Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 September 11

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September 11

Three wattage lightbulb default level

If I have a three wattage bulb (you know, the ones made for lamp that have three levels of brightness) what will it default to if I use it in a lamp/fixture that only has one brightness level, i.e., an on/off switch with no way to turn up the brightness? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.107.9.159 (talk) 04:45, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Full power. Do you even need a special bulb for a dimmable lamp? I have never seen a special bulb that has magic dimmers embedded in them. --antilived^{T | C | G} 08:02, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

I think the questioner means a three-way bulb. It has two filaments and three settings - low filament on, high filament on, and both filaments on (highest brightness). I'm not sure which would be used if placed in a normal "on/off" lamp --Bennybp (talk) 10:42, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

A three-way bulb has two contacts on the base, compared to one for a normal light bulb. Which of the filaments will light up depends on which of those contacts (if either) touches the contact in the socket. From reading descriptions of 3-way bulbs (which are a North American phenomenon, it appears, and not known in the rest of the world), I'm guessing that the center high-wattage contact will connect and the outer low-wattage contact won't, resulting in the bulb putting out its medium brightness. FiggyBee (talk) 11:31, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

A normal lightbulb has two contacts on the base. DuncanHill (talk) 12:22, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Okay, a 'normal' Edison screw lightbulb, vs a bayonet cap. In Australia we use both kinds, which can occasionally be annoying. FiggyBee (talk) 12:46, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Do we have a photo of the base of a three-way bulb? --Random832 (contribs) 13:00, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

I couldn't find one, but I found descriptions. The high-wattage contact is in the center like the single contact on the bottom of a single-filament edison screw. The low-wattage contact is a ring around the high-wattage contact. I found several sources which said that a single-filament bulb in a three-way socket will go off-off-on-on as the switch is moved through the four positions, suggesting that the single contact on that bulb connects to the high-wattage contact in the socket only - hence my deduction that it would work the same with a single contact socket and a three-way bulb. FiggyBee (talk) 13:14, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Geez, i must be old, as sticking three way bulbs in a regular socket, regular bulbs in a three way socket, and three way bulbs which had burned out to one way bulbs in both kind of sockets is something i seem to have a lot of experience with. anyway, yeah; the ring connection in the three way won't get contacted in a regular socket, so it just acts like the middle wattage. Note: not the high wattage; the high wattage is obviously both filaments at the same time, i.e. the lowest wattage plus the middle wattage, so if you can't contact the lowest wattage you only have the middle wattage.

now when you have a regular bulb in a three way socket, it's a bit unexpected; the bulb is on for two clicks, then off for two clicks. Gzuckier (talk) 17:31, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Unexpected unless almost every lamp you've ever used has been a three-way socket with a one-way bulb, that is. --Random832 (contribs) 19:01, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

100/200/300W tri-light bulb - large-base format

That combination is, or used to be, found in many North American motel rooms. I confirm what the others are saying. --Anonymous, 07:40 UTC, September 12, 2008.

Well, here's a lousy picture anyway. You can see the secondary ring between the standard thread and centre contacts. These large-base bulbs are a little hard to find nowadays but the modern small-base (same size as a single-wattage bulb) tri-light uses the same technique. And yes, it defaults to medium wattage. Franamax (talk) 07:24, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Why are Namibia and Botswana thinly populated?

Esp. since all the countries surrounding them are normally dense. 64.81.78.179 (talk) 05:33, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Desert? Jørgen (talk) 08:25, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Looks like Botswana is covered by desert so no wonder the population is low, but Namibia has a long stretch of uninterrupted coastline. Why aren't there more than two million people? 209.233.180.101 (talk) 19:23, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

The uninterrupted coastline is blessed with, you guessed it, a second desert!!! Fribbler (talk) 19:35, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Why should it matter whether the coastline is interrupted or not? (Incidentally, it was until 1994, perhaps that explains everything...) By the way, the name Skeleton Coast also hints at a not-so-hospitable environment. Jørgen (talk) 20:35, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

I think that they meant that an uninterrupted coastline, without an intervening mountain range, is generally arable. In this case, though, it isn't. Fribbler (talk) 22:43, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Compliance fund

What is a 'compliance fund'? I saw it on http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/imgad?id=COvdz4X6_NynEBDYBRhaMgjnC6FKGi1lIA (can't link to it) this ad and had no idea what it was supposed to signify. Nadando (talk) 05:45, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

A compliance fund raises money to pay for complying with federal election laws. Also, the fund is not included in the McCain/Feingold limits on campaign funds. In old money: a loophole. Fribbler (talk) 10:53, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Businessman/Writer with a Church

What is the name of the person who writes/wrote books on successful business and has also founded his own church which is Internet based? The church was founded probably no more than ten years ago. Not sure whether the writer is English, but was certainly living in the UK last year. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Curiousja (talk • contribs) 10:51, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Are you talking about L. Ron Hubbard? Scientology is more than ten years old, and isn't Internet-based. Corvus cornix_talk 20:27, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

The Universal Life Church is older than that, too, although it's widely associated with its online activities and easy ordination. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 22:55, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

MIDSHIPMAN COVERS

The picture of the day[1] refers to a group of midshipmen throwing their covers in the air. Covers? why not cap or hat? What is the etymology of this word. I have an English dictionary which cannot help me - nor can the article midshipman or cover.Richard Avery (talk) 12:34, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Hi Richard Avery, did you want the language desk? Ambiguous, so won't moove a hair.  :) Julia Rossi (talk) 12:54, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

I am vaguely aware that in the US Navy and Marines, any headwear is referred to as a 'cover'. I can't tell you why though! FiggyBee (talk) 12:56, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

From Peaked cap: "In the United States military, they are commonly known as service caps, wheel caps, or combination covers in the Naval services.". The etymology eludes me, but I think we can assume it's just because it covers your head. Military types have a penchant for inventing new words for common items. Fribbler (talk) 13:00, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

(edit conflict, ahoy) The very stubby Cover (military) briefly mentions this usage, but with no reference or etymology. Peaked cap says that "they are commonly known as ... combination covers in the Naval services." Take note of the United Kingdom / Royal Navy section in that article. It looks like the cloth portion of the cap is specifically the cover, and it doesn't seem like a stretch to go from that to using "cover" to refer to the whole cap, and from there to using it to refer to any headgear (for example, see the opening sentence of Garrison cap.)

This US Coast Guard page also distinguishes the various parts of the hat, including reference to "cloth hat frame covers", and note at the bottom of the page that you can buy just that cloth part as well. --LarryMac | Talk 13:07, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for that guys and gal(s). I think Fribbler's idea on etymology probably makes most sense in the absence of other info. Yes Julia, it should have been the Language Desk, but. . .er. . .um. . .I'm new round here;-)) Richard Avery (talk) 17:30, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Naughty Richard A. Julia Rossi (talk) 12:02, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

I remember reading somewhere that, in the Westminster Parliament, to make certain rare motions a Member must be "seated and covered" (rather than standing and uncovered, i.e. hatless, as for other actions), and that this custom caused some awkward moments after top-hats went out of fashion. So the Navy isn't the only context in which a hat is called a cover. —Tamfang (talk) 23:25, 14 September 2008 (UTC)

Missing line on this Wikipedia page

Why is the border line under the tabs (eg the "project page" tab) not appearing on this page (ref desk misc)? I have created a screenshot.--Commander Keane (talk) 13:44, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

It does for me (Safari on WinXP, with greenscreen gadget enabled). DuncanHill (talk) 13:50, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Ahh yes sorry browser details. Firefox 3.0.1 on WinXP for me.--Commander Keane (talk) 13:51, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

(ec) I think this is a FF3 problem. I've been seeing it since I upgraded. I don't know what causes it or why it affects only some pages. Algebraist 13:53, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Testing seems to suggest it's a page size problem. Do you also find that the border at the bottom of the page (just below the categories) is not present, and the left border is only present in the middle two thirds or so of the page, and is much blacker than it should be? Algebraist 14:03, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Yes I have those exact symptoms and Cntl- reduces the page size and restores the lines back to normal.--Commander Keane (talk) 14:18, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Same here (no lines on top/bottom, thick line in center on side) on the school's computers. Firefox 3.x on WinXP. Dismas|^(talk) 20:55, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

By the way... The lines do show up as the page is being rendered (loaded? Is there a difference?) and only disappear once the page has fully done so. Dismas|^(talk) 21:27, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

I thought I was the only one with weird FF3 experiences: it seems to only happen on the large pages, but the "symptoms" differ: sometimes the left hand line is missing in the middle, but present (but thicker) on the top and bottom thirds. Sometimes with, sometimes without top and bottom lines. But they don't usually show then disappear, as Dismas's do. Gwinva (talk) 21:47, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Now I check, I have the same experience as Dismas. This is probably a bug in FF; has anyone filed it as such? Algebraist 22:12, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

No issue with Firefox on a Mac. Dismas|^(talk) 02:02, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

I submitted a bug report for Firefox.--Commander Keane (talk) 07:01, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

Code of Ethics

When was the code of ethics introduced and who by? Why and when is it used?

Its just im doing a psychology course and this has popped up and i don't have a clue x —Preceding unsigned comment added by XxX Lil Carri XxX (talk • contribs) 15:27, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

There are numerous ethical codes around. Which in particular are you interested in? Algebraist 15:36, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

If this came up in a course then I strongly suggest asking your teacher. DJ Clayworth (talk) 16:09, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

And if you're talking about professional ethics, how's about "If a builder build a house for some one, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death?" (Code of Hammurabi, item 229) Right there, you're at 3,750 years and counting... --- OtherDave (talk) 16:44, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

They might want you to be aware of the Hippocratic oath. Itsmejudith (talk) 07:46, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Sport

Hi, I'm needing to know how much sports stars like Tiger Woods, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Rafiel Nadal, Jonny Wilkinson and any others earn for wearing and advertising brands like addidas, reebok and nike??? I've searched but couldn't find anything!!! Please help! Jenny —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.105.177.45 (talk) 18:25, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Sports Illustrated has a list of the top 50 here. It breaks it down to salary/winnings and endorsements. This might only be an overview though - sounds like you want specific companies (although SI does list sponsors for Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson --Bennybp (talk) 18:55, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

The Tiger Woods article definitely lists the value of most of his endorsement contracts (US$100 million over 5 years from Nike, for example). A more specific request would most likely lead to more specific answers. --LarryMac | Talk 19:00, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Expiration date of common medications

Food items such as milk or yogurt has an expiry date because they will spoil if kept past that date. But what happens to common over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol or cough syrup if they are kept past their expiry date? What specific chemical reactions, if any, occurs in the medications? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 21:47, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

It's not recommended by the manufacturer to consume any medication after the listed expiration date. That said, in general consuming a medication past its prime won't hurt you. Many drugs are good long after their listed expiration date and most drugs don't really "go bad" so much as they just lose their potency, in which case the biggest problem is that the user/prescriber has no accurate way to track the administered dosage. Of course, some drugs do just go bad (e.g. epinephrine, insulin) and again, as a rule it is inadvisable to consume any product after its listed expiration date. --Shaggorama (talk) 00:15, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Most of the time they just lose a little potency. In fact, there are some programs that will take your expired $400 prescription drugs and give them to sick people in the third world. It's not as good as the real stuff, but apparently the poor aren't entitled to full strength medication. Plasticup ^T/C 05:23, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

The Air Force did a study on this a while back. Google for drug expiration and you will find a number of articles. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 14:08, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

You should of course talk to your doctor or pharmacist before actually using any medication that is past the date, rather than relying on information from a wiki. --Random832 (contribs) 16:02, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Printing/binding .pdf books

Hello. I have downloaded a fair number of non-copyrighted or public domain books, mostly in .pdf format, from places like Project Gutenberg, NASA and the like. While it is handy to read them on my computer as an electronic library, someday I would like to print them, bind them and have them as hard copy, to have a real library of some substance. Is there any method or equipment to do this on the home level. (The printing part is easy, of course. It's more the binding part I'm asking about.) Thank you. — Michael J 21:52, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

It seems like you've already found the Wikipedia article on Bookbinding, but you should know Wikibooks has a publication on it as well [2]. There's also a page at Wikihowto [3]. You can probably find more sites by doing an internet search (e.g. Google) for phrases such as "bookbinding howto", "DIY bookbinding", etc. What equipment you'll need probably depends on what type of binding you want: a stitched hardcover "library binding", a glued paperback, Comb binding, VeloBind, etc. -- 128.104.112.147 (talk) 22:29, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Additional thought - if you're not necessarily interested in doing the binding yourself, most print shops offer binding services for a nominal fee, although they may not offer hardcover/paperback-type bindings. An alternative is to contact a local librarian, and ask who they use to re-bind their books. (Library books often have their bindings wear out. If a replacement cannot be purchase, the library often elects to have the book rebound, most often in hardcover form.) -- 128.104.112.147 (talk) 22:50, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Wow! I didn't even know there was a Wikihowto. That's perfect. Thanks! — Michael J 03:10, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Additional thought - if you are interested in doing it yourself, a local craft store or scrapbooking store may help out with equipment and advice. -- 128.104.112.147 (talk) 17:10, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

There are also services like Lulu.com (I put in the link, but Wikipedia says it's blacklisted) that will help you 'publish' your book online, allowing others to buy physical copies as well. If your books are public domain, you wouldn't need author permission. --- OtherDave (talk) 10:56, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

You could also, of course, look for published reprints. Dover Publications reprints a lot of old public domain books. -- BenRG (talk) 13:51, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Barnes and Noble has a "classic book" series of public domain books which are usually very cheap (and often on sale). I picked up Volume 1 of the Complete Sherlock Holmes for $3 or so awhile back, and a three-for-$5 of Heart of Darkness, House of Seven Gables, and Gulliver's Travels another time.

In my opinion, your best bet, frankly, is either buy the cheap reprints, which are probably going to still be cheaper and higher quality than whatever you'll manage to cobble together on your own, or to get one of them newfangled reader gadgets (i.e. the Amazon Kindle or whatever) that lets you read the e-copies directly. Binding your own public domain books will not only cost money, but it'll take a lot of time. The cheap reprints benefit from economies of scale, and at least someone has taken a quick pass over them to make sure the formatting is in good shape. That's worth a couple dollars to me, anyway. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 15:01, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Good point. That will work for the "classics." I'll look into it. (I don't want to get into an e-book reader, because I like the tactile sensation of a hardcover-bound paper book. It's an aesthetic thing.) Maybe I will limit my binding efforts to the NASA technical manuals and the like, which aren't available elsewhere. — Michael J 20:49, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

I agree 100% about the tactile aspect! This comic pretty much sums up my views on the Kindle: "Wouldn't you prefer to read books on a device that looks and feels like your first graphic calculator?" --98.217.8.46 (talk) 21:48, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Nothing like the papery, backpocketable, stick it in your jacket, stackable, put your coffee cup on a pile of 'em, spines to remind you where you will go back to browse a quote or whole sections or re-read, flatten four leaved clovers within, fill with book markers, memory jogging page numbers, colourful wall-paper for readers and thinkers, transportable, crash proof, jottable, write within, noiseless, sunblocking, do not disturb-hinting, interest when seen with generating, nostalgia inciting, conversation starting... possibly even theft repugnant at the beach – books! Julia Rossi (talk) 06:21, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

YES, excellent summary Julia! You missed out on stick your fingers in four places and flip back and forth trying to either figure out a theorem or understand "wait a minute, I thought Paul got shot in the conservatory and it was Barbara who was carrying his child". Also that book-burnings really don't work that well when you just press the "Erase all" button.

I'm sitting here right now with my small "hall-of-fame" bookshelf in front of me where my eyes can caress the titles, two bigger ones within sight, thematically arranged (two shelves of wiki-ready factoids just to my right, of course) and two more minor-league sets of shelves in the other room. Less than 2,000 books, I'm sure - it's not like I have a problem or anything. ;)

I think I may print out your description though - and put it in a book! Franamax (talk) 11:13, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

Franamax, surely you've heard of "lending a book" which traditionally means instant delete (unless you stay calm when asking, "If you finished with xyz, I'll call to pick it up); leaving it on the bus or footpath – and there's always Farenheit 451. Meanwhile accessorize, accessorize! =) Julia Rossi (talk) 23:21, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

Ah yes, lending out your books, also known as permanent removal from one's personal library. Simple rule: no, but you can read it here if you like - go wash your hands and no, you can't read it in the bath!

No room for accessories here, what with the >50 framed prints on the wall. When I walk into art gallery gift shops, they start planning renovations to absorb their increased funding! :) Franamax (talk) 00:09, 14 September 2008 (UTC)

Or, you could apply for funding yourself, :) Julia Rossi (talk) 23:31, 14 September 2008 (UTC)