Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 January 14

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January 14

Help deciphering a note

I got a note from a friend. He has really bad handwriting and I can't figure out this one part. It looks like it says "Have you seen 'The Sorrows of Boner or Meditations in the Island of Bbq'?", but this doesn't make any sense to me and I tried a google search. Please help.--216.164.192.144 01:09, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Almost! He meant "The Sorrows of Boney or Meditations in the Island of Elba". I get at least one Google hit for that. — Kieff 01:13, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

As in Boney and Elba, I presume. --Seejyb 03:09, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Yep. It is a caricature of Napoleon by Turner. See page 362 of [1]. --mglg_(talk) 01:36, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

Computers

I want to learn about computers. Can someone please tell me where on the web I could do this? The article here is too complicated for a beginner. I did not put this in the computer catagory because I consider this a question about learning. Musli Miester 01:20, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Start here ? [2]--Light current 01:58, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Thank you, but I know how to do all that. I want to know how a computer works. Musli Miester 02:03, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

OK try this [3]--Light current 02:17, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

The field of computers is constantly changing. There is no good place to start really, as everything is connected to everything else, and it is circular. Just jump in learning about some aspect of computers that fascinates or interest you, and read trade magazines, go to the library, buy books from amazon, and establish that interest as a beach-head for topics related to that. Atom 02:54, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Howstuffworks.com [4] is a good starting point for this type of question. StuRat 08:47, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Brett Favre

How can Brett Favre be so amazing? Is he the second coming of Christ?

Yes, the Messiah has nothing better to do, so he plays football. There aren't so many shepherd jobs these days. --Nelson Ricardo 02:32, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Jesus was not a shepherd, he was a carpenter.Rya Min 03:34, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Jesus was a carpenter, experienced a career transition, and is now a shepherd. ^_^ V-Man737 04:03, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

And now he plays for the Packers Rya Min 05:24, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

lol. Keeping on-subject, our article doesn't say much about why Brett Favre is amazing (and indeed, this may forever be a mystery), but it certainly does give many examples of his skills in the game. V-Man737 05:37, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

I thought that Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a prophet. JIP | Talk 08:57, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

I'm not Christian, but if I was, I would fail to see messianic characteristics in someone who threw 29 interceptions in 2005. -- Mwalcoff 06:06, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

There is no other god that can deliver after this sort. V-Man737 12:57, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

He also has the completions record and WILL break the Tds and wins records next year. Dan Marino aint got nothing. Real men arent afraid to throw a few ints. Rya Min 13:24, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Brett Favre or Jesus? JIP | Talk 08:57, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Haven't you been paying attention? same person! :-P V-Man737 01:47, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Google Answers?

68.193.147.179 04:16, 14 January 2007 (UTC)What is the Google Answers Blog at Google Groups?

A tongue twister! In seriosity (what word am I really trying to spit out??), Google Blog actually announced that the Google Answers thingy is no longer active, but FWIW, it doesn't seem to have its own blog; rather, the Google Blog seems to speak for all the Google endeavors as a whole. You should still be able to peruse the archives of Google answers via the above link. V-Man737 05:05, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

And, anon, you can just sign your name after your message, not before, if that's no trouble!martianlostinspace 11:16, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Purgatory

Who do Catholics believe will go to purgatory after they die:

1. Only some Christians?

2. Only some non-Christians?

3. Both some Christians and some non-Christians?

The Anonymous One 05:29, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Our article on purgatory is very useful for this question. Roman Catholics believe, essentially, that anyone who sins (so everybody) qualifies for purgatory. However, this is an after-life purification state, not to be confused with hell. People who are damned to hell for eternity essentially don't have time to go to purgatory. From the article: "there are two punishments for sin: eternal punishment inflicted in Hell, and temporal punishment inflicted in this life or in purgatory if left uncompleted upon death. Forgiveness of sin, for example through the absolution granted by confession, remits the eternal punishment. Penance, such as almsgiving, prayer, fasting, and suffering remit temporal punishment. Thus temporal punishment is a satisfaction for sin." (Baltimore Catechism 629, 804, and 805) V-Man737 05:43, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

(Edit: long answer short, those who are granted absolution of sins (by a priest or other holy officer) sidestep the eternal hell, and are instead purged. This implies that mostly Christians (Catholics) will have purgatory.) V-Man737 05:48, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

I am a lapsed catholic who remains a committed christian in that I believe implicitly in the 10 commandments and strive to obey them as well as follow the teachings of Christ. But I can find no mention of either purgatory or hell in either set of codes (WP:NPOV) If I am wrong, let me apologise, but (Soapy comment removed by V-Man737 13:13, 15 January 2007 (UTC))

What do you mean by 'set of codes'? Do you mean, what they believe? For the general Catholic view of purgatory, try the Catholic Encyclopedia here. Generally it is taught, everyone except martyrs has to go through Purgatory to get to Heaven; who goes to Hell is usually left more vague. Skittle 16:23, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Thanks V-Man for removing half my response, describing it as Soapy. Perhaps you should exercise that same inconsistent discretion on every page in Wikipedia. <--personal attack removed--> I know what the catholic view of purgatory is, and had V-Man not arbitrarily removed half my response as described here, you may have noted that fact. The OP asks "Who do catholics believe will go to purgatory after they die?", a question that no-one can answer. As to Skittle asking what do I mean by "set of codes", is that not self-explanatory? No, I did not mean "what they believe", I mean, "what the Commandments and Christ direct us to observe as rules of life." —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.241.245 (talk) 16:59, 15 January 2007 (UTC).

You're welcome. If you feel that your words were not soapy enough to be excluded from a level-headed discussion about the beliefs of various religions, then I apologize. To explain, I cut out your acidic remarks because I felt that you were attacking the Catholic faith, and the reference desk isn't the place to attack the religions of others. And, to be fair, I really am trying to exercise that discretion everywhere I can; this is referred to as Wikipedia's neutral point of view. V-Man737 01:42, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Okay, I know this was long ago, but if people wanted to know why Catholics believe in purgatory, and how they believe it is actually included in the Bible, try reading the article purgatory (as recommended early on), and follow the various external links. Skittle 13:27, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

Just need help finding an article, I can't do it!

I've looked for ages, I am trying to find an article about a Legal Statement made in a certain Legal Case which is somewhat of a meme on the internet. Basically the statement is a very long winded and technical "fuck you" that people cite (in typical "See X v X" laywer style) as a 'comeback' in certain online arguments. All help would be appreciated Gelsamel 07:09, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Several moments and Google searches later, I came up with this Slashdot forum discussion which seems to get pretty close. I used Google searches such as lawyer-style insult and humorous lawyer-style comeback, nearly all fruitless. Can you remember any particular part of the legal statement? I could refine the search with snippets of wording, especially if you recall any forums or websites you saw it on. V-Man737 08:01, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

There is a Wikipedia article on it, which I can't find. Also it was linked on www.xkcd.com which I participate in but still can't find (since it was an old post). I think the words "fuck you" were actually in the legal statement but I forget. When ever it's cited as a comeback it's always cited as "Refer to X v. Y" or "See X v. Y" in the same way lawyers refer to other cases. I can't remember X or Y T_T. Gelsamel 08:12, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Also it was in response to a legal threat, a threat of a lawsuit or something. Which they responded with that phrase I'm looking for. Gelsamel 08:15, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

I remember Jeff Rowland (webcomics) making a comic in which Princess Awesomelope tells Sheriff Pony to "engage in the act of coitus with yourself." ...I'll get back on Google for some more power-searching. V-Man737 08:24, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the help so far, I've been searching all over but I still can't find it. I think I'm ready to give up on it. Gelsamel 09:03, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

FOUND IT!!!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkell_v._Pressdram Gelsamel 10:54, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

GG. Before I could even get back to Google, the power went out. >_< I'm glad you found it despite my shortcomings! AGGHHH, stupid electrons... V-Man737 11:12, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

I asked on xkcd which I knew someone had posted the link on and I finally got a reply :D Gelsamel 11:17, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Today's laugh. Excellent. I have linked to this article from our fledgling fuck off article so that it may more easily be found in future.--Shantavira 12:10, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Clueless about cooking

I want to cook something more than spaghetti, but I don't know the basics of preparation. I'm going to post a simple recipe. I ask you explain parts that are unclear to me. Thanks.

recipe

2 cups dry chicken stove top stuffing mix (from the canister) What is this product? Can I just buy this ?

Pour into a greased 9 x 12 baking dish. How do I grease a baking dish and what is a baking dish?

66.91.225.188 08:10, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Yes, Stove Top stuffing in a box will work, too, but don't use the spice pack unless told to do so. A baking dish is a rectangular dish with rounded corners and a draft angle, usually made of tempered glass, for cooking cakes, casseroles, etc., in the oven. You can grease a baking dish with oil, butter, or margarine. Use a clean paper towel to rub it all over the inside of the baking dish. This keeps the food from sticking. I can't help notice that the recipe you intend to use takes around an hour total. Wouldn't something like a nice omelette be a lot quicker ? (I can't think of many cases where the cook wants to start breakfast an hour before anyone wants to eat it.) StuRat 08:24, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Is this for a party? With six eggs, a cup of cheese and two cups of stovetop stuffing mix, that's going to be a big dish (one of the reviews says 'easily serves nine'). HERE are some pictures of baking dishes; the rectangular ones are what was requested, but any oven-safe dish is OK, as long as it is large enough. Anchoress 11:09, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

For this recipe you need to use the seasonings included with the stuffing mix as the recipe is otherwise without seasoning. I think a quiche would be easier and better. Why don't you try a simple version of toad in the hole? (Actually I meant egg in the basket but that's what we call toad in the hole in the U.S.) -THB 18:05, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

I believe the added salt, ham, cheddar cheese, and eggs (the yolks, specifically), will add enough flavor without using the seasoning packet. StuRat 15:29, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

If you are as unexperienced as a chef as you claim to be, then maybe the following advice is not superfluous:

1. Preheat the oven. 10 minutes should be enough.
2. In the absence of instructions to the contrary, put the dish in the oven roughly at the middle height. This means that the oven rack you're going to put the dish on should be a bit lower than halfway. A bit too high is better than too low, though.
3. Before you take out the dish from the oven, make sure you have a nearby place where you can safely put it. Put a folded old newspaper or piece of cloth in advance on the place where you are going to put down the hot dish when you take it out of the oven. (Once you've taken the dish out, you have no hands free to do this, so then it is too late.) This way you avoid damaging the material underneath by putting something too hot on it. Also, putting a hot oven dish directly on something cold the thermal shock may cause it to crack and break.
4. Wear insulating oven gloves when taking the dish out. It is easy to accidentally touch a hot spot of the oven and burn yourself. Don't even think of touching the dish with your bare hands. A towel may not give enough insulation, which you (ouch, ouch) may only discover with the dish halfway in transit.
5. It is easier to take the dish out if you slide the rack first towards you. Don't touch the rack with your bare hands, or you'll have to scrape the flesh off the rack. CAUTION. Some ovens, through inexplicably bad design, allow the rack to cant unexpectedly if you draw it out too much, whereupon the dish may start gliding and fall out, spilling its contents over your legs (and the kitchen floor, but that is not the worst part). Make sure it is not going to do that on you. Support the rack from below while you pull it out, and release it only when you have checked that it is stable.

 --Lambiam^Talk 19:45, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

If you are really clueless about cooking, I'd suggest buying the book Now You're Cooking by Elaine Corn. (I guess she was born to do the job.) It's a cookbook for super-beginners. -- Mwalcoff 02:22, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

I've taken to a similar recipe lately and rather like it. This particular one looks very eggy. 6 eggs? I usually use one. For a real beginner I'd advise against winging it, but if you actually buy a box of Stove Top Stuffing you'll find a couple of similar recipes that have been thoroughly tested by the company's employees. Anyone at your local grocery store can lead you to the shelf where the product is sold (it's probably very similar in Canada to the version in the States). Now if we're sticking to the real basics there are a few other points that deserve attention. First, a 9 x 12 baking dish refers to a standard U.S. sizing in inches that's probably archaic in the rest of the world. My metric converter gives that as 22.86cm x 30.48cm. Look for something pretty close to that. While you're shopping get a pair of potholders or oven mitts. Those are insulated cloths that keep you from burning yourself. Any store that carries baking dishes will sell oven mitts and potholders too (these aren't high tech - some people crochet their own). Before you start the oven make sure that a rack is set at mid-level. Preheaing refers to the time an oven takes to reach the desired temperature, which is not considered baking time. If you set the oven to the desired temperature when you begin to prepare the ingredients it will probably be warm enough when you're ready to bake. Best wishes, Durova^Charge 05:02, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Thanks guys. Lots of great advice. 66.91.225.188 09:36, 15 January 2007 (UTC) Also is that found everywhere tome--the Joy of Cooking--good for beginners? 66.91.225.188 09:40, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

• You might want to check out the Wiki Cookbook too. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:04, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

The Joy Of Cooking is probably a pretty good option, but you may find that if you go to the local bookshop and check out the cooking section, you'll find some other great resources for new cooks. I've got one that I believe is titled "The Bachelor's Guide to Fending Off Starvation" or somesuch (purchased by my mother, who didn't realize that I'm actually a pretty darn good cook) that has a lot of good, simple recipes in it. Tony Fox (arf!) 17:26, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Stages of war?

You know the 7 stages of grief? Are there stages of war commonly used by the United States to indicate increased tensions? Perhaps, "build-up," "surgical strike," etc?

Thank you for your help!

The Five stages of grief don't seem to have much of a cousin in wart war; however, the war article does talk about differing stages of war, as well as types of war which exhibit varying degrees of intensity. The article is very in-depth and gives a lot of interesting information. V-Man737 11:59, 14 January 2007 (UTC) (edit: I apologize for the vague nature of my reply; I just realized you were asking specifically about the United States. After stumbling around the US military category, I was reminded that I am definitely not a military expert. Hopefully someone else will be able to elucidate your answer more fully.) V-Man737 12:10, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

There was the latter of escalation of Herman Kahn but that's not quite the same thing. --24.147.86.187 17:33, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

We have the Homeland Security Advisory System, a useless color warning of the level of threat, like on Star Trek. Thank you, George W. Bush. -THB 18:02, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

And the US military has its DEFCON stages of alert. --Anonymous, January 14, 23:57 (UTC).

Humanities and Career Development

Please explain how these two disciplines are related.

Career development seems to be a part of humanities, in the sense that it studies "aspects of the human condition;" however, this may be a controversial classification, as the article does not specifically list it as a part of humanities. The article says: "Other subjects at times included as humanities in some parts of the world include archaeology, area studies, communications, cultural studies and history, although these are often regarded as social sciences elsewhere." V-Man737 12:36, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Buying Posters

hello,

What shop or company, particually online ones, would be the best for buying posters, like big music posterf for example. Ive tried Amazon but they dont seem to have any actual posters, which is surprising (if there is please let me know).

Thanks, Killer 777 13:42, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

I know of http://www.art.com where I ordered a few posters (two of the Beatles, one of Queen and one of Led Zeppelin actually). --Xedi 16:55, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Getting posters sent in the post can be expensive, depending on how you local postal service works. Posters used to be cheap to send in the United Kingdom, as they are very lightweight (usually weighing less than a small magazine), but since prices changed from weight to size based, they have shot up. I've bought some posters from places like HMV and Music Zone; normal high street music shops usually have some posters, but you may have trouble finding something like a Led Zeppelin poster in such a shop. Laïka 17:04, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Anyboday heard of Wal-Mart? i bought some greenday and nickelback posters there. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.53.180.34 (talk) 23:29, 15 January 2007 (UTC).

Wal-Mart is, indeed, a good place for mainstream posters. In my experience, however, it would be difficult to find a wide selection of anything older than two years in popularity (such as Led Zeppelin or Van Halen. V-Man737 01:34, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Another great online resources to buy posters is http://www.posternation.com/ I ordered Lady Gaga and Katy Perry

Ice cream gloves

Where can I get an ice cream glove?--216.164.199.241 20:54, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

I want one too. Rya Min 00:08, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

I'm thinking that one got shelved; Ali G's sales pitch tanked. Wolfgangus 02:06, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

What is it? .V. (talk) 02:07, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

A glove made of ice cream? | AndonicO ^{Talk · Sign Here} 16:00, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Sticky Fingers ? -- DLL ^{.. T} 17:21, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

It was a joke on the Ali G show. He proposed an invention to venture capitalists which was a glove to wear while eating ice cream. It was sorta dumb. --24.147.86.187 18:19, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Buda or Pest Hungary

Is the National Parliament Building in Buda or in Pest? I can't remember which side is which, I was there in 1984. Directions like "East" "West" don't help. Thank you. Rayilyn Brown —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.2.230.8 (talk) 22:14, 14 January 2007 (UTC).

It's in Pest, on the east bank. -- Necrothesp 23:00, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Nunchakus

Hi there. I've seen many people using nunchakus in exhibitions and so, but still can't figure out how they don't hit themselves when they strike. The thing is they swing the weapon horizontally until it (more or less) touches their back and then bring it back to the hand again, or under the arm. What do they do to prevent hurting themselves in the back while performing that move? Thank you. --Taraborn 23:50, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Nunchaku may not answer the question, but at least we'll all know what you're talking about! --Tagishsimon (talk)

From what I understand, a user does have to use their body to slow it down as well, so it might be impossible to prevent any sort of contact. Let me see what I can find. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 00:45, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

A nunchaku spinning is like a lever, when you are holding one section and spinning the other it rotates like a propeller, the end is moving really fast because it is spinning in a BIG circle, if the end hits someone's head it will HURT. The trick when you are spinning it around your body is to hit yourself with the CLOSE end first, the end closest to the chain, that is only travelling slowly (comparatively) because the circle it is drawing is only small. So the close end hits your side, for example, and starts to slow the nunchaku down, it dampens the movement, so that by the time the whole thing swings around and the end hits you it isn't going fast any more so it doesn't hurt. Vespine 02:49, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Ideally, the 'far end' does not hit the wielder at all. For instance, when the nunchaku are flipped under the arm the goal is to catch the 'near end' between the arm and the body... stopping its motion and thus preventing the far end from ever hitting the back. Even if this does not work the pressure would slow the weapon and prevent injury as above. Likewise, when flipped over a shoulder the near end is generally caught by the other hand before the 'far end' can hit the body. Catching the far end could damage the hand, but the slower moving near end can be caught and thereby stop the whole weapon. --CBD 10:05, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Thank you all for all your responses. They completely solved my doubts. --Taraborn 22:39, 18 January 2007 (UTC)