Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2016 May 24

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May 24

Steve_Irwin question

Are there any famous Crocodile experts similar to Steve Irwin? 50.68.118.24 (talk) 04:54, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

Similar in what way(s)? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:38, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

The most obvious distinguishing feature of Steve Irwin was his total disregard for safety, whether his daughter's, when dangling her in front of crocs, or his own, when swimming with stingrays. StuRat (talk) 05:54, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

It was his little son, actually, but the basic point is the same. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:09, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

The fictional character "Crocodile" Dundee was somewhat similar. StuRat (talk) 06:11, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

If the question is simply "Are there any famous Crocodile experts?", a starting point might be List of herpetologists. Ghmyrtle (talk) 07:54, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

• There are the Kratt Brothers, and there is Jeremy Wade of River Monsters. Basically down-in-the-dirt eco entertainers, if not crocodile wrasslers. μηδείς (talk) 16:40, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

Then Skinner has a message for them. InedibleHulk (talk) 05:54, 26 May 2016 (UTC)

Outback Jack wasn't so focused on crocs, but was a little too Australian. InedibleHulk (talk) 05:57, 26 May 2016 (UTC)

Microsoft Office Reminder Sound

Does anyone have a clip of this sound as it was in Microsoft Office 2003 or earlier? Collegiate199861 (talk) 09:42, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

Could someone answer this question, please? 31.50.49.188 (talk) 10:34, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

First you need to deposit 25 cents in your PC's coin slot. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 10:46, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

In answer to the actual question, I believe you need reminder.wav, a quick Google search reveals a few download sites that may host it. -- The Rambling Man (talk · contribs) 11:00, 25 May 2016‎ (UTC)

I'm not finding any occurrences of reminder.wav in Google. Is it a little two-tone sound, the first note being higher pitched than the second? I've got one on my PC dated 1997, but I wouldn't know where to upload it for you. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:26, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

Microsoft themselves offer a download which may well contain the file. The Rambling Man (talk) 13:29, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

How much does it cost to be alive per hour

Is there any way to quantify how much it costs to be alive say per hour, as an average american (because wikipedia is USA centric) with the average wage, at and average age in an average house with average spending. I mean, literally how much does this person cost to be kept alive.

Perhaps an easier example would be how much would an average US soldier cost to be kept alive. Let's use pvt skin headed grunt infantry man as an example of this. Cannon fodder material.

To clarify, I define 'alive' as being able to walk, talk and behave normally. Being kept in a coma on an IV for the sake of cheapness doesn't really count.

WAG estimates of major expenses:

1) Food. Can probably can be kept down to about $1.20 a day, or 5 cents an hour, on average. We could go lower, if you eat nothing but potatoes, but that won't keep a person healthy for long.

2) Water. Assuming you want treated water, maybe 24 cents a day might be enough. So 1 cent an hour.

3) Shelter. This depends greatly on location. In a place where the weather is nice, like Hawaii, all you really need is something to keep the rain off, like a lava tube cave. So, this could be zero. If you live in the Alaskan interior, you would need substantial shelter and heat, if you want to survive winter.

4) Clothing/shoes. This can also be zero, since you can wear clothes others throw out, because they are ripped, stained, etc. You can wash them in the nearest river. Bunched up clothes can be used as a pillow. A blanket and towel would be nice. If donations aren't allowed, you can buy used clothes on sale for $1 each at Goodwill (even some new clothes at Dollar Tree for $1). So then for another cent an hour you could buy 2 items of clothing every day.

5) Air. Still free.

6) Transportation. Normally a major expense, but not strictly necessary.

So, I come up with about 6-7 cents an hour. Of course, that would be a rather miserable existence. Some very minor additional expenses for things like toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste, a razor and shaving cream, nail clippers, Q-tips, and deodorant (and feminine hygiene products, for women) would make a huge difference in quality of life and willingness of others to be around them.

But the examples you gave, of somebody with a job/in the military, would cost far more, because those people need to be "presentable". Also, unless the job is in walking distance, there is a substantial transportation cost. And there would be income tax. And they need a phone, etc. StuRat (talk) 18:50, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

"Being kept in a coma on an IV"[1] would more likely increase the cost of existence rather than decrease the cost of existence. Bus stop (talk) 19:10, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

• For a period between jobs in the mid 90's (I had been promised a position then the new employer held off 6 weeks before actually scheduling me to work) I paid $400 rent for a one bedroom apartment, $60 for an unlimited NYC-wide bus and train ticket, ordered phone and electric, with no bill due, and with the remaining $20 lived off milk, oil, eggs, spaghetti, tomato paste, rice, and chicken thighs for a month. Salt and pepper thanks to McDonalds, and the NY Times & Post for free, which people leave behind in the subways when they are done, rather than throw them out. This was Jan-Feb, but steam heat was also free. Had I known the churches gave out grocery bags of food to all comers daily, I could have lived like royalty. μηδείς (talk) 20:30, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

• God what I'd give to pay 400 1995 dollars in this town. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 21:55, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

It was near the Brook Avenue station of the 6 Train in the South Bronx, User:Sagittarian Milky Way, the largest open-air heroin market in North America at the time, with about 750 murders a year within a mile. I did once find a dead body in my stairwell. The thing was, it was all turf wars, and if you weren't buying, they left you alone, rather than attract police attention. If you speak Spanish, you can still get great deals by approaching the super directly in the Bronx or upper Manhattan. Don't go through a broker. I'm not very familiar with the other boroughs. There are also illegal sublets, if you find signs that say "se rentan cuartos" you can say you want a studio or a one bedroom, but you may have to wait. You can get a furnished room the next day. This was all back before bedbugs, though. μηδείς (talk) 01:46, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

I have to ask - is that $400 per week, or per month? I (obviously) know nothing about housing costs in New York. Tevildo (talk) 21:22, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

Unclear add to whether you are indicating the cheapest method of renting accommodation... Or buying H. 😉 _Fortuna ^{Imperatrix Mundi} 06:05, 26 May 2016 (UTC)

Per month. But for only $425/month you can get this nice 32 square foot micro-office in an industrial area. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 22:32, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

Hey I like professional advice on how to secure illegal sublets as much as anyone, though it is a bit curious to see it coming from our resident rules stickler ;) SemanticMantis (talk) 15:24, 26 May 2016 (UTC)

I gave no legal advice, but the problem in NYC is with rent controlled apartments, of which people may have only one, in which they must themselves reside. The lawbreaker in such instances is the one offering sublet, and it is a civil matter. Oh, and there used to be $10/night flop houses in the Bowery. And yes, it was $400 a month, but I suspect they want $700/mo now. Rent control in New York has its own article. μηδείς (talk) 04:46, 27 May 2016 (UTC)

Perhaps the unemployment payment for a single person might be applicable, since this is widely regarded as the very minimum on which a person can live without luxuries. In New Zealand, this is called Jobseeker Support, and payment (NZ$140.08 per week for a single 18-19 year old living at home) is not enough to cover public transport rides to job interviews, so expenditure on that item doesn't enter the picture. Akld guy (talk) 20:51, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

• There are different ways to quantify what it costs to maintain any certain standard of living. The U.S. Census Bureau has defined (since you asked about the U.S. specifically) the Poverty thresholds (which is a pretty terrible article... instead look at Poverty in the United States which has pictures and numbers and all sorts of good stuff). The Feds define poverty as about $11,000 per year for a person living alone, and about $4000 per year for each additional person living in a household. --Jayron32 03:52, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

It seems that something can be done with stale bread. This article begins "A bakery near my house sells large bags of day-old bread for approximately $2." Here are "17 Uses for Stale Bread". Bus stop (talk) 13:30, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

Britain has food banks for which the less well - off can get vouchers. Some supermarkets pass their about - to - expire food to these, although one woman who raided a supermarket's bins for the food they had discarded was prosecuted. When I was little we were very poor. My mother sometimes sent me to the butcher for "stewing beef" which was discarded cuts which he kindly sold us for a discount. She also sent me to a factory for "trimmings". That wasn't a dress factory but a bread factory. The trimmings were nice bits of cake sometimes, but generally swiss roll that had gone wrong in the manufacture. 86.151.48.25 (talk) 22:53, 27 May 2016 (UTC)