< September 11	Miscellaneous desk archive	September 13 >

Humanities

Science

Mathematics

Computing/IT

Language

Miscellaneous

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 at one of the pages linked to above.

< August	September	October >

September 12

Pineapple

Where was the pineapple plant first discovered and then grown commercially.

See Pineapple. Dismas|^(talk) 01:50, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Value of Sig Sp 2340

What is the value of a Sig SP 2340, new still in the box76.2.249.203 02:10, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why not call a local gun shop? Or try Google to see what others are selling for? Dismas|^(talk) 04:07, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Saw his/my butt

moved to language desk--Light current 03:56, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

72.1.206.176 19:10, 12 September 2006 (UTC)== Coin Collecting ==[reply]

Coin Collector Question

I'm a new coin collector and I was wondering if I should just stick with regular coins, or if colored coins also appreciate in value the same way regular coins do. For example the 2006 Silver Eagle coin comes as the regular coin, hologramed, and colored. Thanks

I'd stay with the basic coins. The fancy ones are just an excuse to overcharge you. StuRat 06:52, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's your hobby, you tell us. What do you like? I collect coins of all the countries I've visited. Real souvenirs. DirkvdM 07:07, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My father used to do that, as well. It was a funnier hobby before the Euro came to be, though. 惑乱分からん 10:03, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The value of old European coins (non-euros), have increased in value and rairity since the introduction of Euros right?

Rarity, probably. Most were exchanged for Euro. I found some old Francs, recently, although I doubt they would have gained any particular value. 惑乱分からん 20:14, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

jim

what has two legs on the way up a hill but has four on the way down?

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain? Not sure how that would change the number of his legs, though. DirkvdM 07:12, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This better be good!--Light current 07:34, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is there supposed to be an answer? There's a joke where the punchline is that this riddle has no answer, except in the joke it's usually three legs on the way up.--Rallette 08:31, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A man? He'll have two legs while he's young but once he gets to be "over the hill" he may have a walker or some such thing which can be counted as an extra two legs? Dismas|^(talk) 09:00, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A pregnant woman? Howard Train 09:14, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Haha, nice one, although perhaps the woman has to walk down the hill quite slowly to give the legs a chance to grow out... ;) 惑乱分からん 10:04, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Easy, a person who choped off someones legs at the top of the hill and carried them down. Jon513 12:45, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A rescue worker?

A darts game in a gondola lift of which the third leg is played at the top. DirkvdM 07:26, 14 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How to tell if a woman has fake blonde hair?

This will be weird, but if a woman has different colored eyebrows than her hair, could that be an indication of fake color hair? (That is, assuming she does not color her eyebrows too). Example: if someone has blonde hair but brown eyebrows.

AskMen and similar Web sites do not have this information.

In my experience, no. I have blond hair on the top of my head and brown hair everywhere else, with one exception. I'll leave the location of this second blond patch to everybody's imagination, I think. Howard Train 09:17, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A real blond, then? ;) 惑乱分からん 10:06, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why dont you say: Your hair looks nice. Is that your natural color?--Light current 10:08, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Because that question is grammatically wrong. There's no such thing as 'Youre hair', but other than that it's a good suggestion. - Mgm|^(talk) 12:32, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

But since most people don't have a stick up their ass when speaking, it's a good way to approach it. --Charlesknight 12:37, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Whats a stick up the ass got to do with it? 8-?--Light current 12:58, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Would that not possibly be offensive? Anyway, this makes me think of an old Reiser joke.

An unsightly man dressed only in a couple of old underwear shouts at different girls passing by:
-Hello, fake blonde! -Hello, fake blonde!
(Person passing by...) -You'll never find a girlfriend that way.
(Man in underwear contemplating for himself...)
-I know that...
-...but the chances are practically zero anyway. 
At least this way, If I'm lucky, a girl could show off her pussy to prove me wrong.

Anyway, Reiser's humor not for everyone... 惑乱分からん 10:19, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

OK Say. Your hair looks very nice. Do you color it at all?--Light current 10:58, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

OR: how do you get that fantastic color (grovel grovel)--Light current 11:45, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, the "is that your natural color?" is the safest one. I have a relatively unusual color of hair (it is a mix of a few colors at once) and get asked that all the time, and I always take it as a compliment. I would never take the others as a compliment—the first one would make me wonder if I was being accused of having graying hair, the second just sounds like you couldn't believe that it was natural. I'm a guy, but I doubt it would be much different for a woman. (For the record, my eyebrows are not the same color as the rest of my hair. I don't know why, but that's just the way it always as been. I've never dyed my hair.) --Fastfission 12:45, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And after you ask this woman if that's her natural hair color, why not ask her if she is pregnant or just fat ? :-) StuRat 13:03, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

One of the best compliments(?) I heard was: 'You dont sweat much for a fat girl, do you?' 8-)--Light current 13:30, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm still having trouble with Reiser's "a couple of old underwear". What exactly does that mean? JackofOz 12:57, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's (they're) very similar to a trouser. 8-)--Light current 12:59, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Err ... I'm having trouble with that response too. JackofOz 13:01, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You have to think surreal. Im sure you can 8-)--Light current 13:27, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, mixed up "pair" and "couple", either it's because I'm ESL, or because I wasn't thinking. Anyway, Reiser works mostly in a deliberately dirty style similar to old Robert Crumb and British Viz comics. 惑乱分からん 13:12, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, I see now. Funny how we use "pair" for single garments like trousers, but never "couple", even though both words relate to the number 2. JackofOz 13:19, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Certain ethnic groups never have natural blonde hair, like blacks and Orientals, for example. Others only rarely have natural blonde hair, like the Italians and Spanish. Of course, the most obvious clue to a dye job is different color roots. Unless the woman is meticulous, her roots will eventually show. StuRat 13:03, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

(after edit conflict) Dyed hair is usually the same shade all over. If you look closely, natural hair tends to have all sorts of subtle variations. And of course you can see the colour of the roots only a few days after dyeing.--Shantavira 13:04, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Heh, I had a bad dyejob about six weeks ago. It was supposed to be bright red all over but after a couple of weeks, it turned ginger on top. Now I have people commenting on my 'natural' ginger locks (for some reason, my beard looks the same shade next to it, even though it actually isn't)... ;) --Kurt Shaped Box 14:07, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A good color job with highlights can be very hard to detect even after several weeks. Basically if someone with light skin and mousy brown hair is willing to spend $100 a month, you'll never know it. Durova 14:34, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Except that they never buy you a drink?--Light current 15:58, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I used to have my hair dyed platinum blonde for a lot less than a hundred a month, and everyone thought it was natural, even with my roots showing. Because it matched my complexion so well, people just didn't notice the roots. I would have been very offended if anyone asked me if it was my real colour; to me it is a very personal question, like asking my weight or what kind of underwear I wear. IMO if a person is close enough me to warrant that piece of private info, I'll tell them myself or they'll figure it out just by hanging around with me. If they don't know me that well, then they don't need, and certainly don't deserve, to know. Anchoress 16:37, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

About 5 years ago I overheard a lady who had long, movie star quality blond hair say to her friend "My husband just doesn't think hair can be worth $300 a month." Yeah, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide is about 99 cents on sale at Walgreen, and Q-tips for touch up of the roots are about 2 cents apiece.Edison 17:36, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Just because some people pay $300 for a colour job doesn't mean a good salon treatment has to cost that. I went to a supercuts type place that happened to have a brilliant colourist. That doesn't mean it was comparable to doing it myself with an overdose of Sun-In. Anchoress 18:55, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

To a fake blonde: "Why are you dying the roots of your hair black?" —EdGl 22:29, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"My hair is naturally blonde, with naturally dark roots." StuRat 05:09, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

OK, this is a picky point, but hair can't be blonde. A woman can be blonde, if she has blond hair. --Trovatore 05:13, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Concise Oxford says that "blond" can refer to hair, or complexion, or a person (esp. a man), and "blonde" can refer to a woman, or a woman's hair. JackofOz 06:56, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This is what happens when we borrow words from a language with word genders (French, in this case). StuRat 13:47, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

For the record, naturally coloured head hair (in men an women) can be different in colour from body hair (including eye brows). Quite why this is is not known, but there is a strong correlation, for example, between being heterozygous for a loss-of-function allele of MC1R and having reddish body hair only. While those homozygous for the same allele are more likely to have have reddish body hair and red head hair. Rockpocket 06:21, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed. My beard is a different shade to my natural hair colour. Brown, while the latter is blond-ish. --Kurt Shaped Box 07:06, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I used to do research in the field of human hair colour and, during worshops and meeting with the public and the like, i would get red-haired parents asking me to explain the genetics of it all. Often they would point to their teenage or pre-teen daughters standing next to them and ask, "what will it mean for them when they got one red-haried gene from me and none from my spouse". On informing them, their daughters would inevitably turn as red as i predicted their pubic hair would be. Rockpocket 07:18, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My Preferences

After logging on to Wikipedia, why can't I change my preferences?

I don't know. Works OK for me at the moment. Do you get a message saying your changes have been saved? Did you remember to Wikipedia:Bypass your cache? Otherwise try closing and restarting your browser.--Shantavira 14:57, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I had this problem with some preferences. When I used a different browser (Mozilla) it did work. I believe it had to do with having Java (script? applets?) enabled. DirkvdM 05:17, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Surfing

What is the meaning of gnarly and when was it introduced in the sport? Thank you !

Move this to language section? It seems to have been derived from gnarl, anyway. 惑乱分からん 15:15, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dude, that question was, like, totally tubular ! :-) StuRat 05:05, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Tubular? Doesn't ring a bell. DirkvdM 05:19, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why did you have to chime in with that?--Light current 22:40, 14 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

1970 TV Show

From what 1970's television show about the public school system did the currently playing theme song come?

What? 惑乱分からん 16:38, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is this from one of those DVD games with quiz questions? Because it's kind of pointless just writing the question out ad verbatim when we can't hear the 'currently playing theme song'. Karma Llama 17:04, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I can think of two 1970s television shows about public schools: Room 222 and Welcome Back Kotter. The latter had a memorable theme song (and a very young John Travolta in its cast). Durova 17:25, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hey! The theme to Room 222 is memorable too. It's still taking up a few of my precious neurons. God, I'm old. Clarityfiend 17:31, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

And don't forget Schoolhouse Rock. StuRat 05:02, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

uk mp3 downloads... best sites??

Hi, is there any fuss free uk mp3 download sites that you can use in a one off way. i.e. pay for one track only and not have to join? I used TESCO the other day and it was great but not to many rare jazz tracks that I'm after.

Failing this how about other sites abroad (im worried about using my visa card for overseas transactions as the bank charge a quid a pop).

I cant use itunes as I have windows 98!!

Have a look at this site - it's based in Russia, very popular because it's a lot cheaper than iTunes, but its legality is disputed - see the article at Allofmp3. --Richardrj ^talk ^email 07:30, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

how about scrap the costs all together and download limewire from www.limeire.com.... free application that provides free music software pictures and videos.... but be carefull especially with software that you download from there..... they may contain virus's and other spyware that can potentialy arm your computer pulo 13:45, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Internet Archive contains high quality free and legal music. Mostly from recorded concerts. Jon513 16:49, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

adding copyright info to images

what's the best way to do it, when you load the image? can it be done after the image is loaded?

i'm adding art from the manga eyeshield 21, i'm using images from chapters not yet released in america...

how to do i mark it up so it doesn't get deleted.

There are instructions when you upload images. However, the first and foremost rule is that the upload must be legally permissible, and from the description provided, I really don't expect it will be. Do you have the permission of the copyright holder? — Lomn | Talk 20:01, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What about fair use? 惑乱分からん 20:19, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You can also add a copyright tag after the upload (in above example, add {{fair use}}. You can also change it, but you're not supposed to change it to something more restrictive, unless you made a legal mistake. DirkvdM 05:23, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As the question is here, I uploaded this image recently, and I would claim it's fair use (although depicting a trademark toy). How should I label it? 惑乱分からん 12:02, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't see how that can be fair use when we already have Image:LEGO minifigs.jpg. In any event it doesn't seem like it should be that hard to get as many pictures of legos as you want - why resort to fair use. Jon513 16:48, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There are two different types of minifigs. The image I uploaded is of the old pre-1978 type, and I didn't find any prior images on Wiki depicting them. Anyway, I just wondered how I should label the image. 惑乱分からん 17:16, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That reminds me. I used to photogrpah a lot of lego for my former employer (the RCX and stuff, though, not figures). I suppose my emplyer has the rights to those photos. Or can I upload them as my own? DirkvdM 07:35, 14 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Lungs

Hey could you tell me how many bronchi there are in each lung? thanks

We have an article bronchus. DJ Clayworth 17:34, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

our article on bronchus has the information you need. Unfortunately, I can't tell from your question exactly what number you want (what we should be counting). However, I suspect the answer to this "homework question" is _2_. I'll leave chastizing you up to the regulars here; I'm too knew at the desks to do it. Fastfinge

Originally there was some nonsense on top, so I'm not sure on how serious the user cares for the answer... 惑乱分からん 18:16, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed. Type it into the box. --Proficient 05:37, 15 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Country Music TV Shows

I want to list The Wilburn Brothers Shows 1963-1974

Go ahead. In case you don't know where, thy The Wilburn Brothers. If you want to make a separate article, just type in the name in the search box and click on the red 'create this article' link. DirkvdM 05:26, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

USA SUCCESS

why is that usa has so much money or financialresources as compared to any other nation where ot can afford to pump in so much money or global presence.... what is the source of money?

See Economy of the United States. To put it shortly, an enormous abundance of natural resources and labor combined with a society(and its government) that heavily promotes a free market economy. --Mitaphane _talk 19:07, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe something to keep in mind is that the USA have won all wars they have been involved in, except the war in Vietnam. --GTubio 06:44, 22 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you read carefully in Economy of the United States, you will also see that the United States has a subtantial current account deficit. If you look at the list of countries by current account balance, you will see that the United States has by far the largest current account deficit in the world. The current account deficit is about 7% of the size of the entire U.S. economy. What this means is that the United States consumes about 7% more than it produces. In effect, the rest of the world lends that 7% back to the United States to cover the difference. So, part of the to answer your question is that the United States is able to maintain its global presence because nations with current account surpluses, such as China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, continue to accept growing U.S. debts. In the event that the creditors of the United States were to stop lending it money, or if they were to sell their U.S. debt, for example for political reasons, there would probably be a global financial crisis, and the "financial resources" of the United States would be greatly reduced. Marco polo 19:59, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Of course, wrecking the US economy would also destroy their economies, by denying them their current lucrative export market. StuRat 05:00, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

True, though if the US economy were in recession, say, dramatically shrinking that lucrative export market, and/or China had a financial crisis of its own (not hard to imagine), and the US then went to war against, say, Iran, with which China has made deals for access to oil, one could imagine China dumping that US debt to impede the US. On the other hand, a financial crisis that wrecked the present precarious prosperity of the US could happen even without action by one of the creditor nations. A flight by private investors would suffice. This could happen if the US Federal Reserve was perceived to be ignoring inflation. Such a scenario is not far fetched. But my point was that while the past prosperity of the US rested on a combination of territorial expansion, rich resources, military and technological superiority, and business acumen, its present prosperity rests to a large extent on the kindness (or transient self-interest) of strangers. Marco polo 14:40, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Self interest, yes, kindness no. Much of the world would just love to destroy the US if they could do so without suffering the consequences. StuRat 09:11, 15 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In other words, as long as the Chinese want to artificially hold down their currency, Paris Hilton continues to party! --Zeizmic 20:11, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, that seems like a valid analysis... 惑乱分からん 20:17, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Also note that WW2 played a major role, leaving the US as the sole industrial country without heavy infrastructure damage from bombing, etc. This put the US in the economic lead. StuRat 05:00, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Being a capitalist country is hardly an explanation. Most capitalist countries in the world are poor. (The reason being that most countries in the world are capitalist and most countries in the world are poor.) If you look at rich and poor countries in the world and their history, the strongest correlation is that the rich ones were rich to start with (and vice versa). Money makes money. The US started off rich, with money from Europe. And Europe got rich at least in part by stealing from their colonies. So the US is rich through stealing and borrowing. :) (Can someone think of a way to add 'begging' to this?) DirkvdM 05:31, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

But Spain was far richer than the American colonies at one point, now it's much poorer, so what happened to all their wealth ? StuRat 13:34, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Spanish wealth was in the form of gold and silver mines, which eventually ran out. Further, importing all that gold and silver into Europe reduced the value of those metals, and to top it all off, the Spanish government spent all that money on wars rather than infrastructure. --Serie 23:13, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Spain has never had a wonderful economy - in the 1500s, it was able to mask that with bullion imported from the new world, but instead of investing it for the future, Spanish rulers used it to pay for the present - buying off nobles, taking risks (e.g. the Spanish armada - very expensive, absolutely no return on investment), interest on their extensive loans, fighting. In the end, they ran out of money flowing in, and because they'd squandered it when it was coming in they had little to fall back on where they were. Hence began a downward spiral which it was in for centuries, and has only just really clawed its way out of (before the recent expansion, it was one of the poorest countries in the EU). --Mnem e son 21:25, 14 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Also, there are plenty natural resources in such a big country (oil being a big one). DirkvdM 05:36, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, and of course the size is also an obvious explanation if you compare wealth per nation, not per capita. The EU is slightly richer, but only because it has a slightly bigger population. DirkvdM 05:41, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Spain is richer than all the Latin American countries again now though. Jameswilson 01:20, 15 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Not in absolute terms, no. Brazil alone has an economy about 50% larger than that of Spain. If you mean on a per capita basis, you may be right. StuRat 09:02, 15 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Mnemeson already mentioned the expansion of the EU. Portugal, Greece and especially Ireland have profited from this too. Having good trading relations with rich countries is an excellent way to escape poverty. Having a completely open economy between the countries works miracles. This is why everyone wants to trade with the US, of which the US in turn profits again, reinforcing nation's desires to trade with them, etc, in an upward spiral. This can also work (in reverse) on company scale. The US decided to not trade with any company that trades with Cuba, so only those who can do without dealings with US companies will trade with CUba. Needless to say, those are very thin on the ground. DirkvdM 07:20, 15 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes I meant per capita. The richest parts of Spain are in fact slightly above the EU average now. I dont know precisely when Spain overtook its ex-colonies again. I have an old book from the 1930's which gives the income per capita back then. The top ten were

USA 113 gold pounds (LOL),
Canada £91
New Zealand £74
Australia £72
Argentina £66
UK £56
Netherlands £56
Switzerland £53
Norway £48
Sweden £40

Spain was down among the dead men on £15, lower than Egypt and Rumania. You'd be pretty sick if your family had emigrated from Spain to Argentina back then. Jameswilson 00:02, 17 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm very interested in the data you have just provided. Could you upload the full list into Wikipedia or a related project? Could you give the name of the source, please? On the other hand, what other people have said about Spanish economy not being especially wonderful at any point in history is right, since in typical literature from the 1600s such as Lazarillo de Tormes one of the main themes is the comparison between the immense power of the Spanish crown at the time and the difficulties the general population was facing to survive. Moreover, Spain was at its worst between 1898-1936, when it was just an underdeveloped country and was going to face a devastating civil war that further reduced industrial production at the end of the war to a 33% of the level it had in 1936. The level of 1936 could not be recovered until as late as 1953, due to several factors. Fortunately for us, Spain nowadays is a rich country, though its population (about 45 million estimate versus close to 60 million for Italy, France and the UK) and per capita GDP (about a 90% of the four biggest European economies) makes it still be a step behind.

It still puzzles me how Argentina's GDP per capita has become so low since then. Furthermore, just where are France, Germany, Italy and the Soviet Union? I've read in a textbook that before WWII the USSR became the third biggest economy in the world, only after the US and Germany. --GTubio 06:42, 22 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'll add a few other factors that haven't been mentioned yet: the United States is a large country and mostly monolingual, which makes it relatively easy to streamline matters such as long distance transportation, resource and pollution management, and interstate commerce. The country also has only two international borders, which allows it to focus attention on international issues in more distant parts of the world. Roughly between 1765 and 1865 this part of the world underwent a radical shift from separate colonial loyalties and indigenous tribalism to a powerful federal government. Most proto-colonial acquisitions either graduated to equal status (Alaska) or gained independence (the Philippines).

Other editors may dispute this opinion, but I would say no other region has banded together in a similar manner: the European Union is taking steps in that direction, but there and elsewhere the constituent political units have insisted on greater autonomy. In most of those cases IMHO that hampers the region's political and economic power. From my own perspective as a North American who has traveled overseas, a United States of Europe and a United States of Africa, etc. would be the smartest thing those regions could do. I'm no avocate of colonialism, but it does seem that regional political unity has significant benefits. Durova 17:39, 22 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

cerebellum

I am 60 years old, I just had a new Cat scan done , I had a stroke in 1973 and my last Cat scan was done in 1973 but now my doctor says my cerebellum is getting smaller, I have been having balance problems and have been falling down alot lately and I cannot understand all the words in your articles and would just like to know in simple terms what is happening to me,I have been seizure free since 1980 but now my lip and tongue are going numb about everyday like they did just before I had a seizure years ago. I am on phenobarbitol and Dilantin.

Probably best to see the doctor first. If its a problem in your jaw etc, he may refer you to a 15 Maxillofacial_Surgeon. Or you could do it the other way round: get the dentist to check your jaw etc, then he may advise going to the doctor. Hope this helps.--Light current 22:10, 12 September 2006 (UTC)

You need to talk to your neurologist and ask him to explain things until you can understand them, and you need to tell him about your mouth numbness and be sure that it is not a sign that you are about to have a stroke. Strokes in the area of the cerebellum can cause it to shrink, and this can cause balance problems. But only your doctor can tell you if this is what is happening to you. - Nunh-huh 06:27, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

By my calcs, you were around 27 when you had your stroke. That's quite unusual and indicates that you have some underlying medical problem which may now be contributing to your current prob. Consult a doctor and be sure to tell him all about your medical history. StuRat 12:57, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Squier Affinity Strat guitar questions

Just got a sweet Squier Affinity Strat for only $70, slightly used. My two questions are:
1. The action is a bit high. Anybody know how to lower the strings? Do I have to remove the strings in order to change how high they are?
2. What exactly is "Affinity"?
Thanks! NIRVANA2764 19:46, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If yours is like mine the bridge elements can be moved up and down on little screw-threaded feet. You certainly need to take the strings off first. But then mine is way over a decade old, so yours may be very different. Caveat: some guitars, particularly cheap ones like a Squier, don't have the bridge, body, and neck all lined up terribly well, and lowering the action may cause the strings to buzz against the frets. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 21:33, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know much about eectric guitars, but I believe this problem could also be caused by the neck being 'bent', which could be resolved by adjusting the neckscrew (or what is that called?). DirkvdM 06:22, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's called the truss rod. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 09:38, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, you need to take the strings off. If the bridge can't be moved, or if lowering it causes the strings to buzz, then lowering the action might still be possible, but the frets would probably have to be removed, and replaced.... don't do this - it's a job for a specialist. Take it to a small guitar shop and befriend the proprietor.... TheMadBaron 09:26, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I believe the proper term for this process is "dressing the frets" (which comprises "stoning" them down and then "recrowning" them so they have a nice finish, although some places just call the whole process "stoning"). You're quite right to say that this shouldn't be done by someone who doesn't know what they're doing, at least on any guitar that's worth keeping. That said, my first guitar was a pretty crummy Palmer accoustic, which had an action like a Yugoslavian cheesegrater. After a while I filed the bridge element down and scraped down the resulting buzzy frets with the blunt edge of a stanley knife. With a capo on the 2nd fret it now plays quite nicely. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 09:38, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

With a Strat-type bridge, it should be possible to lower the action without removing the strings. The guitar will go horribly out of tune after you lower the action, but that's easily fixed :) Leaving the strings on allows you to directly check the action and see if you've lowered it too far (you will probably need to replace the strings after this because the movement of the bridge will abuse the strings pretty badly and they will probably break very soon after, but if you adjust the bridge right before you were going to change strings anyway, that's not a problem). If the strings start to buzz, you can usually adjust the truss rod a bit forwards so that the neck is bent slightly forwards (carefully, the operative words here are "a bit" and "slightly" - and you *will* need to remove the strings for that). As a rule of thumb, the neck should be perfectly straight without strings; the tension of the strings will cause it to bend slightly forward, and you should be able to set a comfortably low action (although I've also owned a couple guitars over the years that were impossible to adjust to anything near comfortable).

As for the second part of the original question, Affinity is the cheapest line currently produced by Squier, entirely produced in China and using rather cheap wood and hardware. However, I've been pleasantly surprised by their quality - I got an Affinity Tele a couple of months ago as a backup guitar, it doesn't compare to my original Fender, but it's definitely the best guitar I've ever seen in that price range (just above €100) -- Ferkelparade π 10:03, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

70s circular educational aid

Does anyone else remember a "system" from the 1970's in North America you could buy for your children to help teach about various school subjects (vocabulary, math, science, history, etc.)? It had a unique gimmick in that it was in the form of a roughly circular plastic apparatus about 10" (25cm) in diameter, brown or burgandy in colour that you could slide giant (thick paper) disks into and it would show a question in one window and the answer in another. You would then rotate the disk for another question. I also seem to recall you could buy expansion packs for it. I'm also guessing it was sold mail order or by direct sales. I would love to pick one up for nostalgic reasons, it made learning fun (until I discovered the Apple ][, which made Zork fun). 192.41.148.220 19:47, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

cyanide poisoning

I read your article on cyanide poisoning, and Leonard Lake wasn't included in the article. I think he should be. Thank-you for your attention. dale

A) What article on cyanide poisoning? B) It would be unencyclopedic to list every single person who's died of cyanide poisoning in an article about cyanide poisoning. In a List of people who have died of cyanide poisoning it might be more appropriate. C) Thanks for pointing out the Leonard Lake article; it's dripping with POV and lacking sources, so I tagged it for cleanup. Anchoress 20:38, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That would be cyanide, which contains a very short list of people who committed suicide with cyanide. - Nunh-huh 04:12, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm always glad to see that people are still on the alert! :) --Zeizmic 21:24, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Martha Stewart Mag and a House?

I heard somewhere that Martha Stewarts mag built a house and is now giving it away. I was wondering if anyone had any more info or where I could get a sign up for that. Thanks!! --Zach 21:26, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

here or a link from the top right here, entitled Martha Stewarts Ultimate KB home giveway. I can't believe you made me go there. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Haha, sorry. I forewarded this to the person who was too shy to ask it here. I swear some people are too scared to ask questions. Thanks!!!! --Zach 23:22, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Likely story ;) Rockpocket 06:15, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

spinal stenosis

What are symptons,and/or are there any cures?

Ahem, the article Spinal_stenosis exists however it does not cite it's sources. So be warned. You could always try Google though. Deltacom1515 01:57, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 September 12

Contents