Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 February 5

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February 5

Bread

What is a bread recipe that is healthy? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.119.61.7 (talk) 00:44, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Do any of these work for you? The first two (especially the second) links look good. Hope this helps. --Emery (talk) 03:34, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Biggest Internet forum/message board?

What is the biggest Internet forum/message board (mainly in number of members) as of February 2008? I would like to find one that has a particularly high activity, an above-than-average number of daily posts, and tons of active users. Thanks in advance, folks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.252.54.222 (talk) 02:37, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Umm, the Wikipedia Reference Desks? =P --Emery (talk) 03:30, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

See here: http://www.big-boards.com/ Dismas|^(talk) 04:45, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Note that big-boards.com does not take into account forums in other languages. 2channel is considered the largest, but their format is pretty different from a "common forum" (you can post anonymously, threads are archived when hitting 1,000 replies, the thread format is much more similar to an email chain to save bandwidth, etc). According to their stats, yesterday there were over 2.5m replies in all their boards. -- ReyBrujo (talk) 05:01, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

I always find really active places make me want to stay away - I can't even hope to read stuff before it's buried. -mattbuck 09:21, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Immigration law: Canadian

What is immigration law like in Canada ? Also what kind of health care system does Canada have ? Will I need ID there ? Also some people believe that complying with ID laws and other laws is part of the New World Order (conspiracy), the 666 sort of thing. 65.173.105.118 (talk) 03:40, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Start with immigration to Canada and health care in Canada. Canada does not have a national ID card like some countries, but provincially administered driver's licenses act as de facto ID cards. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 04:00, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

And I'm sure all the provincial health care systems have their own ID cards: certainly the Ontario one does. --Anon, 07:26 UTC, Feb. 5.

If you immigrate to Canada, you will need a Canada Permanent Resident Card to prove your status and for access to services such as health care. However, I don't think that you are required to carry the card at all times. Marco polo (talk) 20:38, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

No, you don't need to carry it around with you. Once you get your driver's license and provincial health card, you don't need it for a whole lot. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 05:51, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Help me

Dear Sirs, i was elected as the the new editor of my college. and i would like to have a name that would reflect the many points and features like

-> A celebration of a lifetime that never ends -> The reflection of thoughts

likewise that would relate the creative talents of the students and the college atmosphere ours is a technical college of Applied science which provide only Computer Science and Electronics study and is situated in Keral India hope u will find me a relevant answer

My Name Sreenath g Kunnath College I H R D, college Of Applied Science My email (E-Mail removed for security purposes) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.93.22.104 (talk) 05:00, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Hi there. First of all, since you are going to work with the article about your college, you should read Wikipedia:Conflict of interest to get a few tips about what to and not to do when dealing with articles you are related to. As for your username, I am pretty bad at choosing them, so wait for someone else to do it ;-) -- ReyBrujo (talk) 05:05, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

I read the question as editing (and wanting a name for) a college paper/magazine. Is this right, Sreenath? Gwinva (talk) 08:18, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Pictures

I have noticed many anime articles I have looked up are missing pictures of the characters. I was wondering if people were just too lazy to go into the anime and get some screen shots. Also I have noticed that pictures in games and other articles aren't there either. Can we please have pictures to our articles? (Some people need a photo reference)

My name is Slave of Betrayal a.k.a. A. Rosette. H. Thanks for reading. —Preceding unsigned comment added by SlaveofBetrayal (talk • contribs) 05:55, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

It could well be that the images were deleted as against fair use - each use of a non-free image requires a justification, and if there isn't one, it's removed from the article, and if that image is then orphaned (no links to it), it will be deleted after a while. -mattbuck 09:18, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Some tangentially-related discussion is in the archives of the Anime and manga WikiProject, here. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 05:33, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

Tip on tips

What is the proper percentage for a tip for an all-you-can-eat buffet costing about $10 in North North America (i.e. Canada)? I've gotten contradictory answers. Clarityfiend (talk) 07:32, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

12.5% ?--Johnluckie (talk) 07:40, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Do you get any table service with that buffet? Customs vary by country, but in the UK I would be unlikely to tip anything for a cheap buffet meal. I tip according to the quality of the meal and, especially, the table service. If you really appreciated the waiter/waitress, leave them a dollar or two. ($1.25 might appear rather perfunctory.)--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:59, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

In North America – unlike much of the UK – wait staff are expected to draw the majority of their earnings from tips. 15% to 20% tips are customary. 10% or less is for dodgy service only; more than 20% indicates above-average service. For an all-you-can-eat buffet, one expects staff to be prompt at refilling beverages and clearing plates—they don't have anything else to do. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 15:08, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Typically, we have articles on & around the subject. Tipping by region#Canada would be the first point of call. I also had a quick look at minimum wage articles, since my understanding was that in the US, tipping formed a major source of income for waiting staff, whereas in the UK it was a small source ... and I don't know what the deal with Canada is. Having had a look at List of minimum wages in Canada and List of U.S.A. minimum wages, I'm a little uncertain: the Canadian minimum wages in every jurisdiction are significantly higher than the U.S. federal minimum wage (so maybe tipping is not so important in Canada?). The US minimum wage page notes that "Other jobs, often ones which earn tips or in small companies, are often subject to lower minimums". --Tagishsimon (talk) 15:26, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Servers and waitstaff in Canada do not make the same legislated minimum wages as other workers. Tips are an important source of income, though I don't think it's quite at the level of the US. Matt Deres (talk) 17:06, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

From a standard restaurant in the UK, I have always been told to tip 10% of the total bill.Radiofred (talk) 19:15, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

Air Shocks for 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid

I bought a 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid for my wife.

Her health is failing and I need to install a wheel chair ramp to the rear of the car.

But the additional weight of the ramp and shooter makes the rear of the car to low. The least litttle dip in the road makes the chair ramp drag.

Can I have air shocks installed on the rear of the car ... and if so were can I find them.

Toyota does not offer them for the Hybrid and a search of the internet has not be fruitfull.

The Toyota owner manual does not recommend any type of device on the rear of there 2008 Camry Hybrid.

The Toyota dealer were I bought this car will install the air shocks and warrenty them if I can find them.

Any help in this matter would of course be greatlly appriateded(sp)

Thank you in advance for your help and have a Blessed Day Every Day,

JimLynnBaxter (talk) 07:41, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm no expert on automobiles (far from it), but I think you can tighten or raise the shocks on the back of the car to compensate for the weight. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 21:24, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Mobile phone technologies in US/Europe/Asia etc.

Hi,

I am thinking of buying a new phone. I was wondering which phone would work ANYWHERE in the world. Do "triband" GSM phones work everywhere, like my current Nokia 6610i? However, GSM is widely used only in Asia and Europe right? (I stay in India) Which is the technology used by most networks in the USA, and other countries? CDMA? CDMA is available here in India, but it is not widely used. That said, is there a phone which would work on both GSM (in Europe) and CDMA (in USA) and other technologies? With so many technologies available, I am very confused which one works where. I am thinking of buying Nokia E51 - it supports the following "technologies": GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, WCDMA 2100, WCDMA 850 - is that enough to make the phone useful anywhere in the world? On some other page I read the phone also supports UMTS - is it the same as CDMA? Nokia E51: http://www.forum.nokia.com/devices/E51

Please help me with this confusion :) Thanks --RohanDhruva (talk) 09:31, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

WCDMA is UMTS undelying technology. It uses CDMA but is incompatible with IS-95 and CDMA2000 type of CDMA. Phone, which supports these technologies/ferquencies, could be used in many places, but not everywhere (in CDMA networks (which are labeled as such)). -Yyy (talk) 12:46, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks Yyy. Is there some page which lists all technologies, and the countries they're used in? --RohanDhruva (talk) 15:17, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

If you really need a phone that works anywhere (well maybe except for the poles), get a satellite phone. --antilived^{T | C | G} 02:18, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Heh no antilived, I'm not that eager to have world-portability. I was just confused, what with so many cellular technologies being in use.. --RohanDhruva (talk) 19:56, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Yellow Paper

Why are pads of paper in the US almost invariably yellow? Everywhere else they are white. I know there is a different size in North America but why the colour change? 195.60.20.81 (talk) 09:58, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

I'd imagine this perception is due to the success of the Post-it note, and I'd presume post-its are predominately yellow just to create a unique brand identity. 86.44.6.14 (talk) 10:54, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Maybe ideas about visibility too. School bus yellow is another American idea, after all. 86.44.6.14 (talk) 11:07, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

I recall this question coming up before on the Ref. Desk. You might try Googling through the archives. Dismas|^(talk) 11:42, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

The above ref'd archived question is here. 86.21.74.40 (talk) 13:18, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Legal pads seem to be yellow for some reason, and with the burgeoning of legal/crime TV shows, maybe the idea's caught on among the general populace who want to feel somehow slightly more important by writing on yellow paper rather than on common or garden white, hence creating a demand. The preceding could be absolute balderdash, though. -- JackofOz (talk) 12:46, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

I didn't think it was a recent phenomenon. Stevie Smith's Novel on Yellow Paper was published in 1936. Gandalf61 (talk) 13:35, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps not, then. Smith was English, though, extremely English. And she thought the fact that she wrote her novel on yellow carbon paper was notable to name it for it. I think she was making a point about her outsider status as a woman writing her first book. (I think light carbon paper is used for tracing in crafts like embroidery?). Yeah I think a lot of things, and know few, I know. 86.44.6.14 (talk) 13:56, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

That archived thread is pretty cool. 86.44.6.14 (talk) 13:59, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you all are talking about. I live and work in the US, my work often involves pads of paper, and those pads of paper are never yellow. Yellow legal pads can certainly be had here, but so can white and greenish pads in legal and other sizes. Marco polo (talk) 20:34, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Is it the yellow colour or the size that's given the name "legal"? Call me inattentive but I haven't noticed any yellow notepaper on tv law shows. Julia Rossi (talk) 23:47, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

I think it's the colour. I've definitely seen them on such TV shows (can't give you a name, though), but on reflection my main experience of yellow pads is with the legal eagles I've dealt with in my working life, and in my private life. It does seem to be the preferred colour for lawyers, certainly in this country; why, I have no idea. -- JackofOz (talk) 23:54, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

See why are legal pads yellow? for one very non-definitive answer. Though traditionally yellow, it's the size of the paper that makes it "legal": legal size is 8.5" x 14" (that is, the height is 3" more than letter size, 8.5x11"). Yellow legal pads (1888) preceded yellow Post-its (1979) by 91 years. - Nunh-huh 03:20, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

In the U. S., "legal" refers to the Paper size#Loose sizes of 8.5 inches wide by 14 inches long. Legal-sized paper can be white or any other color. Thomprod (talk) 03:17, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Hair Removal

I need a method of hair removal which is fast, painless, cheap, easy, permanent and readily available. Is there anything closest to what I need? 58.166.120.121 (talk) 10:45, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

If you surrender permanent - then shaving. If you surrender painless - then waxing. --Ouro (blah blah) 10:58, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

And if you surrender fast, there's aging. 86.44.6.14 (talk) 11:08, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Funny, though the aging bit would depend on the OP's gender and the area from which they want the hair removed. Dismas|^(talk) 11:40, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Sex is biology; gender is sociology. Hair growth is sex (OK, OK, and ingested hormones); hair removal is gender --- it's about constructed identity, ie what you want to look like. BrainyBabe (talk) 14:03, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Waxing isn't permanent. It just takes longer for the hair to regrow to the point of visibility because waxing takes hair out from the root. To permanently eliminate hair growth, one has to damage or destroy the cells in the hair follicle that make new hair. You may wish to read our article on hair removal; it lists several methods. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:11, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Isn't there laser hair removal? Lasers really can do any these days, looks like the folks in the 60s knew what they were talking about! 206.252.74.48 (talk) 13:59, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Doesn't it cost a tad more? I think it does over here. --Ouro (blah blah) 16:34, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

What the? I scanned the question for "cheap" or "inexpensive" before and I didn't see it. Now I do. Disregard my answer then, since it definately isn't cheap. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 16:44, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

The answer certainly depends on size of the area that you want hairless. A problem with laser hair removal is that there is a danger of increased pigmentation of the skin surrounding the destroyed hair follicles, especially if the person has a dark complexion. This would certainly be a problem if you want to get rid of a female mustache. Electrolysis (electrology) is much better in that respect, and reasonably permanent. Of course, neither method is cheap. ---NorwegianBlue ^talk 22:14, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

If there was a hair removal method that was fast, painless, cheap, easy, permanent and readily available, there'd probably only be one method on the market and not dozens. Since we're on the topic, I'd like to get a car that's fast, cheap, safe, spacious, sharp looking, and with great fuel economy. Let me know what you come up with. Matt Deres (talk) 21:41, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Many of these terms are brutally subjective. What looks nice to one person might not appeal to another. --Ouro (blah blah) 13:14, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

marco polo

hi all, watched an epiosode of the Sopranos recently (it was called 'Marco polo') anyhoo the sopranos family played a game called Marco Polo in the swimming pool, can anyone give me a run down on how to play and why it's called Marco Polo? cheersPerry-mankster (talk) 15:36, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

See: Marco Polo (game) as a good starting point. Lanfear's Bane | t 15:46, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

yup, should try and gave a wee search first eh? Astounding the articles that you can find on wiki! thanks Lanfear Perry-mankster (talk) 16:10, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Unfortunately, the article doesn't mention why the game is called Marco Polo, although from some of the talk page comments, it looks like it might have in a previous version (albeit without verifiability). --LarryMac | Talk 16:13, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

One person closes thier eyes and swims around shouting Marco! trying to catch one of the others. Every time he/she shouts Marco the others must shout Polo! No one is allowed out of the pool. Once a person is caught, they are then on. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.191.136.2 (talk) 16:42, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

In the version we played, you could get out of the pool, but there was a key word that the person who was 'it' could call out every so often (such as "Out!") and a person out of the pool is 'it'. Steewi (talk) 00:31, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Is it true that if you dont use it you lose it?

so is it true that if you dont use it you lose it?Bellum et Pax (talk) 17:52, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

If we're talking about the things pertaining to the human brain, then yes appears to be the answer. Google, BBC, some other website . --Tagishsimon (talk) 18:02, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

What do you mean by it? Cryo921 (talk) 19:08, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

i am 47 years of age and still a virgin, i am hopeing to still have a penis when i reach 60 years of age. i was just wondering if that is a true fact.Bellum et Pax (talk) 19:14, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Oh good lord. No you don't have to worry about loosing your genitalia. Who is the moron who told you that you would? Cryo921 (talk) 19:28, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

It's a common idiom(?) that has no basis in fact. Possibly started as an excuse to fornicate. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 21:21, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

you need an excuse to fornicate?:)Perry-mankster (talk) 21:49, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Besides which, I assume you *do* use it, or you have a bladder the size of an oil tanker. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 18:04, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

But with regard to the brain and things like muscles, yeah, 's true. --Ouro (blah blah) 19:52, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Sorry about this, but this is probably the funniest question i have seen here all week!--Dlo2012 (talk) 23:35, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

It's not very original though, it was in 40 Year Old Virgin. Adam Bishop (talk) 05:47, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

calculator games

How do you put games on a TI-84 plus calculator??? --Dlo2012 (talk) 18:58, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Back in high school I always get them from someone else's calculator with the transfer cable. Everyone I know that had the games got them from someone else, and they from someone else still until it was impossible to track the person who originally put them on his or her calculator. In my entire school there wasn't one person who had the PC link cable, so it most have spread from another school or from a senior that left. I, for one, find such a social construct to be absolutely fastinating and I liken it to floppy game copying in the 80s. Long story short, the calculator usually comes with a link cable, the silver edition can link to a PC and usually comes with the equipment to do so. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 21:16, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

I wrote my own. --Carnildo (talk) 22:25, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Ummm Calucator games? Is there really such a thing? (talk)

First you have to install the driver from the CD that should have came with your calculator. Next, simply go on Google or the TI's official site and download the games and transfer it onto your calculator by following the simple rules on their website. Enjoy! Acceptable (talk) 02:48, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

We even have an article: Calculator gaming. --Ouro (blah blah) 13:12, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

You can get them from http://ticalc.org - I have quite a few of my own there! Nobody wants BASIC games though, darn you z80 gurus :D\=< (talk) 17:57, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

"What's wrong here?"

This post keeps circulating Facebook:

What's wrong here

AAA
BBB
CCC
DDD
EEE
FFF
GGG
HHH
III
JJJ
KKK
LLL
MMM
NNN
OOO
PPP
QQQ
RRR
SSS
TTT
UUU
VVV
WWW
XXX
YYY
ZZZ

Did you know that 80% of UCSD students could not find the error above? Repost this with the title "what's wrong here", and when you click "post ", the answer will be really obvious.

Call me a bloody idiot, but I really can't find out what is supposed to be wrong. They are the letters of the alphabet, right? I thought there might be something other than the letters there, so I copy-pasted this into a hex editor, but no, they're really the characters 0x41 through 0x5A. The best I can find is that it mentions "KKK", which is the initials for the Ku Klux Klan, but surely no one could be so overly politically correct to think merely mentioning it would somehow be horribly wrong? Or is this some kind of trick question, that no one is supposed to find anything wrong after all? JIP | Talk 22:42, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

There are enough answers at forums linked from this google search that we don't need to rehearse them here. Take you pick. --Tagishsimon (talk) 22:57, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

From what I found during the first page of the Google search, it's either supposed to be a character look-alike thingy (which I checked it wasn't) or it's a trick question. Thanks for the help. JIP | Talk 23:09, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

The absence of the question mark seems the most compelling of all of the answers I read. --Tagishsimon (talk) 23:12, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

The original one I've seen of this stated: "Whats wrong here?". The correct answer is that there should be an apostrophe in "What's". The letter triplets were there as a distraction. — Kieff | Talk 23:24, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm going to suggest that there is nothing wrong. It is simply designed to spread around facebook as fast as possible. I remember stuff like this that you had to email to 10 friends to see the answer. There never was an answer, but by then it was too late. Clever though. —BradV 23:58, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Like the "when you see it, you'll s*** bricks" motivator and it's just a high res picture with nothing wrong :D\=< (talk) 04:17, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

What about the [[TTT where there are two ['s before the three Ts/ Cryo921 (talk) 09:07, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

That was most probably a typo I made when copying the post. It's not present in the original. JIP | Talk 16:43, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Actually, no it's not. It was made by User:SlaveofBetrayal, for some reason: [1]. I have fixed it now. JIP | Talk 16:48, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

In the original, the I's were "lll" and not "III" as you have shown. In this case, according to the link posted above, the I's are actually lower case L's. Acceptable (talk) 02:47, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

I commend Acceptable for his quick work in tracking down the "original", rather than one of the many chinese whisper varients. On the whole, I agree with Richard Avery, below.

A couple of days ago somebody asked why is the internet dying. I think we are starting to see why. Richard Avery (talk) 08:16, 6 February 2008 (UTC)