Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 January 18

Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

January 18

Top Flash Games

Is there a website that rates Flash games on the internet? Jamesino 00:52, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

The main one that I am aware of is Newgrounds (although it also rates flash videos); it operates in a user-friendly environment, where users upload their own flash animations or games and rate those of others. Related to it would be Armor games, although I don't think they rate their games. V-Man737 02:47, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

UGO player has a rating for each game assigned by users, but if you're referring by actual critics writing reviews, I wouldn't be too sure. bibliomaniac15 04:40, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Grey hair

Why does grey hair have a different texture from the other hair? On top of the head? It's wirey, but why? t h b 04:01, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

hrm... hum, ...Mmrnmhrm... hair... that may imply a causation. A bit above the paragraph there on aging, it briefly mentions hair texture (your "wirey" being among them! The legends are true!) - unfortunately, with minimal detail. Googley... bedtime... V-Man737 07:04, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

From the first result of V-Man's google search:

The declining presence of melanin also appears to contribute to the lack of moisture in gray or white hair. So as your hair becomes lighter in color, its texture becomes dryer and coarser. That’s why gray hair tends to be more curly or wiry.

--Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 07:31, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I am so glad there are people like you here to pick up my broken pieces when I get sleepy. ^_^ V-Man737 07:58, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Anytime =P I need it at times too, since I sometimes check before going to bed. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 19:23, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

My hair is slowly getting darker and seems to be less dry than a few years ago:) Things that work one way usually work oppositely the opposite way:@Hidden secret 7 19:53, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

However hair on my arms is almost white and doesn't seem to be dry and wirey:) Of course this could be becauuse of something totally different, but..:)Hidden secret 7 20:12, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Moral predicament

sort of. I download music like mad. Have tens of thousands of songs. For most of my downloading history, I've downloaded music from mostly dead artists, but now that I've started listening to more modern and Indie stuff, I've begun to feel really bad about downloading. I've decided to give buying music a try for the first time in a couple years, but it's so damned expensive. I have a list of over 200 fairly rare cds that I want to buy, and I just can't spend anywhere near that kind of money. Does anybody know a way I could buy lots of recent and fairly unknown cds fairly cheap (at most $10 a piece)? Since I am buying, I'd really prefer a physical cd to something like itunes musicstore downloads. If I can't find a cheaper way soon, my inadequate will power will dissolve and I'll start downloading again. If you haven't noticed, I'm fairly compulsive about collecting good music. Thanks for any help, if it comes.

Buy secondhand. Amazon.com, eBay, or your local second hand music store or even a pawnshop (if your conscience doesn't sting you). Anchoress 06:28, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Download the rare songs, buy normal CDs when possible or when you feel like it. At least that's what I'd do. Anchoress' suggestion is probably the only way you'll get the CDs cheap - rare CDs don't just go around new for ten bucks a piece. As an alternative, perhaps you could download songs from iTunes or something, find a way to crack the DRM so you can burn them (I don't download from iTunes, so I don't know if this is possible), and do it that way? You're paying for the music, and getting a physical copy of your own. --Wooty Woot? contribs 06:37, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

A rather obvious alternative would be to simply live without the ones you can't buy. You'll survive. Which do you value more, a few CDs or a clean conscience? You need to decide that. --BenC7 12:56, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

hymn (software) does iTunes DRM if you've bought it. 68.39.174.238 23:42, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

Honeymoon destinations

I am from India. I am planning my honeymoon somewhere in July. I want to go to a nice place abroad (anywhere) but it should not cost much, any suggestions ? I have shortlisted places like Prague, Budapest, St. Petersburg, Vladiostok, Athens. Whats your say ?59.144.104.185 08:53, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

On the assumption that you mean Vladivostok in Russia-and you want your marriage to last-I think this is the one place best avoided, with all due apologies to the people of the great eastern port! The other cities have various attractions, though Athens can suffer a little from pollution in the summer. Of all the cities you have listed I personally would choose St. Petersburg, on the other end of the Trans-Siberian railway from Vladivostok; though Prague comes a close second. However, I would not say that any of these places is particularly cheap. Clio the Muse 08:42, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Following the coup in Fiji the prices dropped quite a bit, some more than half priced. Maybe stretch your budget a bit and consider this too? --antilived^{T | C | G} 12:07, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

For most people, that would be a good suggestion, but given that quite a few of the tensions in Fiji at the moment are surrounding ethnic differences between the Melanesian and Indian populations, it might not be the best solution for saomeone from India! Grutness...wha? 13:50, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

If part of your goal is to visit a cooler climate, I'd take Athens off the list, as it can be quite hot (over 30C) in July. Budapest can also be hot in July. Other places to consider might be Cracow and Riga. I recently returned from a holiday in India, and I can assure you that anywhere in Europe, even Eastern Europe, will be more expensive than just about anywhere in India. Meals in particular can be more than ten times what you would pay for similar quality in India. Marco polo 13:41, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

If you want to go the other way; geographically, figuratively, and in just about every other way, how about the Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria in Africa ? You won't find much European culture there, to be sure, but will find nature on full display. Here is a radio tourism program (Excess Baggage) which mentions the islands, starting from around 21:33 (pick "Listen to Excess Baggage for" at the top, center of [1] ). StuRat 05:28, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

It sounds like you haven't travelled abroad before, so wherever you go in Europe will be a huge novelty and really exciting, and very different to India. Depending on how long you've got, you may be able to visit a number of different places; for instance, you might consider exploring the countryside surrounding some of the cities you visit.

To help narrow down where you might want to go, it might be helpful to start listing what it is you and your new bride might want to get out of your trip. Are you interested in art and architecture? Are you interested in trying different types of food ? Do you like getting out of the city and experiencing nature? Do you have an interest in history - and, if so, any particular area - for instance, are you interested in the Roman empire? Do you want to see any cultural performances - opera, ballet, maybe a rock concert? Or do you just want to cosy up in a luxurious hotel room and get friendly with your wife? If so, why go all the way to Europe to do that? -Robert Merkel 06:47, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic is a very economical place, once you get there. You can stay for a week at a top luxury waterfront resort (including food, drinks& tips) for $600 for two people. It's a short plane ride from Florida, so if you had more money, you could go to Disney World too. If you want to go to Europe and not spend a lot on hotels, try vrbo.com : Vacation Rentals By Owner. If you rent a small apartment for a week, most of them have a kitchen and you could cook meals and extend your funds for shopping and other excursions.

Is it Possible?

i'm a graduate in b.tech,frm the stream electronics and communication....(2005passout).My wish was always to become an architect, but becoz of som unfortunate reasons i had to opt b.tech.... is there any possible way for me to change my domain now???...Ofcourse i knw..i cud join b.arch, but other than tat, any other ways...??? I want to do master's in Architecture i am currently wrking as a software consultant...!!! but i lack interest in it??

• I think I saw you post this before. Did you go back to check what people said? - 131.211.210.10 09:18, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

The following was posted as an answer when you posted to the help desk earlier this week. - 131.211.210.10 09:20, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

• The people who got you that domain are better able to answer that than we are. If you have any question that is not about Wikipedia, please post it at the reference desk instead of the help desk (this page).- Mgm|^(talk) 11:27, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

Have the "unfortunate reasons" changed that made you study a field other than the one you wanted? Lack of money? Poor grades? Low standardized test scores? Undergrad architecture students practically live in the studio, and learn to go from requirements to concept to model, with an expert serving as their critic. They learn a great deal about the history of architecture, and maybe they learn Autocad. Your cryptic post sounds like you studied electronics and communication, which probably did not include any of the above. So why not imediately enroll in a community college and in a year of evening and weekend classes learn Autocad, and take a course in history of architecture, and a studio course where you build models. If you excel in these, this will confirm your new career choice. Then you might be able to combine these credentials with your probable computer savvy and knowledge of databases and be a useful person in an architecture firm. Get recommendations from your Autocad, studio, and history of architecture teachers, write up a resume, and apply for jobs. You would have many of the initial capabilities of someone with a B. Arch, who is also not really an architect. If you are more hands on than artistic or mathematical, you might go into the construction management end of architecture. You could now or after taking a few courses write up a resume and make a cold call on working architects for an "informational interview" where you are not (theoretically ) applying for a job, but are instead seeking information about the field. You can also interview a professor in an architecture school and ask for suggestions. You can study for and take the Graduate Record Exam (used in at least the U.S) in which you need a good score to gain admission to grad school. So you see, you have a career path as an architectural technician without architect license, or a career path to go to grad school. Maybe you could get into a grad school and do the prep courses I described, but you could try them out at community college for way less money. A second bachelor's degree often only takes 2 years, so you might just enroll and get the B. Arch if your "unfortunate reasons" have gone away. Good luck in your career moves.

a negative calorie food

Since popcorn is a negative food,(meaning it takes more calories to consume and digest it than it supplies.) Can you starve to death if that is all you eat? How long will it take? No butter or other toppings added.

See our articles on negative calorie diet, diet (nutrition), popcorn and starvation. Gandalf61 11:12, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

So the whole thing is basically a (purposely?) mix up between calories and kilocalories (food calories)? --antilived^{T | C | G} 11:59, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

In a way, yes, but there's no distinction in units. 1 calorie (smallcase c) is a unit of energy. 1 Calorie (capital C, usually written just Cal) is the "food calorie" which equals to 1 kilocalorie or 1000 calories. But if you see 1 kCal, they're usually talking about kilocalories, not 1000 Calories. That's why "negative calories" is frowned upon, it's lousy math, or mix up at best. — Kieff 23:42, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I don't doubt that foods exist which require more energy to digest than you get out of them, although many on the list at negative calorie diet are highly suspect, being either high in sugar (apples, beets, carrots, cantaloupes, and berries) or starch (asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower). The only two on the list I think might be right are celery and cabbage. There might also be some not on the list, like iceberg lettuce and popcorn (as you mentioned). Certainly "foods" with zero calories must require some to digest, so they would automatically be "negative calorie foods". However, I can't see any diet succeed using those. The reason is that those foods taste just awful alone, and if you put anything on them to make them palatable, then they aren't negative calorie foods any more. Indeed, I would think a diet consisting of plain celery, cabbage, iceberg lettuce, popcorn, and water would be abandoned quicker than just about any other diet, perhaps even quicker than fasting. StuRat 04:44, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Dang it, is that why I've been losing weight...? (Being a bachelor has its merits) V-Man737 05:00, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Chocolate Bar

I have a vague recollection of eating a ‘Kit-Kat’ style chocolate bar, during my childhood, which I believe was called a 'Swish'. The bar was available in Australia for several years, however, distribution of the product is believed to have ended during the mid-late 1990's. Has such a product ever existed? What are the names of other chocolate/biscuit products, resembling the ‘Kit-Kat’, that have been produced in the past?

Many thanks to anyone who can resolve this most important issue. 219.90.219.33 11:55, 18 January 2007 (UTC)jasper

The only other one like it I can think of is Cadbury's Breakaway. Grutness...wha? 13:59, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

There use to be (might still be) the Leo crispy wafers by Milka. As far as I remember the Kitkats arrived later in Europe but that might just have been a question of distribution of the product at the time. Keria 14:15, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

We have dozens over here:)172.203.226.64 20:00, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Why do wires *ALWAYS* get tangled?

Hi all. It never seems to fail. Whenever I have a bunch of wires attached by a surge, no matter how evenly I space them apart, I will go back in a month and they're all hopelessly tangled together. Wires for all of my video game systems near my TV do the same thing, despite doing things to prevent it (ie, connecting AV adaptors onto each other). Computer wires are the worst, at least for desktop PC's. Most of the computer problems I have to fix at my family's house they could learn to do themselves if not for the black, stringy jungle in the back. When I put my headphones into my iPod case, no matter how I put them, they always come out in some convoluted way; tangled horribly, with an earpiece way away from the other one, or tied in a knot somehow.

Friends, mere jiggling can't account for this. I'm beginning to think that if you have two or more wires near each other, a natural law will cause them to come together in some sick entwinement. What is it that causes this?

Much help appreciated ! Xhin 13:37, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

As much as I'd love to make some nerdy joke implicating quantum entanglement for your quandry, I think it is indeed "mere jiggling". When your iPod earphones are in your pocket, every step you take carries the risk of a twist occuring. As entropy (from a non-thermodynamics viewpoint) will tend to increase, the wire becomes more twisted; there are many ways for the wires to become twisted, and only one of these is the "good" solution (no twists). Therefore, statistically, it is almost certain that there will be twists in the iPod cable after walking a set distance. Although an interesting meld of chaos and knot theory, there's no magic electrical phenomenon at work.
On the other hand, there may be a good reason for the cables around PC and TVs to twist: these cables probably spent many weeks being transported around factories bunched into tight helixes, so when straightened out, the cables usually want to coil back up. When lots of cables are straighened, they may tend to twist around each other. Laïka 14:56, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

My sister and I came up with a theory of "Magical Knot Gnomes" (and apparently, we were not the only ones!) They come at night and tie things just to freak us out, usually by throwing a little bit of magic knotting dust on them, and poof, everything is entangled. Damn little buggers. — Kieff 23:38, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I think they're the same people who do the socks! --Zeizmic 02:20, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Who, wikignomes? I thought they mainly contributed to articles in small ways; wire-tangling is a much deadlier business than stealing socks and editing... V-Man737 04:04, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

And here I thought those entangled wires were mating. Isn't that where little wires come from ? StuRat 04:26, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

I thought they only mated at the factories, the same way they make everything esle. I'll have to check that. | AndonicO ^{Talk · Sign Here} 11:37, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Setting up a webcam to allow time lapse photography might help answer the question of whether the cordss are mating like snakes, or wire gnomes tangle them. It always seemed like there must be a night crew who come into a lab and spend all night tying knots in test leads which were left neat after the last use. Edison 14:48, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

If one end falls (or is fed) through the coils, then severe knotting ensues. The only way I have sucessfully stored A/V cables w without knotting is indivdually coiled in small transparent plastic bags. Rich Farmbrough, 10:18 20 January 2007 (GMT).

Ah, the need for the bags to be transparent is a clue. Apparently the wires are too embarrassed to mate if they think somebody might be watching. :-) StuRat 07:09, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

This sounds like it could be the work of Gremlins:] They tend to attack anything electrical:) Le Chatelier's principle says that things tend to do the opposite of what we want, so if you tangle the wires up, they might unwind themselves:]Hidden secret 7 14:04, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

That's right, when you twist strands of twine together to form rope they can't wait to untwist to form twine strands again. StuRat 09:43, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

A major cause is likely that the cords were originally spooled or somehow constrained for the duration of their production and shipping. When you unstring them, they attempt to recurl slowly over time. When this happens, you get a curled up mess. If you move them around (Unplug and replug), it's almost guaranteed you'll get a tangle. 68.39.174.238 23:45, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

Location of an article

Hi, a challenge here. When 2006 Kolkata leather factory fire was up on DYK, it received this comment on the talk page:

I added the infamous Triangle fire to See also because it, too, involved doors being locked that shouldn't have been. Wasn't there some similar fire tragedy at a chicken plant in North Carolina in the early 1990s as well? Daniel Case 15:06, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

As regards the fire at the North Carolina chicken facory, I have attempted to find some info on it, and have failed. Does anyone here know if Wikipedia has an article on this dissaster, and if not, know of any information that could be used to start one? Blood Red Sandman Open Up Your Heart - Receive My EviLove 16:21, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

September 03, 1991 fire at the Imperial chicken processing plant in Hamlet, North Carolina.[2] Is that the one?—eric 16:45, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

...the case of the Imperial chicken plant in Hamlet, North Carolina, where twenty-five deaths occurred when the factory caught fire. Imperial's owners had padlocked the plant's fire exits to stop petty pilfering of chicken; each of the owners received a ten-year prison sentence for nonnegligent manslaughter. Henry, Stuart (1998). Essential Criminology. pp. p. 1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

a textbook example.—eric 16:56, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Thank you so much, will work on the article shortly (currently working on bringing 2006 Milwaukee explosion to GA status) Blood Red Sandman Open Up Your Heart - Receive My EviLove 17:24, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

The fire is briefly mentioned in the articles Hamlet, North Carolina and List of disasters.  --Lambiam^Talk 20:57, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for that, too. Blood Red Sandman Open Up Your Heart - Receive My EviLove 07:33, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Prolonged exposure to water

Hello there,

I would like to know what the condition would be called that involves your finger tips mainly, and hands, cracking and bleeding when exposed to water for prolonged periods of time?

They're dishpan hands, and I can't find a single good source to back me up (they're all sleazy). Maybe somebody wants to do an article? --Zeizmic 17:14, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Closest thing I can find is Osmosis which describes the process. But I haven't found a medical term yet. --Measure 19:35, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

You mean prolonged exposure to Dihydrogen monoxide? | AndonicO ^{Talk · Sign Here} 21:15, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Gym(PE)clothes

Yes I know it's an odd question..and neither Gym or Physical Education has any answers.When I was younger,if you forget your PE kit at school you had to do it in your underwear.A quick straw poll revealed this was true of most primary schools in the 70s and even up to the late 80s when I was there.

Nowadays,it seems that most schools have either a store of spare clothes or you simply sit the lesson out.I'd imagine that with the...'earlier development' of the female pupils,there would be a few complaints.Are there any schools out there that still have this rule-and would they be allowed to insist on it?

Lemon martini 17:42, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

It certainly wasn't a rule in our area. Had the teachers tried that stunt they'd likely have been fired. --Charlene 18:02, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

You don't mention which country you are from, though i'm guessing the UK from your description. In the mid to late 1990s, I lived in a small, rural Afrikaans farming community in South Africa. The primary school there would occasionally have children doing PE in their underwear (and bare feet). The community was so isolated that the concerns you allude to didn't appear to concern them. I don't know if that would continue to this day - though I wouldn't be surprised if it did. I very much doubt many schools in any Western country would try that these days. Rockpocket 18:20, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

IN the sixties underware was P.E. kit for girls (primary) knickers, blouse and plimsoles; boys wore their uniform shorts and plimsoles. Indoors only I hasten to add. Rich Farmbrough, 10:23 20 January 2007 (GMT).

When I was at an English public (independent secondary) school in the late 70s/early 80s it was still usual practice for pupils who'd forgotten their gym kit to have to do the lesson in their underwear. I suspect that it wouldn't be tolerated at state schools today, but I don't know about public schools, which are still more traditional and less painfully politically correct. Although with the modern hysteria of seeing paedophiles everywhere I would be surprised if any PE teacher would be stupid enough to do it - it's probably a dangerous enough profession to be in at the best of times. -- Necrothesp 18:42, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

I went to lower school in the early 90's and this policy was still in practice then, although i was always smart enough to remember to bring my kit so as not have to endure it in underwear. I would also have to agree with the previous post in that it is very much unlikely given the current climate (e.g. paedophiles) that it is still done that way. RS

At all schools I attended in Austria in the 80s and 90s when you forgot your PE clothes, you would have to do the lesson in your normal street clothes. Aetherfukz 14:43, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

Locating a city in the US

Hi! I am trying to locate some cities in the US that have the following characteristics: 1) no snow, 2) dry heat, 3) not near/on a fault line, 4) near body of water (lake or ocean). I've noticed that Wikipedia lists all of this type of information, but I'm not quite sure how to do a search for a city based on these characteristics. Can you please provide any help? THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!!!

Las Vegas seems to fit that criteria (its near Lake Mead) Rockpocket 18:22, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Or how about Lake Havasu City, Arizona? Rockpocket 18:26, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

It snows every few years in Las Vegas, and both of these cities have snowy areas within an hour's drive. Las Vegas even has its own ski hill - with natural snow. --Charlene 18:29, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I just checked with accuweather.com - it snowed two weeks ago in Las Vegas. --Charlene 18:30, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Try Roosevelt, AZ. Right next to a big lake, probably only snows once every few decades. Bit far away from any large cities, though, but if you don't mind small-town life... --Measure 18:57, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I definitely want a bigger (but not huge) city that has a lot of diversity with regard to its people and things to do.

Southern California seems to be the only likely place for all of these:)

Go to San Diego. I live in Scotland but boy oh boy, do I wish I lived in San Diego - for all the reasons you seek, but this has to be Paradise on Earth. Yet I have a friend who lives there - who wants to emigrate to Canada????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Conversely, I'm from Scotland but live in San Diego. Let me tell you, over the last week it has been so cold here it feels like Edinburgh. Plus there is currently snow less than an hours drive from here too.Rockpocket 07:42, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

San Diego, however, is near several fault lines and, like nearly all of California, is prone to earthquakes, as you can see on this map. To be honest, I'm not sure that you can satisfy all of your criteria. Las Vegas is about as close as you can get, and I'm not sure that it can claim "diversity with regard to ... things to do". The casinos, fake volcanos, and replicas of European cities are amusing the first time you see them, but, unless you are a gambler, I think that they tend to lose their appeal. If you did not need to be near a body of water, you could consider Tucson, Arizona (culturally and aesthetically richer, I think, than Phoenix, Arizona, which might be another option), and if your heat didn't have to be dry, you could consider southern Florida. Marco polo 20:43, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I would have suggested Albuquerque, New Mexico, which has a lot of things to do, but it does snow from time to time. How humid does Austin, Texas get? User:Zoe|(talk) 20:55, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I think that Albuquerque gets some snow most winters, though it tends to melt quickly. Austin tends to be rather humid and very hot in summer, and it can be quite chilly in winter. Snow is unusual in Austin but not unknown. Marco polo 21:05, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Look through this list; you might find a non-humid lakeside city. Might... | AndonicO ^{Talk · Sign Here} 21:22, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

If you find any place in Florida that doesn't have horrid humidity, it would make news.  :) User:Zoe|(talk) 21:30, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Indeed, plus I would think requiring no snow and dry heat might cancel each other out, humidity tends to be a temperature regulator, take it away, and the temperature range expands quite dramatically, its why it can get so cold in desert climates during the night. It seems unlikely you'd be able to find somewhere with dry heat, that doesn't at least get a small amount of snow every now and then. Cyraan 21:38, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

First of all, thank you to everyone for your replies!! It seems like my criteria is very hard to meet... I definitely could not do FL because of the extreme humidity. I was recently in San Diego, and I was surprised by how cold it got at night. Some people have recommended northern California (mild winters with very little to no snow, not very much affected by the earthquakes in central & southern california, close drive to the ocean, and still have warm weather.... Are they right??

Ummm, 1906 San Francisco earthquake? Loma Prieta earthquake? Almost all of California is subject to earthquakes. Being from NorCal myself, I can definitely tell you that it's colder in NorCal than in SoCal (which is I live in SoCal). howcheng {chat} 00:56, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

What part of Northern California are you thinking of? San Francisco is bitter cold (Mark Twain once said the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco), where it rarely reaches 80 degrees. The Sonoma area is warmer, but it does have cold winters. It's freezing in the Sacramento area right now (and every winter), and temperatures rise to above 100 most summers. User:Zoe|(talk) 03:06, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

How about Honolulu, Hawaii? --Spoon! 01:37, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

Honolulu doesn't really have dry heat. Perhaps the place in America that best meets the user's criteria (except for the "city" part) is the island of Niihau. Unfortunately, unless he's a native Hawaiian or marries into the family that owns the island, he probably wouldn't be able to move there. -- Mwalcoff 04:05, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

I moved to Tucson Arizona for many of the same reasons you cite. Don't like humidity, want to tennis outdoors all year long. You don't say how far away water should be, but Tucson is about a 2 hour drive to Rocky Point, Mexico, which I'm told is a great diving destination. Of course, you could always move somewhere with a pool! Arizona has something like 13 different microclimates so pretty much any climate you want is within driving distance. Lorraine 68.32.219.247 16:01, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

There might be some lakes in Iraq:]

I've been hearing a lot of good things about Redding, CA? Any input on the Shasta area??

I still can't figure out why you'd want to live in a place that's so intolerably, unbelievably hot. Heat is so horrendously uncomfortable - you can always put another sweater on if you're cold, but you sure can't take your skin off when it's too hot. --Charlene 10:51, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

I just simply prefer heat to cold.... Personal preference. I actually hate having to bundle up and layer on clothes.

tax exemptions

guarante prices on tax extemptions

That seems like a good idea. I'm in favour of that too.  --Lambiam^Talk 21:04, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Hmm. Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. Cyraan 21:32, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I don't get it, can you explain what that means? 68.39.174.238 03:05, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

High heels

Do women really like to wear high heels? Personally, I like it when women wear high heels. But I'm a man, and I'm interested in the opinions of women themselves. As much as high heels look pretty, they must be difficult and painful to actually wear. Do women wear them only when it's expected, or when they're trying to please some man, or do they wear also wear them for fun, simply because they like them?

Myself, as a man, I always try not to wear normal blue jeans and tennis shoes, but even a little smarter clothes than that. Black straight trousers and black leather shoes are what I like to wear. Not to please women, but because I myself think they look good on me. But high heels on women are another matter, because they are more difficult to wear and walk in than normal shoes. JIP | Talk 20:23, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Well, I confess that I wear them, but this depends on the occasion, not consciously to please the opposite sex. Are they comfortable? No, they are not; but we are all slaves of fashion and convention to some degree or other: even men! Clio the Muse 20:46, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Do man like to wear ties? It looks like a form of voluntary self-strangulation.  --Lambiam^Talk 21:06, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Not me - and when I do wear a tie it is never voluntary. Cheers Geologyguy 21:17, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Who holds you down and ties it around your neck ? StuRat 07:51, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

Quote: "Not me - and when I do wear a tie it is never" self-strangulation. ^{Lack of originality. :-)} | AndonicO ^{Talk · Sign Here} 21:26, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I don't like ties either, but they're not as uncomfortable as you might think. They don't impede with function at all (unlike high heels..) and after awhile you don't even notice --froth^T 23:20, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

But if you don't wear ties, where do you blow your nose ? :-) StuRat 03:24, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Didn't you ever wonder where Greensleeves got its name? JackofOz 03:29, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Any more snotty comments ? :-) StuRat 07:51, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

I love ties, I've only had a problem with feeling tight on the neck when wearing shirts that have tight collars. I fix that by making sure the collar size of my shirts is ample. Voila! An extra slab of fancy fabric to express myself with. As per high heels, many of my female friends love them, whether or not men are watching. They do admit the pain of cheap, small ones, but there are many brands that make high-heels with a focus on comfort (Nine West is one that I can remember). V-Man737 01:40, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I like to wear a tie. In fact, I dislike wearing a formal shirt and trousers without a tie. I think it looks untidy. And I don't find them uncomfortable in the slightest. -- Necrothesp 18:51, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

I wear heels from time to time - they can be painful indeed! (a good friend actually suffers from ankle problems due to loving heels) But they also make me look tall and slender, and they click while I walk on cement like "Look at me! Don't you love my shoes!" At work, I wear short, stubby heels that are a lot more comfortable, but still fashionable. -sthomson06 (Talk) 23:19, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Ah, that clicking is annoying! It probably causes a lot of damage to the surface too, especially if it's brittle like concrete. --froth^T 23:21, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I subscribe to the Dianne Brill school of heels; she says in her book Boobs, Boys and High Heels that a well-fit high heel won't hurt, and that's been my personal experience. I also don't wear high heels for the opposite sex (or the same sex, for that matter :D). Also, while many, many experts say heels are bad for you, a recent study (can't seem to find it, sorry), says (albeit reluctantly) that wearing high heels contributes to good muscle tone, particularly muscles that tend to weaken in well-supported shoes like trainers. Anchoress 23:26, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I think it must vary from woman to woman - some actively like wearing them for various reasons, some feel pressured into wearing them, some avoid them like the plague (that would be me). FreplySpang 23:57, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the answers. As for ties, I don't like to wear them either. Sure, I think ties look good on me when I'm wearing a good shirt and jacket, but they're an absolute pain to actually put on. So unlike good trousers and shoes, I only wear ties when it's expected, or when I'm purposely dressing up. JIP | Talk 07:13, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Some possible reasons here. Rockpocket 07:37, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Women do not dress to please men. They never have and they never will. They dress so that other women won't say horrible things about them behind their backs. --Charlene 07:41, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

I never thought or claimed women would dress to generally please any men. But I think that some women like to dress to please a particular man, such as their boyfriend or husband. Or am I wrong? JIP | Talk 17:35, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

He dresses to please me! Clio the Muse 00:37, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

You are. We *say* we do to prop up your egos, but in reality most men don't notice so why would we bother? We dress mainly for ourselves and to make sure we aren't made fun of. --Charlene 10:53, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

Famous people who have had medical care at Massachusetts General Hospital

I am working on a speech regarding "Sustaining Excellence". I am referencing Mass General as an institution that has been able to sustain excellence. As such, I'd like to support that by siting people who could choose to have their medical care done anywhere in the world choose to go to Mass General. I know Julie Andrews had surgery on her vocal cords there. Can you please help me with the names of any other famous people?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

FWIW, I'd question the notability of such a list. Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information --froth^T 23:22, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Er, never mind I should have read the question more carefully. I thought you were compiling the list for WP --froth^T 19:16, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

<opinion>I think it will be difficult to find such a list, because it would be an invasion of privacy.</opinion> However, having said that, remarkably, its sister hospital McLean Hospital has a section listing famous patients. I'm ever so slightly lazy, so you'll have to peruse THIS GOOGLE SEARCH yourself to find out if MGH has a similar list anywhere. Anchoress 23:58, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I don't know if I'd be mentioning Julie Andrews - didn't she lose her singing voice permanently after surgery? --Charlene 08:10, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Isn't it a conflict-of-interest?

It occurred to me: Isn't it a conflict of interest for Jimbo Wales to be the chairman emeritus of Wikimedia while also being the chairman of Wikia Inc. and also the a member of the board of directors of Socialtext Inc., both for-profit corporations dealing with Wikis? In other words, it is conceivable that tax-exempt donations for the establishment and development of Wikipedia could conceivably benefit Wales financially if he uses the same technology or resources for his business partners. 69.138.31.96 21:13, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

You should contact the board with any legal concerns you might have. The reference desk cannot comment on this issue. Hipocrite - «Talk» 21:28, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Please be aware that all contributions to Wikipedia are released under the GFDL (GNU Free Documentation License) and all of the MediaWiki software – the software which runs Wikipedia – is licensed under the GPL (the GNU General Public License). In other words, anyone (You, me, Jimbo) is allowed to redistribute both Wikipedia's content and its underlying software – for free or for profit – as long as the licensing (GFDL or GPL) is maintained on the copied or derived works. If you'd like to try to use Wikipedia's content or software to try to make a profit, feel free to go right ahead.

On the topic of whether or not Jimbo has a conflict of interest, per Hipocrite's comment I'm afraid we can't offer a legal opinion on that here. You're welcome to contact the Wikimedia Foundation's legal counsel if you have questions or concerns about the Foundation's status or its Board of Directors, or if you are concerned that the Foundation has breached its obligations under its own bylaws or the laws regarding charities in the State of Florida. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 21:44, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Good question. The issue is covered by the Wikimedia Inc. Conflict of Interest Policy, to which Wales and the other six directors must subscribe. It is not a problem per se to have a conflict of interest, but it is a problem not to declare such a conflict. Wales' latest "pledge of personal commitment" on the subject is here.--Tagishsimon (talk)

Online Jobs for Teenagers

Hello, all. I was going to put this in the Computer section but I figured it was more of a miscellaneous. I'm soon to be 16 years old and have recently been looking for a part time job, but I want to avoid typical counter jobs and the like and focus instead on web design and programming. Assuming that I knew C++, Visual Basic, and HTML programming, could I get a job doing one or more of the above at any particular (online) locations? I'm not expecting spectacular pay, but it would be something of a foot in the door for me. (Many apologies if this isn't a proper question to be asking...) Robinson0120 21:25, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Good luck; unless family or a friend wants to employ you I doubt you'll find interesting programming work for a part-time job. Millions of of college grads just spent 4 years and $100,000 to earn the privilege to work those crappy jobs :/ One option you might want to look into is freelance web design; unlike real programming it's not particularly sensitive and it has a pretty good market right now. Ask around at local businesses. --froth^T 23:17, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

I would look at local web design companies as well. That's what I did back in high school. However, it helps that you know someone that works there. You can open your own hosting company too, but you probably need help from someone who's 18+, though I don't know the details about that. I guess that does count as a private business. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 00:42, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

You might look into online freelance job sites. There are a number of these and the way they basically work is someone who wants some sort of work done posts a description, you and perhaps lots of other folks bid on how much you'd charge to do it, if you get the job you do it, and the site takes a cut (see Freelancing on the Internet). You're probably not going to make much money doing this (many of these sites are global), but it's probably way less unpleasant than working at a fast food joint. -- Rick Block (talk) 03:45, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Talk page formatting help

I want my talk page to have the {{signpost-subscription}} template to be on my talk page in the empty space under my archive box and to the right of the table of contents, but I can't quite get it to work. Can anyone please help me? Thanks! Reywas92^Talk_Sigs 22:10, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Theresa's sorted this out. --Tagishsimon (talk)

It works, and I guess I'll keep it this way, but now there's the large empty area above the TOC. Reywas92^Talk_Sigs 00:58, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

You could force the TOC into one cell of, and the signpost & archive box into another cell of a one row, two column table. Perhaps there's also a possibility of employing CSS freakery, but I'm old school. The magic word is __TOC__ --Tagishsimon (talk)

I'm not exactly sure what you mean. Perhaps you could try it? I don't know CSS. Thanks so much though! Reywas92^Talk_Sigs 20:27, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Done --Tagishsimon (talk)

Thanks!!! I've never been very good at formatting! Reywas92^Talk_Sigs 03:32, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

School fires

My school required a fire drill at least once a month. How many fires actually occur in schools per year? Thanks! Reywas92^Talk_Sigs 22:15, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

For the U.S., according to the United States Fire Administration, an average of 5,500 structure fires occur in educational institutions per year.[3]—eric 22:29, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

So that means one out of fifteen schools a year have a structural fire, on average (there are 87,125 schools in the USA). I imagine most of those are not very serious though. In any case, the reason they require drills is because people who have been drilled for emergencies generally react much better when thrust into a real emergency situation than those who haven't. I'm not sure if children would be any better or worse than adults in a fire, at least in terms of psychology (in terms of physiology, their lungs are much smaller), but for sheer political and emotional reasons alone you wouldn't want high fire casualties in a school. --24.147.86.187 23:34, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

See Collinwood School Fire. Serious school fires may be rare, but you don't want to take the risk of being unprepared. In Ohio, we had tornado drills every once in a while, too. Considering the narrowness of most tornado paths, the chance of a given school ever being hit by a tornado during school hours is extremely slim, even in Tornado Alley. But just in case... -- Mwalcoff 00:03, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Just for fun: A typical tornado, about 100 yards in width, might travel for 2 miles for a total path of 0.1 square miles. Ohio gets 14 tornados a year, so on average, we can say 1.4 square miles in the state is affected by tornadoes in any given year. That means in a typical year, a given spot in Ohio (not including water) will have a 1-in-28,297 chance of being hit by a tornado. -- 00:25, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Times three for school hours... Someoneinmyheadbutit'snotme 20:22, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Our articles on risk analysis are rather crappy just at the moment (oh, but risk assessment is quite good. phew.) But Probabilistic risk assessment makes the point that risk assessment is about the likelihood (probability) of occurrence of each consequence and also the magnitude (severity) of the possible adverse consequence(s). Given the possible severity of a school fire, a strategy of regular drills is a very sensible mitigation. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I remember that we had fire drills once a month, even in January, and had to stand outside in the cold, without coats, for a half hour. I recall thinking they are more likely to kill someone by giving them pneumonia than they are to save a life with January fire drills. I started bringing my coat with me to class just in case those idiots picked that day for a fire drill. StuRat 03:18, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

My grade school had fire drill even before the Our Lady of the Angels School Fire but afterwards schools at least in the US were motivated to have clear plans to get everyone out quickly and safely to prevent a recurrence of that horror. A few years after my grade school was closed, when it was vacant, it caught fire and burned to the ground in less than an hour. The building had been a similar firetrap. Edison 14:55, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Over here we usually have about one every year(drills, not fires:]):) Even less at my last school, which is odd as it is in East Thanet, which tends to have a lot of fires:) They can't be too rarely though as a fire could happen before new students have had their first fire drill:) Couldn't you find a really old school and look at how many fires they have had, instead of how many all schools have each year:?Hidden secret 7 14:15, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

misspelling of "Missouri" on USS Missouri photo

I tried to change the spelling but kept getting dead ends. Photo of USS Missouri sitting off the coast of Korea and firing a salvo was labeled "MOSSOURI", TWICE! Also, the caption read "all hand on deck" and it should be "all hands" with an "s". Misspelling the name of the Ship? Possibly the most famous Battleship of all time. Please correct this. Thanks. I look at Wikipedia everyday and I enjoy it. Sincerely, Boyd D. Dunson

Do you mean in the article USS Missouri (BB-63)? I;ve had a quick look but not found anything. Exactly what is the mis-spelling ... we could search the page for that. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Maybe Mr Dunson is referring to the image titled "Image:Mossouri North Korea Deployment.PNG". JackofOz 23:27, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

He means the filename of this file, I think. You can't rename files though, you can only upload new versions with different names and delete the old ones, which is a delicate operation for files used on multiple Wikis. That one only seems to be used on EN, though. --24.147.86.187 23:28, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Okay, I've sorted out the filename business. What about this "all hands" business? --Tagishsimon (talk)

It's there, at the bottom of the picture: She is only about forty miles from the Soviet border, so all hand are at General Quarters.. JackofOz 23:47, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Okay, fixed. Thanks for letting us know, Boyd. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Shipping times

About how long would it take to ship a box (the size of oh, say windows vista) from Texas to Ohio via UPS Ground? I don't deal with UPS very much and I'm worried about how soon I'll get the package. --froth^T 23:26, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Not long. One or two days most likely. Usually you get a tracking number that you can plug into their website and see exactly where it is at what time of the day. --24.147.86.187 23:29, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

More than that if it's UPS ground. I would estimate between 3-7 days. My UPS ground package took 3 days and it's a shorter distance than that. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 00:38, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Why are we guessing? UPS has a shipping time calculator. I don't know what cities you want, but Dallas (75261) to Cleveland (44107) takes 3 days via UPS ground. Go to the calculator and put in your own info. kmccoy (talk) 05:13, 20 January 2007 (UTC)