Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 July 31

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July 31

Manual vs CVT

Assume two identical cars, the only difference being the transmission; one has a traditional manual, while the other has a decent CVT transmission. Which car should accelerate faster, has higher stop speed, corner better and is more fuel-efficient? Thanks. Acceptable 02:13, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

I don't believe the transmission has any bearing on top speed and cornering, except where you're talking about the difference in weight distribution between the two transmissions. For acceleration and fuel efficiency, I believe that CVTs are quite a bit better, but we should both read the Continuously variable transmission article... They enable an engine to operate at its most efficient speed, somewhat regardless of the load. I should mention that my personal experience is that the constant acceleration that CVTs provide feels slower, but when I suprised myself a number of times when I looked down at the speedometer. --Mdwyer 02:56, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

With regard to top speed, it would matter in two instances:

1. If the car has enough horsepower to be "rev-limited" in its highest gear ratios with both transmissions, then the transmission with the higher gear ratio would be faster. If the car is, instead "power limited", then the transmission that had the more-favorable (not necessarily higher) gear ratio would win. And if both transmissions had identical top-end ratios, this point would become moot.
2. If one transmission has lower losses, then a "power-limited" car would go faster with that lower-loss transmission. The conventional mechanical is probably the winner there.

Atlant 11:50, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Assuming all is identical and all is perfect, the CVT will always win, in acceleration and in efficiency; the ability to keep the engine running at peak power always does it. cornering, only in as much as accelerating out of a corner helps. stopping, I don't see how it would differ. Gzuckier 14:43, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Also, always being in gear provides an advantage in acceleration - you don't have the short intervals where you're not accelerating while in between gears. Friday (talk) 14:46, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

The CVT consumes power in flexing the big rubber drive band which makes it a somewhat inefficient drive mechanism. So in theory, a perfectly correctly driven stick-shift car can outperform it. However, in practice, that's rarely the case because most people don't drive all that well. The CVT is almost certain not to be able to both be more fuel efficient AND produce better accelleration than a stick shift because these are flat out contradictory requirements and the car has no idea which of the two things you want. This is why most CVT's have a "Sport mode" button to allow you to choose between better accelleration and better economy. With a stick shift, the driver gets to make that determination every time he or she shifts (or decides not to shift). As for cornering - on a manual, you have the option to use 'engine braking' to kill your speed faster than the brakes alone can do it - you can't do that with a CVT. If you are driving hard around lots of corners then the manual gearbox lets you drive faster coming up to the corner because you can kill your speed faster - you can also use heel/toe tricks to get the engine up to higher revs before you dump the clutch - which gets you out of the corner faster. Also, if your car has a turbo charger, you'll often want to deliberately keep the revs high enough for the turbo to keep spinning so you won't get turbo-lag when you actually want to accellerate hard again. The CVT doesn't know you want that.

The bottom line is that if you are an excellent driver and you know all of the tricks, it's hard to beat a manual gearbox (unless you have a LOT of money to spend on a really up-market paddle-shifted automatic with hydraulic clutch...but a good one is going to cost a packet). But if you are not really good at driving stick, a CVT will win everytime. CVT's are becoming more popular recently - one word of warning though - the MINI (division of BMW) company dropped the CVT from their range a couple of years ago because it limited the amount of power they could put through it and the drive bands wore out and had a tendance to snap after around 50,000 miles. It's hard to say whether they had some kind of a design flaw in that particular transmission or whether it's an inherent problem that will soon start to show up in more modern CVT's. SteveBaker 20:38, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Invisible friends

Hello,

I am wondering how other cultures react to children who talk about their invisible friend. Or if other cultures would not consider the invisible friend a ghost or spirit. Thanks JS

Hello. You don't say which culture you are from, so its difficult to give you a comparison. However, as our article on Imaginary friend implies, they are generally considered a figment of a child's imagination and neither a ghost, nor a spirit. Apparently is a pretty common phenomenon [1] during childhood. However, some people appear to believe invisible friends are more than imaginary. This tarot reader and psychic suggests they may be fairies [2] and I have heard Christians use the imaginary friend as an allegory for God, Jesus and/or the Holy Spirit. Rockpocket 07:50, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Interesting that you've heard Christians use the idea of a child's imaginary friend in a positive, allegorical way. I've heard it used as an analogy by non-Christians for God, etc., but in a negative and dismissive way. 38.112.225.84 12:56, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Can private people e-mail Shueisha?

I'm just wondering...do private people, like just a normal person at home, e-mail Shueisha?

The only Shueisha on Wikipedia is a Japanese publishing company. Is this the one you're talking about? If so, here's their website, although it's only in Japanese. If you can read it, I'm pretty sure there'll be an "email us" or "contact us" button there somewhere. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 06:58, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Iwant to know about tulsi plant?

Iwant to know about tulsi plant?)

Tried reading the article, Tulsi? Rockpocket 06:22, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Don't be so ridiculous :p Capuchin 09:31, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

I think you misunderstood the OP - he is obviously asking if he wants to know about the tusli plant. I say go for it, better your botanical bad self. Lanfear's Bane

Blackmail

I have a (completely hypothetical) question about when a business proposition becomes blackmail. Its inspired by this incident, when a photographer was convicted of blackmailing Cameron Diaz. Ignoring the fact the gentleman was found to have forged her signature on the release forms, what I am interested in knowing under what conditions does offering first refusal on a legal product to a person or company (when the product might hurt that person or business' income if it was in someone else's hands) becomes blackmail? The reason I ask is because it appears to me (again hypothetically) that if I invented a reusable match after Swan Vesta game me some of its equipment to use as I pleased, I could make money one of two ways. I could either:

• Generate some seed funding to market it myself, sell every household exactly one reusable match generating a revenue stream for me and putting Swan Vesta out of business.
• Tell Swan Vesta about my match and marketing plan, and offer them the opportunity to buy the invention off me for a one off sum, and permit them to do what they want with it (i.e. bury it).

The second strategy seems a lot like the gentleman's plan to blackmail Diaz (discounting his forgery). Would that still be illegal? And if so, why, since it would appear to be marginally better for Swan Vesta (the alternative, which I would be legally permitted to do, may destroy their company). Rockpocket 06:53, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

To hear that a photographer was prosecuted for "blackmail" in a situation like this would suggest to me that the prosecution probably had a very weak case. Indeed, a quick glance at the link you provided indicates the photographer was convicted for attempted grand theft, forgery, and perjury; not blackmail.

One reason this difference matters is because, as you've implied, distinguishing "blackmail" from "pre-contractual negotiations" has problems. Many legal commentators have written on this issue. It was one of the catalysts for the "Criminal Code Reforms" in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States. (e.g., Google for: "consolidation of theft offenses" + "model penal code").

The forged signature is not so easily discounted as the conviction may very well have hinged on that specific fact. Then again, without the salacious details and the involvement of a high-profile Hollywood celebrity, this case may never have seen the light of day. That's just personal opinion.

As for your hypothetical business venture (I'm not sure I get it) there's always Intellectual property to worry about. dr.ef.tymac 10:31, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Thank you, dr.ef.tymac, your suggested google search shed some light on the fine line between the two. Rockpocket 18:11, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

Stephen King's writing It

How did Stephen King write the book, It, almost two thousand pages?

The same as every other book that's ever been written, one word at a time. Are you possibly looking for how long it took him to write it? Dismas|^(talk) 10:27, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

You might want to see King's book On Writing. I don't remember if he specifically discusses the writing of It, but he certainly discusses his approach to writinng in general, and across the years.Atlant 11:44, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

According to the article (which says it's 1138 pages), he published nothing the previous year, so no doubt he spent most of 1985 on it. Word processors were still crude and expensive then, but no doubt he could afford one, otherwise I guess he used a typewriter.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 11:47, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

You might find Stephen King#Writing style useful. -=# Amos E Wolfe ^talk #=- 11:48, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Motion activated lights

I have an outdoor motion activated light, with a OFF/ON switch, it used to work but now cant remember how to put it on the sensor mode, ive heard about turning it off for 10 seconds then turning it on but that didnt work... i know its probably not standardised but thanks for any suggestions, anyway. Ualms77 13:35, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

What brand are they, and did you RTFM? 199.172.246.196 13:53, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Lost TFM, its dark right now and cant really see any markings on it. Ualms77 14:21, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Flashlight --Longing.... 14:41, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

They're more standardized than you might think. There's probably one or two chips that everybody uses. I got my no-manual light to work, by reading the manual on a totally different product. It was like you said; turn it off for > 10 seconds then turn it on. I know you said you tried it and it didn't work, but I mention it because....... after a couple of years, that doesn't make it work any more. So, maybe yours is now dead. Gzuckier 14:46, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

There should be two small knobs underneath, one of which controls the light sensitivity and the other how long it stays on for. Try varying both of them in case it's appearing to work manually but is in fact (a) not being sensitive to the light level or (b) staying on for too long.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 15:58, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

If you've lost TFM, try looking up the manufacturer's website. These days, a lot of electronics companies carry manuals for products in pdf files on their websites. I even found the manual for my 20 year old oven, much to my surprise. --Dweller 09:56, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

A dangerous deer in Cameroon...

A few years ago, my cousin Josh told me of a deer that was in Cameroon that is dangerous. Josh said it was called the Casabolesa (I don't know what it's called) and it attacks animals and humans also. Josh then said that it looked scary, with its eyes without irises nor pupils. What is this deer in nature?

Well it's not a deer, but would you be thinking of the chupacabra? That's quite scary.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 16:03, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

google for dangerous deer Cameroon returns this -Arch dude 02:28, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

iNVOICE TAX

cAN YOU TELL ME WHAT AN iNVOICE tAX IS?

I find almost no use of the phrase "invoice tax" on Google. There are many various taxes that may appear on invoices, such as sales tax or value added tax. Perhaps you mean one of those? Alternately, I found a single reference on Google referencing an "invoice tax" in China which is a tax levied against the (generally foreign) seller based on the value of the invoice.[3] Finally, please toggle your caps lock feature. — Lomn 18:41, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

I think our OP has both shift key and word order mixed up! Are we talking about a 'Tax Invoice' here? That would be an invoice for goods or services that may be presented to the the tax authorities in order to prove that you paid for whatever it was. SteveBaker 20:15, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

There are some dealers who will charge you extra for a written invoice. I suppose they might rationalize this by calling that charge a tax.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:08, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

Pay your Electricity or Gas Bill her in the UK as a paper transaction and you will be surcharged (taxed) £4.50. So to avoid that, you authorise them to make an electronic (Direct Debit) from your nominated bank account. "It ain't worth the paper it's (not) written on".

• Are you referring to a tax invoice? That is an invoice that is for tax purposes, in other words an invoice that charges tax (you do get invoices that don't charge tax, and these might be called just "invoices"). If you read the article on invoice you'll see that it doesn't seem likely that there's anything called invoice tax. Rfwoolf 13:20, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

dsl

where can i get the cheapest dsl services in sanford, florida? can someone also tell me if there are any internet, phone, and cable bundles that include directv? thank u

I have no idea on the first question, however for the second question, any bundle that includes cable (TV) wouldn't include directv, since the latter is a satellite TV service. I am not aware of anybody combining satellite TV with phone and/or internet. --LarryMac | Talk 00:58, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

I don't have the internet service personally, but Direct TV is constantly advertising their satellite internet service on the TV service. I have a friend that lives in the country (DSL unavailable to her), and she told me she would rather use dial up than the Satellite ISP, because the satellite service was too expensive. Czmtzc 14:03, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

There are some significant problems with satellite Internet. If you play online games, you'll find that while the bandwidth (the rate at which data is delivered) is pretty good - the 'ping time' (the time between a signal going out from your computer - over to the server - and back to you again) can be horrible. So if you are an avid online game player - forget satellite. Also, they are generally highly asymmetrical lines - you get really good data rate from the satellite to you (so big photos and streaming video and downloads all load pretty fast) - but the rate from you back to the network may be poor. At least one service out there uses dialup to send data from you to the Internet and only uses the satellite link for the reverse direction. Again, if you are only browsing the web - this is no problem. When you enter a URL or click on a link, the amount of data you send is tiny compared to what comes back at you. But if you were planning to run a web site from your home computer - or if you need 24/7 access or if you plan to Upload lots of stuff - or email honking great videos to your Mum...it's going to be slow. However, it's available pretty much everywhere - which DSL, wireless and cable-TV based Internet certainly isn't. SteveBaker 17:46, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

Egg Plant

66.64.184.210 18:34, 31 July 2007 (UTC)This is not your typical purple egg plant...it has the same kind of purple blooms and leaves as the purple egg plant; however, the fruit looks exactly like a white chicken egg. A friend gave me this plant and I have never seen or heard of it before. Does anyone know what it is called and how to plant and care for it? Will it survive if I plant it outside in the Georgia climate? HELP

It is most likely a white or albino eggplant. There are a few varieties that produce white or cream color fruit. Here is one source of information. It is listed as hardy in USDA Zone 9 or 9B through 11, so it probably would not survive the winter outdoors in Georgia. --LarryMac | Talk 19:19, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Title of a Book?

Characters, Raz (from India), Nora, Alice, Luke Authors first name (I think) Nameen Takes place in US, child brought from India by father and left

(email removed)

Silvia Esposito

Longest highway

What's the longest highway? - Presidentman 23:18, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

The Pan-American Highway, I think. For the longest national highway see Highway 1 (Australia). I found both in our article highway, and searching for the word longest. Hope this helps :) --Taraborn 23:40, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Um - our article mentions that it has "an 87 kilometre (54 mi) rainforest gap", lol. What you need is James Bond style car for that bit, so you can fly over the gap. --Dweller 09:54, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

(Edit conflict) The article on highways provides a number of statistics relating to the longest highways. Lanfear's Bane

That's a matter of definition. What is a highway? How many lanes does it need to have? Should it have a certain 'lowest speed limit' (all of the way)? And, a question that the Pan American Highway raises - should it be uninterrupted? I'd say it should, so that one's out the window because there's a huge Darién Gap. Also, parts of it are little more than a backroad. If that counts, my guess is the longest highway is probably found in Russia or China, because they are/were huge countries with strong idealistic governments. DirkvdM 06:37, 1 August 2007 (UTC)