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August 7

with or without competitors?

how different should be the launch of a product and services in a market with existant compitetors compared to launch with none of them or say meagre, how different approaches should be carried out for marketing /sales/bd for these markets? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.122.36.6 (talk) 08:17, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds like a homework question. I'd suggest you check out some economics articles on monopoly, marketing, and competitive advantage. Shadowjams (talk) 08:28, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Where there exist competitors, one needs to differentiate one's own product from them: tell how it is better/cheaper/advantageous to buy. If the product is new with no competition, one needs to tell why anyone should need a product they never thought before of buying. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:52, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

telecom circles?

why do telecom companies dive the country into circles like circle1-2-3 etc, is it done for the ease of functioning from the folloeing perspectives like, tarriff plan/(range nework)topographphical similarities/easy adminstration/etc or do they have some other reasons to do so? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.95.140.188 (talk) 09:25, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The OP's IP address geolocates to India, so I assume they are asking about Indian telecom companies. The Communications in India article has something about circles. In particular Communications in India#Privatization of telcommunications in India suggests to me that the circles were set up to liberalise the growth of the telecoms industry in India by promoting competition amongst different operators. According to Communications in India#Mobile telephones, the circles are roughly divided along state boundaries. Astronaut (talk) 11:33, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

whois query

Resolved

Who registered arbuthnot-books.com please? Kittybrewster ☎ 14:50, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You can check yourself on http://www.networksolutions.com/whois. The information is only for individual use, so shouldn't be posted on a public page like this one. 86.140.52.244 (talk) 16:48, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I had tried that but it does not provide the answer. Kittybrewster ☎ 17:47, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I tried it myself before I posted that link, and it worked for me. 86.140.52.244 (talk) 22:45, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

After using 86's link (above) you need to load the address "arbuthnot-books.com" into the search box. hydnjo (talk) 01:52, 8 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Pokémon: Best Wishes!/Pokémon Black and White

Why did they make Iris and Aloe (especially the latter) racist stereotypes? --138.110.206.99 (talk) 15:20, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

That may not be the case or the intention with these characters. Chevy monte carlo 19:25, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

But at least Aloe was clearly intended to be a stereotype. --138.110.206.99 (talk) 20:16, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I suppose, but as to why I'm not sure. Chevy monte carlo 21:58, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Whether these characters are offensive stereotypes or not is debatable, but Japan in general is not known for racial sensitivity. See Racism in Japan. A famously over-the-top racial stereotype from a Japanese video game — not a Nintendo game — is Barret Wallace, from 1997. Comet Tuttle (talk) 02:10, 8 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Consider Jynx. 82.24.248.137 (talk) 13:58, 8 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Stereotypes (not just racial ones) are commonplace in video games, movies, TV shows, etc. Precisely because characters are stereotypical, they avoid the need to spend a lot of time explaining back-story and conveying a ton of information about the nature of the person in the small amount of time available. It may be unfortunate in many respects - but it fulfills a need and is common throughout the world. SteveBaker (talk) 03:04, 10 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It's also worth keeping in mind — and I don't know whether this comes into play here, but I'm betting it does — that what is a horrible stereotype in one country may not be seen as such in the other. Sensitivities vary by countries. Japan is pretty "Westernized" in many ways but it is not the West; if they do not have relatively large populations of Blacks, they probably are not as careful about their depiction of them, in the same that in the US we are pretty fine with depicting Eskimos in pretty silly ways, which feels like harmless fun to most of us. --Mr.98 (talk) 12:19, 10 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Flickr

Can the images from flickr be simply uploaded to ~~Wiki~~...oops Wikipedia without all that fuss about this and that rule ? Which sites provide free content ? Jon Ascton (talk) 15:35, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

All "that fuss" may seem a bit severe and unneeded, but it's important to remember why it's there: to prevent lawsuits Chaosandwalls (talk) 15:55, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Not really. It's there more to be in the spirit of the encyclopedia and to create a free, reusable resource. Nobody is really afraid of Wikipedia getting hit with a copyright suit; the relevant laws are flexible enough so that there are plenty of ways for copyright holders to have infringing material removed. --Mr.98 (talk) 18:06, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict)No, for several reasons:

Not all images on Flckr are free. Many are ©All Rights Reserved so cannot be used.
Even then, many of the "free" images are not free enough for our purposes, forbidding commercial or derivative use for instance. These too cannot be used.
Finally, even when you find an image with a compatible license (CC-BY or CC-BY-SA) you must conform with the terms of the license by attributing the author and in the case of the latter releasing under the same license.

However, for images without such complications you may want to check the list of public domain image resources. Images in the public domain have no copyright restrictions so in theory you can do whatever you like with them without "fuss". In practice you should still identify the source when uploading to Wikipedia (not "Wiki") or Commons so that no-one is likely to question your rights to the image. AJ Cham 16:08, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Jon, you want the Free Image Search Tool. Give it a try. Viriditas (talk) 01:59, 8 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There is a dubious process called flickr washing where a non free image is loaded onto flickr with a free licensee and then to Wikipedia. You will have to be careful to check how much you can trust the flickr uploader that it is their own work. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 09:17, 9 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I was planning to say something similar. Note that in addition to this intentional stuff, plenty of people upload images which they don't own the copyright to and may mark them as having free licenses without any real ill intent. Many people don't really understand or care about copyrights. It's generally expected you should use some common sense. If someone has a bunch of images which they likely don't own the copyright to and which are probably not released under a free license, for example images clearly taken by a professional news photographer or images from places or things which it's unlikely many people haves access to, and these images marked as their own or under a free license, then you probably shouldn't upload these to wikipedia or the wikimedia commons, or at least seek comments from those more experience with copyright issues then you first. On the flipside, if it's likely the person does own the copyright but the image isn't available under a suitable license occasionally the person may release it when asked. Nil Einne (talk) 13:22, 9 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

What's the proper name for something like a...

car wash, when it is meant for airplanes or trains, rather than cars? -- 78.43.71.155 (talk) 21:15, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Doing a WP search gives train wash and wash rack. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 21:51, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Car thermometers

Where are car thermometers generally located to get a vaguely accurate reading of the outside air temperature? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.159.181.79 (talk) 22:13, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It depends on the make. There are often located either in the wing mirror or at the front of the car, near the radiator, according to this thread on a forum. BTW, a quick Google search brings up a lot of good results. Chevy monte carlo 22:27, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

On my MINI, it's down under the front bumper - it's main function is looking for ice on the road, the temperature readout is more or less a bonus. SteveBaker (talk) 02:54, 10 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Mercedes has/had them behind the front license plate. -- 78.43.71.155 (talk) 16:26, 11 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

History of Steak and Mushrooms

A common (in my family, at least) accompaniment for steak is button mushrooms cooked in butter and soy sauce. It was served at the Cask 'n Cleaver restaurants, so I hear. For some reason, though, I feel like this is a common American pairing. If my hunch is true, then i am a bit puzzled as to where the soy sauce in the recipe originated. If the recipe has significant history, I doubt that soy sauce would have been an ingredient, and it must be a facsimile of some other ingredients---I'm thinking some combination of any of the following: vinegar, wine, brown butter, or Worcestershire sauce. Thanks for your input.72.219.136.28 (talk) 22:20, 7 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

My guess, based on what I've read on the subject, is that soy sauce (shoyu) became popular in California sometime in the mid to late 20th century, and replaced whatever they were using before. Because there seems to be a connection with SoCal, you may want to look at the California roll article and compare the dates and locations with Cask 'n Cleaver. Looks like the influence was regional. Viriditas (talk) 02:04, 8 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"Steak and Mushroom" is invariably followed by the word "Pie" in the UK[1]. Not usually with soy sauce though. Alansplodge (talk) 12:16, 8 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Proper Steak & Mushroom pie needs a robust dark beer to merge with the meat juices and form the gravy. Definitely not Soy Sauce. SteveBaker (talk) 02:52, 10 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Soy Sauce is a common ingredient when one wants to enhance a dish's umami ("meaty") flavor. It may have been originally used as a substitute for beef drippings, or simply to "guild the lily" and add even more umami flavor to the beef and mushrooms. -- 140.142.20.229 (talk) 20:50, 8 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah - but the steak is already giving you more umami than you can shake a stick at. The Soy is mostly just making it salty. SteveBaker (talk) 02:52, 10 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Steve, I see that you are in Austin. Surely they have teriyaki steak in Texas? Viriditas (talk) 11:14, 10 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Sadly, my wife (who is French and therefore "right by definition" when it comes to food) has read this thread and is horrified. She's tracked your IP address down to an ISP in Atlanta - I recommend you start running! SteveBaker (talk) 02:41, 10 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

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