Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2014 October 12

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October 12

giant robot human model thing at museum

Resolved

i remember reading some time ago in a national geographic magazine (think it was '99) about an exhibit presentation thing at a science center in California involving a giant human model with organs displayed. i recall distinctly that at the end of each presentation, the model, which was depicted lying down, reached up its giant hand and flicked a light switch to signal the end. can anyone point me towards what that presentation thing might have been and what became of it? thanks cheers ~Helicopter Llama~ 00:37, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Perhaps Body Worlds, see also: Corpses come alive at California Science Center Exhibition? However, 1999 and California does not correlate.  —71.20.250.51 (talk) 02:29, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

i found it, thanks for pointing me in the right direction with the california science center! it was Tess the giant robot at "BodyWorks", not Body Worlds, although it was close enough for me to find it, thanks all :) ~Helicopter Llama~ 14:40, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

If you mean giant like a house, organs like machines and model like a teaching aid, I think they referenced it on a 2004 Simpsons episode (see here). Swallowed the family. Doesn't answer your question, but if it's the same sort, it may be a clue. InedibleHulk (talk) 09:40, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

I'm not sure what sort of "human body exhibit" they're plotting at Oak Ridge, but they apparently need $137,000 and three years to complete it. Sounds large. Maybe another clue. InedibleHulk (talk) 09:50, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

If they can be judged on their past work, this child musem will be even more "icky, creepy and just plain gross!" And overpriced. $180 just to drink almost real blood for a weekend. InedibleHulk (talk) 09:59, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Recent changes patrol

How do I get access to patrolling recent changes? I am having trouble getting to recent changes patrol. Deaths in 2013 (talk) 03:03, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Please see Wikipedia:Recent changes patrol. You will also see a link in the side-bar marked Recent changes. If those pages are not what you are looking for, please clarify your question.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:30, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Last Name: Pokora

I was wondering if anyone knew any information on the name Pokora. I know it is Polish and translates to "humility" but I want to know if there is any significance with the name or any nobility or specific group associated with it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.166.80.139 (talk) 06:28, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

A lot of names like "Church" and "Iglesias" and so forth are given to foundlings left on Church steps. That may be one way in which a name could derive from a virtue. The connection here is pure synthesis (i.e., maybe the name is from another language like Lithuanian or Estonian, for all I know), but the phenomenon of religious names for orphans in onomastics is well documented. μηδείς (talk) 18:00, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

This could also be a deprecatory name. I have a Slovak neighbor named Toth. It derives from the Hungarian for Slav, supposedly from a Turkish word for nothing, although I can't find the reference. Likewise the Slavs called the Germans Nimitz, Nemec, whence Namath, meaning "unspeaking". μηδείς (talk) 19:19, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

You'll have better luck asking here: [[1]]. Dominus Vobisdu (talk) 19:33, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

I won't hat your offensive Bee Ess, Wobistdu, but referring to a totally unreliable blog with threads such as:

Are Poles grateful to the Russians for winning the war? 2 3 4

100 - No. They won the war for themselves, but they just conqueried us. Why should poland be grateful. It is like living...

History KingAthelstaneliseusz - 04:32am

34 - Being polish I am offended by the way westerners associate the word nazi with poland. Nazi were germans, and poles were,...

News Torqeliseusz - 04:26am

3 reasons why you hate Poland. 2 3 4 ... 33 34

1,003 - Why should I hate poland. I am polish and poland is my country. Poland is a noble nation with a great...

Is about as unhelpful and offensive as you can get. μηδείς (talk) 05:29, 14 October 2014 (UTC)

I really don't appreciate the uncivil tone. One of the regulars on that forum is the author of the leading book on Polish surnames, and gladly answers questions of this type with a level of expertise you are unlikely to encounter here. Dominus Vobisdu (talk) 05:40, 14 October 2014 (UTC)

Fine, DV, change your rude "you'll have better luck" crack, and I'll refrain from giving my opinion of the posts there. Otherwise, what exactly is your complaint? μηδείς (talk) 16:19, 14 October 2014 (UTC)

• If you want an even better site than that, see Rodney Pokorski, although it still doesn't give the ultimate etymology. μηδείς (talk) 00:14, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

Finding an original article

I've been trying to find an old article in GNN-Liberia page which was posted at Friday 04 November 2011. That article told about Ma Binda, woman who was believed to be 110 years old at that time. But I can't find that article because when I try to get to GNN-Liberia page, it just keep redirecting to the home page! How can I find that in archives? I wish that someone would help me to find it somewhere. 62.72.229.12 (talk) 15:22, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Google has seen it - do a search on gnn liberia "ma binda", with quotes - but it seems to have gone from gnnliberia.com, Google don't have a cached page, and archive.org doesn't have it. This record of Ms Binda's achievement seems to have been lost to the world, I'm afraid. We don't have an article on GNN Liberia, incidentally - perhaps we ought to? Tevildo (talk) 16:30, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Same thing happened when I tried to find another old article about Raline, woman from Madagascar who said to be also 110 in January 2012. There was an article about her in laverite.mg pages but it will also redirects in home page and I can't find it in archives! And I don't know was article in French or Magyar? 62.72.229.12 (talk) 17:09, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Malagasy, perhaps? Magyar is Hungarian. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 18:23, 12 October 2014 (UTC)