Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2014 October 10

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.

October 10

Why was there only one type of African-American slave?

Africa is a huge continent with a diverse population. Why did slavers capture only people who looked like Patsey from 12 Years A Slave when there were plenty of Egyptians, Arabs and various other lightly-tanned, straighter-haired people to choose from? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:C4EF:73A0:918B:EBE3:685C:C84C (talk) 03:24, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

They did not all look alike. The slaves shipped to the Americas came from various tribes, mostly in West Africa while the slaves taken to Arabic countries came mainly from East Africa. Europeans were brought as slaves into North Africa. See Atlantic slave trade, Arab slave trade, Barbary slave trade. Rmhermen (talk) 04:18, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

It was largely a question of geography and prevailing winds.

Depiction of the classical model of the Triangular trade

The winds made the "Triangle Trade" efficient for shipping companies. The bottom leg of the triangle was West-Africa to Southern USA. Slaves were the most valuable 'cargo' to haul on that leg of the trip. Running slaves from a different part of Africa would have meant taking a less efficient (and more expensive) route. They wouldn't have been able to compete, from a business standpoint. APL (talk) 05:34, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

• 
  Atlantic slave trade
• 
  Arab slave trade

No, I'm right. African-American slaves in historical photos all have the same general appearance. I didn't ask about slaves that were taken to other countries. I'd never heard of the "Triangle Trade" before. Talk about bad luck...

I assume that's the original poster talking. No, you did ask about other countries, because you didn't mention what country you were interested in. Anyway, now you know. --174.88.135.88 (talk) 12:18, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

Oops, I see. You mentioned the country in the heading but not in the body of your question. Some people answering might miss it when you do that. --174.88.135.88 (talk) 12:20, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

The point is that slaves are a perishable commodity that were shipped in the most efficient manner as illustrated above. As for the other part, perhaps Out-group homogeneity plays a role in your perception. Rmhermen (talk) 15:52, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

The choice of slaves came from the slave producing people in Africa. The Atlantic slave traders purchased the slaves along the west coast - so the slaves mostly came from the west coast. Your question is really asking why the slave producers didn't head across the continent to pick up different people. It wasn't profitable. It was far more profitable to pick up people that were nearby and sell them to the slave traders. 209.149.115.99 (talk) 18:59, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

I'm not blinded by racist out-group homogeneity. They all looked the same because they were all from the same part of Africa. And I wasn't asking about the slave producers because I didn't know about them. The best answer to my question is definitely the Triangle Trade. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:C4EF:73A0:918B:EBE3:685C:C84C (talk) 20:44, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

You asked why slave traders did not enslave "Egyptians, Arabs" etc. Had Egypt and Arabia been located on the west coast of Africa, maybe they would have. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:05, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

It was the Arabs who were doing a lot of the enslaving, if I understand it correctly. See The East African Slave Trade and Two Views of The History of Islamic Slavery in Africa. Alansplodge (talk) 14:00, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

"Same part" is a very relative term here. As the map shows, you're likely talking about a coastline several thousand kilometers in length (on a very simple map) probably going inland at least 1000km or so on a continent noted for a high level of genetic diversity. The people who're you're saying all looked the same may represent at least 45 different ethnic groups (as per our article). To be fair, the article and map is about the Atlantic slave trade rather than the slave trade to the US per se, but I don't think the overall figures will be that different (the relatives ones may be). Nil Einne (talk) 14:01, 11 October 2014 (UTC)

Very simple answer. The people north of the sahara, in Egypt etc, were civilised, part of large nations (like the Ottoman empire), had guns, and fought back. The sub sahara people did not have guns, had small tribal states and did not folloow one God. They were considered uncivilised, unhuman, and as such they could be enslaved. - Taketa (talk) 06:44, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

Making a Custom Screwdriver Tip

I have some video game cartridges for several different systems that I'd like to open for cleaning. Most of them have some type of proprietary security screw, and while there are several places to order screwdriver tips for them, the quality is really hit-or-miss. Because of this, I've been thinking about making my own tips at home, but I'm not sure how to go about it, or if I could reasonably make a better quality tip myself without specialized equipment (there are many tutorials on "crafting" these security tips with melted pen caps or other cheap stuff, but obviously these are even worse quality than what I can buy online). I've found some neat videos on modern blacksmithing (including how to make a small forge out of a coffee can!), but these are more focused on larger projects, such as knives and swords. How would I make a quality custom screwdriver tip to open these security screws? OldTimeNESter (talk) 13:42, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

Honestly, I'd go with the melted plastic techniques or order security tips online. I don't think forging steel is going to be very easy at home, and it will take a very large investment, both in money and time. Casting aluminum is much easier, just search youtube/ wikihow type sites. You mostly just need some old cans, some clay pots, a steel bowl, some charcoal, and a blower. But aluminum isn't really the right metal for the job, and you still have the issue of getting the mold. You can't really use a screw head for a mold (think about how that wouldn't work for a Philips head)... The only other thing that I can think of that might be reasonable is to heat/hammer/drill/file a piece of wrought iron. SemanticMantis (talk) 17:15, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

A simple thin is to treat the screw you have as a mold...pushing softened plastic onto/into the screwhead molds it. You could possibly use it to mold some other material - but metals are generally either too soft or too high in melting point. Sadly, the resulting tool will wear out or snap very easily - but then this approach is so easy, you can always make another one.

The next possibility is to take a chunk of metal (like a nail) and attack it with a dremel to cut and trim it into the desired shape. That's going to take a long time, and require a good deal of skill - but the resulting tool should last forever.

I've heard of people using 3D printers to make specialised screwdrivers - but if the only 3D printer you have access to makes stuff out of plastic, then it's going to be no better than the molding approach. A 3D printer that uses metal sintering might make a decent tool - but those machines are expensive.

SteveBaker (talk) 01:25, 11 October 2014 (UTC)

Another possible approach is to use a tap and die set, drill out the security screw and then replace it with one you prefer. This would require that there be extra material around the existing female threads to make larger threads, unless you could use the existing threads with another screw. However, the security screw may intentionally use some non-standard threading to prevent that. StuRat (talk) 14:31, 11 October 2014 (UTC)

The problem with making screwdrivers is having to start with a decent quality of spring steel, then having the right tools and technique to cut the end. If you're desperate, then ignore the collateral damage to the casing, Dremel a cross-cut into the security screw, and use a conventional screwdriver. Fiddlersmouth (talk) 22:49, 11 October 2014 (UTC)

Jarring questions

I use various glass jars to store water for emergencies. (I use glass instead of plastic since any water stored for a long period in plastic starts to taste like the plastic due to chemicals leaching out of the plastic.) The glass jars and lids I use are cleaned out completely before I fill them with water. I recently had to use some of that water when our house water was shut off for maintenance. However, much of the water was undrinkable, for two reasons, both having to do with the little rubberized seal on the lids to make them airtight:

1) The water in an old pickle jar all tasted like pickle juice. I identified the problem as pickle juice residue on the rim of the jar transfered there from the rubberized ring.

2) Other jars had fuzz growing on the rubberized ring.

So, despite my best efforts, the rubberized ring has the ability to store nutrients and contaminants that then get into the water or promote unwanted growths. I tried treating it with bleach, but then the water tasted like bleach.

My question then, is if there is a jar design that doesn't use this rubberized sealing ring ? I've seen mason jars that have a separate rubber gasket, but I imagine that would have the same issue. (I suppose I could use new jars instead, but I still would rather not have my water exposed, long term, to the chemicals in that ring.) If the jar wasn't quite airtight, that might be acceptable, since it only contains water and nothing that manages to get inside is likely to grow in plain water. (It's not like a jar of jelly, where even one microbe could reproduce and spoil the batch.) StuRat (talk) 17:22, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

• If you boil the water before you pour it in the jar, it will sterilize the jar and cause a vacuum as it cools, holding the lid tight. Frankly, If you are worried about a lack of fresh water I'd put half a dozen fifty gallon plastic jugs in the basement or garage and fill them from a hose. If civilization is that bad off, the taste off plastic in you water will be the least of your worries. There should be all sorts of survivalist literature on this at amazon and google. μηδείς (talk) 17:32, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

Mason jars are supposed to be filled with boiling (or very very hot) liquids. You fill the jar, place the lid on, turn it upside down until it cools, and then place it right-side up on a shelf. The boiling liquid burns into the rubber ring. You are also supposed to toss out the rubber rings and replace them - which is why they separate from the lid. 209.149.115.99 (talk) 18:53, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

Melted paraffin is the old-timey solution. 71.20.250.51 (talk) 17:43, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

Home canning, canned water - SemanticMantis (talk) 19:08, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

• Is the OP worried about an EMP attack or the Detroit water supplier going out of business? My understanding is one should have a gallon a day per person of fresh water to survive a disaster. That's 7 50 gallon jugs in the basement per person, with some sort of extraction pump that doesn't allow bacteria and fungi back into the water. Then there's catching rain in a barrel. What are we looking at? μηδείς (talk) 19:48, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

• • Protect and Survive states that "Four pints per person per day would be sufficient for drinking and basic cleanliness", and The SAS Survival Handbook gives a minimum figure for drinking (only) as 200 cc per day. 1 gallon per day is decidedly generous. Tevildo (talk) 21:22, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

In an emergency, where the water service was off, I would simply close the inlet valve on my hot water heater and turn down the heat so only the pilot was on, or so the gas or electric heater was off entirely. Then the 40 gallons in the hot water tank would supply drinking water for about 80 person-days. There is a drain spigot at the bottom. The flush tank on each of the toilets in the house holds 3 gallons, good for another 6 person-days each. Toilet needs? Civil Defense in the early 1960's recommended making a toilet by putting a plastic lining in a garbage pail. Toss it outside when used. Canning water? I would buy 1/2 gallon Mason jars, fill them, and boil in a large pot, upright. Filling a jar with boiling water is not adequate sterilization. If I had no container large enough to properly do hotwater bath canning, and were going to fill them with hot water, I would boil the lids in the water I was boiling so they were better sterilized. Edison (talk) 23:39, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

Medeis, you don't need to have survived an apocalypse to need bottled water. We've needed it many times for minor emergencies. Here's a few:

1) The East Coast power failure meant the pumps didn't work for 3 days, and the water pressure soon dropped to zero.

2) Every spring we have water mains break right and left, and water can be cut off, then there's a "boil water" warning after they fix them. Using bottled water is a quicker alternative to that.

3) Sometimes we need to turn off the water in the house, when doing some plumbing work.

4) My Aunt has a well, and her well pump died, so she needed to use bottled water until it could be replaced. StuRat (talk) 04:48, 11 October 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for the replies so far, but nobody has addressed the core question: Can I get jars without any flexible sealing ring/gasket ? That seems like the easiest solution. StuRat (talk) 05:00, 11 October 2014 (UTC)

I don't understand what you have against the gasket. Without it, air and microbes could get in and out of the jar and stuff would grow in the water, like green algae. Edison (talk) 12:48, 11 October 2014 (UTC).

It's the ring that seems to provide nutrients for those nasties. Tap water shouldn't have anything in it that they can use, and still has some residual water treatment chemicals in it. If the top was left off entirely, then enough dust and such would get in that anything could grow in there, but I can see much getting in past a closed lid, even without the seal. As I said before, if it was jelly, then one bacterium could ruin the batch, but not with chlorinated water. StuRat (talk) 14:40, 11 October 2014 (UTC)

A better option might be to stock up on those sealed gallons of water, which you can get at grocery stores and which usually have a shelf-life of a year or so. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:20, 11 October 2014 (UTC)

If they expire in a year, they must be in those plastic bottles that ruin the water by leaching chemicals into them. My current system of using glass jars is better than that. Most of the water I stored was fine, just a couple went bad. Much better than having them all go bad in a year. StuRat (talk) 01:49, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

If you're in survivalist mode at some point, you might not be in a position to be picky. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:55, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

• Also, per BB, if you have a meat freezer, remove and bury any dead bodies, sanitize, then fill all the space you can with the gallon jugs. Just not all at once, or you might pop the freezer over night. Do it over a few days. This way you have three days backup on the freezer, and water when the meat goes bad. We never lost water in NYC during the last blackout, but we weren't without power for days. They also sell those water sanitizing tablets--all this should be on line or at your nearest Tea Party sponsored bookstore. μηδείς (talk) 01:05, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

• With the caveat that the poultry of that store's grocery section have only right wings. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:49, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

• Yes, one of those Tea Party-sponsored book stores with a poultry and ammo section, like Kost-Coup, or Unkle Sam's Klub. μηδείς (talk) 18:06, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

• In addition to guns and ammo, they sell klubs? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:15, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

I'm not aware of any types of jars that don't have some manner of rubber or plastic seal. It's difficult to get a good glass-on-glass seal. Strictly speaking you shouldn't need it. Mason jars will last many decades if they're properly cleaned and heat-sterilized. And that's with actual food in them!

However, I can see how boiling the water might be a bit of trouble for emergency water storage. You might get some large glass jugs instead. Most have rubber stoppers, but you could probably replace them with a cork stopper. One made of pure silicone would probably also be fine. (The stem of the jug would prevent the water from actually touching the cork.)

They make glass stoppers, but I don't think they're designed for long-term use. APL (talk) 03:22, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Some of those say they have glass stoppers, but it's hard to tell if they mean glass alone or glass plus a seal. The first one looks promising, and they have it at Walmart, so I might give it a try. The reviews say it leaks when you shake it, so that's encouraging as far as not having a seal. StuRat (talk) 18:21, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

I also understand some wine bottles come with glass stoppers. Has anyone tried those ? How do they seal ? Do they have glass plus a seal, or just glass ? StuRat (talk) 18:21, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Wine and spirit decanters often have a glass stopper (old fashioned drug stores also stored stuff in such vessels). The high quality ones have a tapered stopper that has been ground to provide a good airtight fit but does not get jammed stuck. When I had a caravan (trailer home) at my favorite fishing spot, I used glass carboys and a PTFE sheet-film-seal in which to store my potable water. Why? The carboys I got from the company I worked for. So did the PTFE, which is totally inert and so can not harbor any odors. [1]. This might not be your solution, because as we know water freezes an so glass carboys can crack open. But for my use that problem didn't apply. Another tip for storing water is to add a lump of charcoal. This absorbs odors very well and keeps the water tasting sweet. Water in nuclear bunkers during the cold war was stored in very large tin cans. They contained little oxygen (which was driven off during sterilization) so had a shelf life of about six years. Hope this gives you a few ideas.--Aspro (talk) 19:39, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

I'd think with the proper setup the water could last indefinitely. Perhaps a glass jar and lid, with a silicone seal. Or would that seal dry out and crack eventually ? The problem with charcoal is that pieces of it seem to break off, and drinking that is distasteful. StuRat (talk) 20:02, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

A modern silicon seal (for all intensive purposes) would more than likely see you out to the end of your days. If you rinse a lump of charcoal out under the tap to wash off the lose stuff it won't leave any gritty bits. It is double bonded carbon and wont disintegrate. Having said that. An ordinary domestic water filter containing activated charcoal should remove any taste and odors. Not a miracle cure but if the tap water going into the storage vessel is clean, then the filter does not have a lot to do when you pour it out. Also, if you have frequent power cuts or outages or brownouts, I trust you have a UPS. Some modern central heating systems etc., won't work unless the controller has mains power. A UPS and a few crocodile clips will ensure you always have emergency power. Alternative, move to Europe. We don't suffer these sort of problems ;-)--Aspro (talk) 21:06, 12 October 2014 (UTC)