Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 January 10

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January 10

Error in Barbara Tuchman article

The error is the last entry in the list of her books, in our Barbara Tuchman article. The last book listed is "Fin de Siecle, a novel", for which I can find no evidence. My next step would be to learn how to check for the book's existence at the Library of Congress, which I'm not going to take time to learn now. If someone wants to leave a message for me on my own talk page, feel free -- but I'm not likely to check back for it for weeks or months.

If the Library of Congress verifies the existence of all 11 of her actual books, but not the book which our WP article erroneously lists -- and which lots of websites quote, making WP's error much more serious -- then one could safely remove this book from the WP article. Or WP experts could judge whether the originator of this error is a reliable contributor.

I do not like WP making errors like this one, but I'm not going to remove the book myself without absolute proof as above.For7thGen 00:09, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Worldcat[1] is probably a better place to look than the Library of Congress[2], though i can't find that title in either. Maybe this is the source of the confusion, from Fin de siècle:

A reference text regarding the 19th century fin de siècle is Barbara Tuchman's The Proud Tower.

—eric 00:27, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

I have been unable to find a single web page among some 171000 Google hits for "Barbara Tuchman" listing Fin de Siecle as a novel, except for pages that were clearly derived from the Wikipedia article. None of the major on-line booksellers knows about it. I did find several sources that appear informed to me and generally well referenced, that list all 11 other books mentioned in our article, but no Fin de Siecle: [3], [4], [5], [6], [7].  --Lambiam^Talk 04:06, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Clearly the evidence for this book's non-existence far outweighs the evidence for its existence. In the spirit of being bold, I've removed it. JackofOz 04:11, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

As the author of the edit which introduced the apparently apocryphal Fin de Siecle into the document, I can only contend that it was an amendment made in good faith, and hope that it has not unduly inconvenienced anyone along the way. In all probability I garnered the information from a 2nd or 3rd party bibliography or an article I was reading somewhere along the line and I am pretty sure I will eventually turn up a reference to where I got it from, but this may take some time. I agree entirely with its excision until such time as its existence or otherwise can be definitively determined. Sjc 06:05, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Bear Grylls vs Les Stroud

Who is the better surviorman, Bear Grylls or Les Stroud? Bear is younger and does more dramatic stunts but Les is an expert in cold weather wilderness survival tactics. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 205.157.110.11 (talk) 00:23, 10 January 2007 (UTC).

apples and oranges, my friend. This is entirely dependent on the situations they are put in. Of course, if you asked whether Les Stroud or Punky Brewster was the better survivalist, I'd put my money on Punky. V-Man737 02:00, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Ludgate Street

Hi All, I'm researching Ludgate Street, London, which now ceases to exist, could anyone please tell me when it vanished, it's been very frustrating as there are plenty of references to the street, but practically no information. Yours in Anticipation, Hughie.

Our Ludgate Hill article states that Ludgate Street was a former name, and links to this entry from A Dictionary of London (1918) saying the same.—eric 01:06, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

MP3 Downloads

What is the best website for Free MP3 Downloads? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.210.49.97 (talk) 00:40, 10 January 2007 (UTC).

A small number of bands release their music for free; commercial music is not legally available for free. --froth^{T C} 03:08, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Peer-to-Peer clients are usually used for "free" mp3s. --Proficient 05:47, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

He did not ask where is the best place to steal intellectual property. Stealing is not "free stuff". Aren't there some sites where bands offer their music for free to get exposure? I know myspace is one. --Justanother 14:49, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

If you are a university student, ruckus.com is free, with all the newest music. Just provide a valid university email address.140.180.21.169 18:30, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

Here is a site that has legal free mp3 downloads: http://www.alexalcyone.com/free-downloadable-music.html

420

what does 420 mean re: marijuana

See 420 (cannabis culture). — Kieff 02:58, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Dogs

Why do dogs have tails? Thanks in advance for your help.

Patricia CappsGrampati 04:29, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Natural selection for some reason or another. If I'd had to take a stab at why nature selected that trait I would imagine because it allowed them to sense things or communicate (most dogs seem to have a built in trait to wag their tails around humans). —Mitaphane _talk 04:45, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

I'd agree, with the slight modification that they are probably more vestigial than, say, a cat's tail (balance, etc.), not to mention the humor of watching those little dogs with big tails (the tail wags the dog)! V-Man737 05:23, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

In the case of most dogs, the best answer to this question would be: because they were bred that way. Skarioffszky 14:43, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Tails weren't bred into dogs. --24.147.86.187 15:26, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

No, but dogs look the way they do because breeders decided they wanted them to look like that. If humanity had decided dogs shouldn't have tails, their tails would probably have disappeared by now. Skarioffszky 15:58, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Dogs have tails primarily because the animals they are descended from have tails. In fact almost all vertebrates have tails — they are a pretty basic way of providing balance. Even humans have a bone of a long lost tail. I'm not sure there are any vertebrates which have no trace of a tail. --24.147.86.187 15:28, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

I think if we had tails, that would be my favorite vestigial organ! Imagine the cultural implications, not to mention the effects it would have on the world of dating and courtship! V-Man737 16:49, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

If the tails were slightly less vestigial, they would be interesting to put to use in sexual play... =S 惑乱 分からん 17:54, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

According to vestigial tail, "The longest human tail on record belonged to a twelve-year-old boy living in what was then French Indochina, which measured nine inches (229 mm)". StuRat 04:44, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

Been reading Nightcrawler fanfics? XD

Aaaahh, teleportation powers... =D Naaah, I just got a dirty mind on my own; I'd guess... 惑乱 分からん 20:31, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

I don't agree with Because they were bred that way. Maybe tails were not bred 'out' of dogs, but neither were eyes and ears, but to say they have eyes and ears because they were bred that way is a bit of a stretch. They have a tail for the same reason any animal has a tail, perhaps the tail article has some answers. Vespine 21:50, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Well, if you put it that way, I wonder what the market would be for a dog born without eyes? V-Man737 22:04, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

The way i see it. There are seven charcteristics of life. One of them is adaptation. Species adapt though years of DNA being passed down. Perhaps somewhere along the line in history dogs needed tails for protection or something and that has passed down though the generations. It is the same as y do giraffes have long necks..they need them to reach tall trees. But if there were no more tall trees in the world the gene would still be passed down because it is in their genetic code for adaptation. i may be crazy but its just a theory.--Kittycat rox 23:26, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

Correct negative designation...?

The negative of a photographic print is called a negative but is a negative the reverse or the inverse or the mirror or the reflection or the complement or the opposite, etc. of the print's color and intensity? -- 71.100.10.48 06:05, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Of these words, complement seems to fit best. In the RGB system, with values ranging from 0 to 1, the negative corresponding to positive (r, g, b) is more or less (1−r, 1−g, 1−b), so the value of each component of the negative's colour is the complement (with respect to 1) of the positive's component. If you use HSV, it is not so clear, though.  --Lambiam^Talk 06:41, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

The hardy boys

I would like to know why only the first 48 original copies of the hardy boys series is available on the internet. How can i get the rest of the series? I have the first 48. If i try to buy the rest it will cost me a fortune. It is not available in our library as well. What shall i do?Th3 4dv!s3r 08:56, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

What do you mean by "available on the internet"? Do you mean that they can be downloaded, or that they can be bought from online bookstores? If you're looking for physical copies of books that are out of print, you'll have to try secondhand places like eBay and Abebooks. The price you'll pay depends on how rare they are. If you just want to read them, and you're not bothered about actually owning them, you can still get them through your library even if they're not currently held by the library. Most libraries will find copies of books that are held in other libraries - you can borrow them that way. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 09:00, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

The Hardy Boys, fwiw. There seem to be rather a lot of books... --Tagishsimon (talk)

Real Estate Market-define distressed

A raging debate in our Ohio community begs the answer to: At what percentage of For Sale Housing constitutes a "distressed" and/or a "buyer's" market? Also, what percentage of vacant housing units (including apartments) constitutes the above? Finally, what percent of housing units vacant and For Rent constitues a "glut"? I'd really appreciate referrals to reputable written resources that I can safely quote in the media.Searcher1948 14:46, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Looking through some recent news articles, I can't find anything that can be referenced. Most articles just quote heresay, from spokesmen. Some are quoting new home buyers that are buying houses at a discount, and some are mentioning new housing starts. It generally appears that US housing prices have hit bottom and are trending up again (but don't quote me on this! :). --Zeizmic 15:03, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

A buyer's market is when a real-estate agent wants you to believe you can't sell your house for a better price. A seller's market is when a real-estate agent wants you to believe you can't buy a house for a better price. They will say one thing to their client, turn around, and say the other thing to a prospective buyer. They can get away with this because the terms are entirely subjective.  --Lambiam^Talk 16:49, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Math Problem

I am not looking for an answer to my home work i've been out of school for twenty years anyhow heres the question or problem i've been asked numerous times but have never figuered out the answer to there are 3 birds a blue a green and a yellow one the blue bird cost .50 cents the green bird cost $3 dollars the yellow ones are $10 dollars you have $100 dollars to spend you need to buy 100 birds you must have a least one of ever colour and spend exactly and only $100 dollars there is only one way and or answer to this but no matter what i do i cannot come up with an aswer that works

I would start by forming a pair of simultaneous equations. Let x be the cost of a blue bird ($0.50), y the cost of a green bird ($3) and z the cost of a yellow bird ($10). Also, let a, b and c be the amounts of blue, green and yellow birds needed, respectively. Now the simultaneous equations:

${\begin{cases}ax+by+cz=100\\a+b+c=100\end{cases}}{\begin{cases}4b-a+18c=0\\a+b+c=100\end{cases}}$

[snip]

${\begin{cases}a=94\\b=1\\c=5\end{cases}}$

Check:

$94\times \$0.50+\$3+5\times \$10=\$100$

In English: Buy 94 blue birds, one green bird and 5 yellow birds. By the way, we also have a mathematics Reference Desk. –mysid☎ 19:29, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

I'm curious. How did you solve this equation? There are 3 unknowns but there are only 2 equations. So it's not possible unless you start guessing on one of the unknowns. 202.168.50.40 00:04, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

Maybe I'm being thick, but where did -1, 4 and 18 come from for that equation? Skittle 00:56, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

I'm also a bit confused as to where the figures cam from. BenC7 01:27, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

Probably by guessing, yes. The article to read here is Diophantine equation. --Anonymous, January 11, 2007, 04:09 (UTC).

The approach by mysid is a bit of a detour. It is simpler to start by eliminating one variable from the two equations. The resulting Diophantine equation in two variables is not hard to solve; it is easy to see once you get to that stage that the extra requirement that the values of the unknowns must be natural numbers leaves only a few possibilities, each of which you can try.  --Lambiam^Talk 04:54, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

Missing steps:

$0.5a+3b+10c=100$

$a+b+c=100$

$\Rightarrow 0.5a+3b+10c=a+b+c$

$\Rightarrow -0.5a+2b+9c=0$

$\Rightarrow 4b-a+18c=0$

$a=100-b-c$

$\Rightarrow 5b+19c-100=0$

Since b and c are integers, c must be a multiple of 5 (because 5b and 100 are multiples of 5). From conditions of problem, 1 ≤ c ≤ 9 (remember, must have at least one bird of each colour), so c=5. Values of b and a follow easily.Gandalf61 13:45, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

How was the city of Cincinnati Founded?

Hello,

My father would like to know how Cincinnati was founded, who founded it, and information on this person/ group of people. I looked at the city's website and Wikipedia's entry for this info, but I could not find anything. Can you help me? 66.162.79.220 18:16, 10 January 2007 (UTC)Paul

See History of Cincinnati, Ohio. User:Zoe|(talk) 18:34, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

wireless router

i'm moving this question here since im not getting much help from the computing section. what exactly is a wireless router? How does it work and where do i hook it up? please help soon.

If you had read the articles you were linked to, you would know that "a router is a computer networking device that forwards data packets across a network toward their destinations, through a process known as routing." A wireless router does this without having to be hooked up to al the computers it's routing to. You hook it to your computer, per the instructions you recieve with the router. If you want to know more, please read the article. It's there for a reason and you're supposed to search first. XD —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 64.198.112.210 (talk) 20:26, 10 January 2007 (UTC).

And if you don't get an answer in the proper Ref Desk, you're even less likely to get it on the wrong one. StuRat 22:00, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

UK County Abbreviations - Explanation Please

Can anyone please explain the reason or history behind the following UK county abbreviations?

Why is :

Shropshire abbreviated to Salop,
Hampshire abbreviated to Hants - where did the T come from?
Oxfordshire abbreviated to Oxon - likewise the N?

Are there any other strange county abbreviations in the British Isles? Thanks. --Adscm 20:41, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Apparently, Shropshire used to be called Salop in historical times. If you try to say SalopShire quickly, what does it sound like?--Light current 21:03, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Did you not read our article?

The short form of the name, often used in postal addresses, is Hants. Hampshire is often abbreviated in written form to Hants and which sometimes gives rise to puzzlement. The abbreviated form is derived from the Old English Hantum plus Scir (meaning a district governed from the settlement now known as Southampton) and the Anglo-Saxons called it Hamtunschire. At the time of the Domesday Book (1086) this was compressed to Hantescire.

--Light current 21:14, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Oxonia is Latin for Oxford [8]--Light current 21:08, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

(After edit conflict) The Old English name for Shropshire was 'Scrobbesbyrigcir'. Finding this impossible to pronounce the Normans changed it to 'Salopesberia', shortened to Salop.

Similarly the Old English for Hampshire was 'Hantumschir'. When the Doomsday Book was compiled in 1086 the Normans (the French again!) had changed this to 'Hanteschire', hence Hants.

Oxon comes from the Latinised form Oxonia

I'm sure there must be other odd abbreviations, though I can think of none offhand. Clio the Muse 21:19, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Yeah Clio I think I just said all that so why do you find it necessary to repeet it?--Light current 21:28, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

As you see, edit conflit. I don't mean to stand on your toes, L c, but the explanations, though close, don't quite overlap. Clio the Muse 21:32, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

OK Ill let you off 8-). Anyway next time you might consider putting (edcon) before your reply to let others know.--Light current 21:50, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

The full name of Hampshire was "Southamptonshire" until 1959. Sam Blacketer 23:52, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Logos

Hello, I have been guided to your site in an attempt to get information that wikimedia was not able to obtain. That is how I was able to contact your group. Please read on and if you can help me in obtaining this information. Thank you in advance for trying to help me. Best Regards, Scott Whting

Dear (email removed),

Thank you for your mail.

(email removed) wrote:

> Hello, > The logo that ABC had produced for WWOS sometime in 95 is the one I'm > interested in. Can you tell me how many of these pennants or flags were made? > Are > they still for sale and what is the cost? If you do not have this information > > can you point me to someplace or someone who may be able to answer these > questions? > Thank you in advance for you help. > Best Regards, > Scott Whiting > >

I am afraid that the Wikimedia Foundation is not able to help you with this request. As an organization that relies entirely on volunteer work, Wikimedia doesn't have the resources to research questions unrelated to its projects.

However, there is a page on the English Wikipedia where various volunteers try to answer questions such as yours, called the Reference Desk <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk>. Instructions for using the Reference Desk are on this page.

Though there is no guarantee that they can provide an answer, they are often able. Please be specific in your question so that others can better assist you! Sorry I couldn't be of more help; good luck in finding the answer to your question.

Yours sincerely, Scott MacDonald

-- Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org --- Disclaimer: all mail to this address is answered by volunteers, and responses are not to be considered an

Removed email addresses from the above. Vespine 21:37, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Further, you may have more luck if you be a little more specific, what's The logo that ABC had produced for WWOS sometime in 95 ? What ABC are you talking about, what's WWOS? Why on earth do you need to know how many were made? Is it something that is even likely to be on sale? Where could they be bought? Maybe you could contact the retailer who might be able to give you the stockist? Have you tried contacting the ABC? Surely they would be able to answer these questions? Good luck. Vespine 21:41, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Maybe American Broadcasting Company? Flattering that we're so well-known! --froth^{T C} 00:08, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

More likely Australian Broadcasting Corporation.  --Lambiam^Talk 00:49, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

It looks as if it is in fact the American ABC. See Wide World of Sports (US TV series). There is/was an Australian TV series by the same name, but broadcast by Australia's Channel 9 rather than the Australian ABC. As for the pennants, have you tried looking on EBay? Or perhaps you could contact Disney's Wide World of Sports, which seems to be the successor to the program, and ask if they have any old pennants lying around. Marco polo 02:55, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

Werewolf/dragon legends

I am a writer having some difficulties with my story. I am trying to find legends of dragons turning into werewolves- not fan-fiction, but old legends from Britain, China, etc. I am not sure if a legend like this has ever existed. However, it is what my story is about and I have writer's block right now, so I thought if I had a legend to base some of the events on, it might give me some ideas...(I am mainly having difficulties introducing a character in a scene, and I was hoping to find a myth that would solve my problem.)The dragon sometimes is forced to turn into a werewolf in a werewolf-like curse. When changing to wolf form, the dragon first morphs into human and then proceeds like a regular werewolf. After so many hours, he changes back into a dragon again. I have figured out why this happens, but I simply do not know how to introduce this character to another character. That's really what I need.

Anyway, if you know of any legends, or any websites with these kind of legends, please let me know.

Thank you!!! Your comments are immensely helpful!!!!!

70.238.177.209 23:49, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

(While warning that I am not an expert in this area) Have you tried looking into the Matter of Britain? There is a lot to go through before you find stuff about dragons, but I'd say it's worth at least a glance. V-Man737 00:09, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

Nothing I've seen, from a quick glance around Werewolf, Shapeshifting, Lycanthropy, Therianthropy (mythology), European dragon, Chinese dragon, Dragon nor from a google search for dragon turn werewolf, gives me any indication that the dragon to werewolf transform ever entered into legend. What makes you think it might have done? --Tagishsimon (talk)

Since a werewolf is a man-wolf, it seems unlikely that a dragon would turn into one. I mean, a dragon turning into a wolf, or a man, or turning into one and then the other, maybe. But specifically turning into a werewolf seems very unlikely. Could you tell us more about what you need? Skittle 00:39, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

There are many modern stories (not fan fiction, but fantasy fiction) of weredragons. You might find something at a local fantasy-type book store. --Charlene 10:04, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

There are tales of dragons that can turn into humans and there are other tales of the werewolf - you want a synthesis of the two. Perhaps a dragon while in human form was bitten by a werewolf and contracted lyncanthropy (which for whatever reasons will affect the dragon, at least in his human form). This would get you what you want. Another approach would be through other storytelling devices such as spells/curses (which can work any way the storyteller wants) or (as I am reading a lot of Terry Pratchett lately) perhaps you could borrow the concept of "morphologically unstable" which basically means that the character in question can change shape, perhaps outside of the character's control. Robovski 00:43, 12 January 2007 (UTC)