the interview. The person being interviewed was the editor of a magizine of religious satire. The name of the magizine was the Guttenburg(or berg) Door. I remember the editor saying that they had misspelled the name but did not realize it until after the first edition was out, so they kept the spelling. I can't find anything on the publication. I want to subscribe. 64.81.114.117 16:33, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I can't find anything on it. You don't mean Project Gutenberg do you ? That's an attempt to put as many books online as possible. StuRat 17:23, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps you mean The Door (satirical Christian magazine), also see http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/ -- Rick Block (talk) 17:59, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

That must be it, under it's other name, The Wittenburg Door. StuRat 19:35, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

It is the Wittenburg Door. Thank you!64.81.114.117 19:42, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

And so the intended reference was to Wittenberg. English-speakers typically confuse the German endings -berg (mountain) and -burg (castle, etc.), because we typically pronounce them both the same way. --Anon, December 17, 03:44 (UTC).

Perhaps we need to ask a burgermeister to explain the diff to us. :-) StuRat 14:15, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Business Sale Price

I have an existing retail business which I will put up for sale. Sale price of anything is generally determined by cost with a profit margin. Putting a price tag on a business is however not that simple as we need to look at certain considerations such as startup cost, current sales, sales potential, location, goodwill, etc. In my case, it's a fairly recently established retail store of somewhat high end characteristics and I have been approached by an interested buyer who will be dealing in different but similar line. Concerns about sales and growth potential thus become irrelevant for this prospective buyer as his decision will seem to be influenced by non-financial factors, most probably the outlook and location. So what would be the best way for me to make an assessment to arrive at the reasonable selling price of my retail store? Thanks. --61.6.206.104 19:02, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Determining what it's worth to him should be relatively straightforward, just look at the prices for similar properties in that area. Determining the worth to you should be done by looking at the amount of profit it generates per year, multiplied by some factor, say 5, to arrive at it's value to you. Now, if it's worth more to him than you, there is a basis for a sale somewhere in that range (where in that range depends on haggling). If, however, the business is worth more to you than the facility is worth to him, then there's no basis for a sale. Also, if you have valuable equipment that can be sold, that could be considered, as well. StuRat 19:41, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Ask a firm of accountants who have expertise in valuation. The value of a business depends on many things, it's not easy to give a quick forumula. As others have said, most of all it depends upon what the buyer wants and what he's prepared to pay... or what others would pay. As a business sale can easily go up or down by a lot depending, it'd be worth getting proper professional advice 1st, if the buyer is serious. FT2 ^{(Talk | email)} 06:23, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

Forgotten joke

Im trying to remember a rather good joke about an elderly lady who has trouble with her sense of smell and hearing who goes to the doctor. If it is allowed by such an erudite community, would anyone be able to remind me of the joke?--Light current 19:20, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The one I remember goes something like this. I'm just going through the generals:

The lady goes to the doctor, claiming:
-You know, doctor. I have a problem of constantly passing gas, but at least there's an advantage.
They don't sound anything, and completely lack odor.
Believe it or not, I actually have let four of them out, since I came.
-Well, lady, first things first.
First of all, we need to check up your complete lack of smell, and second to that, we should check up on your bad
hearing.

(I read the joke in Norwegian a long time, ago, and am too lazy to bother with a good translation...) 惑乱 分からん 19:28, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

http://www.leisurecambodia.com/Leisure_Cambodia/No.13/overheard.htm but it isn't told very well, also http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061205/NEWS01/612050361 Um by the way I searched for these, I would not want you to think I have them bookmarked. meltBanana 19:28, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Yup thats the one! Thanks. 8-))--Light current 19:35, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I heard it about 30 years ago as "Here is a prescription for a decongestant, and this is the address of a hearing aid company."Edison 21:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I think I saw that posted to talk:Cold fusion by a SPAMmer not that long ago... 68.39.174.238 06:34, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

how to prepare for wcg?

ppl,

i wanna know........

1.how to prepare for world cyber games?

2.what type of systems they use for play?

3.wheather in india there were any sponcers for this game?

4.is there any team from india?

5.how can i join a team for wcg?

thnx in advance for you'r time. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Iamsandeep (talk • contribs) 19:22, 16 December 2006 (UTC).

Have you read World Cyber Games and their official website, here? Joenn 20:21, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

thnx for your info but i have checked both of them out but none can give my answers perticulerly..........

so i'm still waiting.........for answers.

Cost of weapon production

Does anyone know how much it costs for the military to produce bullets and kinetic energy penetrators? Any info would be helpful. --DebateKid 19:35, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Normal bullets are proably relatively cheap. The A-10 Thunderbolt II spends hundreds of dollars per minute, if not thousands. That's why they only use short bursts. | AndonicO ^{Talk | Sign Here} 12:42, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Any exact amount of money?

I need an exact amount of money, please, because an opposing team in debate won't take "probably"; they'll want evidence. DebateKid 18:13, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

You could look at the price for similar ammunition at a sporting goods store; the government pays much less I'm sure but it will give you an upper limit. -anonymous6494 20:49, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

What about kinetic energy penetrators or anti-tank rounds? And has anyone heard of amorphous tungsten alloy?[User:DebateKid|DebateKid]] 15:52, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

Christmas-themed Simpsons episodes.

Does anyone know the names of each Christmas-themed Simpson episode? The ones I can recall are Miracle on Evergreen Terrace, Simpsons Christmas Stories, and Marge Be Not Proud -- but I know there are half a dozen more. I'd appreciate it if anyone could mention some. Joenn 20:08, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Google found Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, Grift of the Magi, She of Little Faith, Homer vs. Dignity, Skinner's Sense of Snow, Dude, Where's My Ranch?, and 'Tis the Fifteenth Season. –mysid☎ 20:27, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

This year's Christmas episode will be called Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2. Laïka 21:15, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Medical procedure

Could any one remind me of the name of the procedure to look at the coronary arteries by feeding a camera or something up an artery in the groin?--Light current 20:24, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Coronary angiography? –mysid☎ 20:31, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes thats it ! Thanks--Light current 21:56, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Cats at night

I have a freind who says that all that noise you hear miowing and screetching at night , is actually 2 cats (1 m, 1f) having sex. She says the screaming is because the males penis is fitted with spikes thay do not allow it to come out for over 15 mins. and causes a lot of pain to the female cat when finally withdrawn. Is that true?

The spike part is true, but I don't think the 15 mins part is true. The spike actually stimulates (painfully) the female to ovulate. Cats don't ovulate on a regular basis like human females. I don't know why a painful spike is required to stimulate ovulation, versus the stimulus of intercourse alone being sufficient, however. StuRat 22:21, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The 15 minutes of fame may be a reference to the bulbus glandis in dogs which can produce long term commitment for as long as an hour. meltBanana 03:41, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

However, the yowling you hear at night is mostly cats proclaiming their territory and having stand-offs with each other. (This seems to be missing from our cat communication article.) They do sex fairly quietly, with little more than a sharp miaow to conclude.--Shantavira 10:07, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Hey well thats more committment than some women can get with some men! 8-)--Light current 23:13, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I remember times that when I was working late at night, I had to close all windows because the cats were simply taking over. I was always wondering.... could it be a combination of sex and fighting... I mean : do male cats often rape female cats??! At some times I tried to intervene... to no avail of course.Evilbu 12:34, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

No, I don't believe male cats often rape female cats. The males aren't much bigger, so it would be difficult for them to rape the females. StuRat 12:57, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Quite how one animal can "rape" another is not quite clear to me. The human concept of non-consensual sex doesn't really apply to animals, for which (in most cases) the purpose is solely reproductual. Rockpocket 22:56, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

All animals can give or withhold consent, humans included. Also, some other animals use sex for social purposes, like humans. Bonobos are one example. However, whether sex is purely for reproductive purposes in a species makes no difference in whether that species can given or withhold consent. StuRat 04:18, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Bonobos excepted (which was why i said "in most cases"), how does one, for example, determine whether a female mouse is "witholding consent"? There are biological assays for female receptivity (lordosis, for example) and fertility, but this isn't the female giving "consent" - there is no "choice" involved - its simply inherent biological programming in response to male cues (usually pheromone based). Thus the concept of "consent" outside human (and perhaps primate) societies, is moot. Rockpocket 19:57, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, this will get a bit crude here...you can tell if a female "gives consent" based on if she "presents". That is, she holds her backside up in the air, ready for action. StuRat 02:25, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

See Animal sexuality and if anything's missing or needing adding, add it to that article's talk page. (The same article, under section: sex for pleasure", contains current study summary information on the question of choice and effect). Felines in general (most felines, including some big cats), have barbs (not "spikes") on the male genital. Sex is fairly quiet, but these animals do learn to leap back after sex since the female's 1st post-withdrawal reaction is often to swipe a fistful of claws at them :) But most of the yowling isn't sex, its (I believe) females soliciting mates. FT2 ^{(Talk | email)} 06:17, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

Temporary disqualification or barring

Whats the term for Temporary disqualification or barring from a game of contest? (similar to blocking on WP)--Light current 23:22, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Clar: During a game--Light current 23:46, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

That's typically called a "penalty", at least in hockey. StuRat 23:26, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Or a suspension, depending on the context. -- Mwalcoff 23:30, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

In some contests its referred to as "being sent to the sin bin" Rockpocket 02:17, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

It can also just be "being barred". In bridge a player can be "barred from the auction" (although the official term is something like "required to pass for the remainder of the auction"). Different games would likely have different terminology. --Anonymous, December 17, 03:51 (UTC)Z

In Monopoly, you do not pass Go and go directly to Jail. --Justanother 06:22, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

In sports like football (soccer) and volleyball a red card, or being red-carded, means you're sent off for the game. In many types of motor racing, such as Formula One, a black flag, or being black-flagged, means a disqualification. You might also like to check out Ejection (sports). --jjron 13:18, 17 December 2006 (UTC)