Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010 March 29

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March 29

geography

regarding details of seashells island —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.204.80.203 (talk) 00:21, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

I asked my girlfriend. She says, see Seychelles (by the sea shore). StuRat (talk) 00:25, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

There's a Seashell Beach Resort on Havelock Island - is that what you are think of? Otherwise, there's a Shell Island in Wales, or one in Panama City, Florida. Warofdreams talk 01:32, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

You're not alone in not knowing the islands. On The Amazing Race 16 yesterday only two of the six teams could pronounce the name of the islands correctly. DJ Clayworth (talk) 13:02, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

bloated cellphone battery

One of my father's cellphone battery seems to be bloated. It looked like a bag of potato chips rather than a sleek rectangular battery. Anyways, I threw it away just in case it would explode or something. Anyways, what caused its bloating and what could have happened if we have left it inside the phone. There was no marking in the battery itself, just 3.7 V and the company's name.--121.54.2.188 (talk) 01:09, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

It certainly sounds like a good idea to dispose of it, but I believe cell phone batteries contain toxic substances so should be disposed of properly, not just tossed in the trash. Is it an NiMH battery ? StuRat (talk) 01:36, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

No idea what type of battery it is, the battery seems to be a cheap knock off and have no other labels aside from what I said above. I also told my folks not to buy cheap but unreliable phones anymore. I think it was collected with the other trash last week. Our country is not that keen in garbage segregation yet.--121.54.2.188 (talk) 01:40, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

What could have happened? Well, it's a long shot, but it could have literally exploded. If you google for "Exploding phone" you'll find several stories, mostly from China, about cell-phones that have gone off like hand grenades and killed or maimed their users. APL (talk) 04:43, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

I've got a Nokia 6234 whose (original) battery is on its last dying legs. It has bloated so much that I've broken several clips on the back cover trying to force it onto the phone. The battery "dies" when I speak too long on a call, but then indicates full charge when I switch the phone back on again. I have to charge it every night. Thus far no ill effects in terms of exploding. I'm going to guess but could the bloating be as a cause of a chemical reaction? Maybe the reactants take up less volume than the substance(s) they produce. Zunaid 09:43, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

According to these articles, in lithium-ion batteries, there's a basic design problem. Due to overcharging or a small short circuit (a result of metal build-up on the electrodes in the battery), a significant amount of heat can be generated, and if gas builds up inside it expands, causing the case to bulge, or if it's hot enough the battery can catch fire [1][2]. Not a good sign. --Normansmithy (talk) 10:45, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Yea, Zunaid, get rid of that battery, it's dangerous. StuRat (talk) 14:22, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

How many registered companies are there in Australia?

Please give me a recent/updated reference. 123.3.110.165 (talk) 12:29, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

1,734,388, as at Feb 2010. There are also 8,541,312 businesses. Mitch Ames (talk) 14:31, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Education in Rajasthan

I just want to know on the one side govt of rajasthan want to improve its education status on the other hand some universities who have announced distance learning programme like M.A education and they have written in their prospectus that its a 2 years degree programme which is equivalent to M.ED course of rajasthan university then why IN 2010 B.ED colleges are not taking the candidates who have dome M.A in education from VMOU kota as a faculty? whats the reason we feel govt. has cheated us because they must know distance learning is for those who are already in job and want to get higher education in that condition they must get the eligibility criteria similar to m.ed regular course. just clear it or tell the sggestion i'm a highly qualified girl and as i felt there is no use of education in rajsthan . now please answer or raise my voice. please help me i'm a girl and i need a good job. i feel i have spoiled my 2 years honestly is it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.204.240.218 (talk) 14:36, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

The List of ministers in Government of Rajasthan names Mangi Lal Garasia as state minister for Primary & Secondary Education, Labour & Employment. This may be a question to which the minister's office would respond. The Rajasthan government web site provides a way to contact them. While you may express concern about the distance learning qualification you are more likely to get a helpful response if you do not accuse them of cheating. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 16:05, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

individual resale

In the UK i regularly buy drinks from local corner stores, often, for instance today I have a lucozade, and on the side it says NOT FOR INDIVIDUAL RESALE. Does any one ever get prosecuted for this. Is it a law of some sort or just drinks companies trying to make more money? and any other info. Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 15:03, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

As far as I know, those restrictions only apply to people buying directly from the manufacturer, and are part of their contracts. They don't apply to individual consumers, to the best of my knowledge. You own the bottle, you can do what you like with it. No contract exists between you and the manufacturer. Of course, if this is anything more than idle curiosity, you shouldn't trust me and should talk to a lawyer. --Tango (talk) 15:19, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Legally, food and drink items in many countries must comply with local labelling laws (see Food labeling regulations for a description of the situation in the UK only). For example, many jurisdictions require food labels to include ingredients lists and nutrition information. If a food item is packaged in a multipack, for example I can buy a box of Twinkies, where each Twinkie is individually wrapped, the individually wrapped cakes don't have the ingredients on them, just the box itself. So, it would not be fully compliant for a store to sell me the individual Twinkies, since I would need to buy the whole box to get the nutrition information. So, if someone is selling you stuff from an opened box, without the proper labeling, they may be doing so against regulations. You could report this to somebody, who may or may not give a shit. Your chance of getting someone to care and act upon this is vanishingly close to nil, but I suppose there's a chance that if the right regulatory agency were notified, then someone might be able to fine the store for the violation. Personally, I think that reporting your local corner store because they sold you an improperly labeled soda can, and getting them in trouble for doing so, is the height of douchebaggery, but to each his own. It is technically against the rules at some level, I suppose... --Jayron32 15:24, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Possibly the selling price or packaging of Lucozade differs in different regions and the suppliers wish to preserve these differences. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 15:47, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

This is anecdotal but I think is a more correct reason than the above explanations. I've seen this type of labelling on food and drinks before. Most likely Lucozade is running a promotion and the bottles are pre-packaged as e.g. 2 for the price of 1 or a discounted 6-pack etc. Lucozade would sell these on to the retailer at a discounted price compared to the normal stock price. The retailer is not supposed to abuse the situation by then opening the pack and selling individual bottles at the normal retail price. They are being unethical by doing so as they received the discount from Lucozade and are not passing it on to the consumer. Was/is there any Lucozade promotion going on your area? Do the tops have a different colour or is the packaging subtly different in a way so as to indicate a promotion/competition is undergo? Zunaid 16:32, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

That label is supposed to prevent the consumer from splitting a six-pack in the supermarket (and maybe trying to insist on paying just 1/6th of the six-pack price). To emphasise the point even further, there is often no barcode printed on the individual bottles, only on the exterior of the six-pack. This is a big deal for a major supermarket because it leaves them with an unsellable "six-pack-with-one-missing". Your small corner shop probably picked up the six-pack from a local cash and carry wholesaler or maybe the same local supermarket you shop at, and is probably selling it on to you at their usual single item price. IANAL, but I doubt they are breaking any law or ripping off anybody (except you, the customer). If you are a bit of a busy-body and it is really bugging you, you could ask the local trading standards office. Astronaut (talk) 17:34, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Digital Converter Box without cable

Hello, I have two questions about a digital converter box. First is whether or not the goverment still offers coupons for purchasing a new box. Second and most importantly, without having any kind of cable service, can a digital converter box pick up any channels? (NBC, CBS, PBS, etc.) Thank you in advance. --67.134.239.205 (talk) 15:14, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

There are many governments on this planet. Which of them are you asking about? Cuddlyable3 (talk) 15:44, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

US --67.134.239.205 (talk) 15:45, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

According to the government's website the voucher program is over, so at this point you will have to pay full-price for a converter box. The converter box, when used with a regular antenna, will convert any over-the-air channels you could previously pick up. The main website has a well-written FAQ section to answer other questions, too. --McDoobAU93 (talk) 15:52, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict) 1) You're outta luck on the coupons. According to the U.S. government website, the program ended July 31, 2009.

2) If you have cable TV, you actually don't need the converter box, since the cable company handles conversion at their end (before they send the TV down the cable to you), OR they lease you one of their boxes as part of their cable package. Either way, if you have cable, you don't need the box. The box is solely for people who receive their TV via "over the air" signals. If you wish to receive digital TV on an over-the-air signal, you will need to either get a DTV-compatible set with a built-in tuner, or buy a converter box. WalMart and most similar stores still sell them. --Jayron32 15:59, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

My problem is I just moved into a new house in New Jersey, but I do not want/need cable. I would like the basic 5 channels for things like the news. I have tried hooking a cable into my TV and I did not receive any reception. If I try an aentena bought from Radio Shack, will that possibly help? --67.134.239.205 (talk) 16:18, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

There are almost certainly major network channels being broadcasted through the air at your house, so you need a regular television antenna to pick up the signals (like from RadioShack), and either an ATSC-compatible television or an older television with a digital converter box (which goes in between the antenna and the television). —Akrabbim^talk 16:23, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

If your TV is digital, then just the pair of bunny ears may be enough. If your tv is analog (ie:old) then you're going to need the bunny ears and the converter box. APL (talk) 16:28, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

The government website says any antennae you already own will work with the converter box, although to receive the best picture you may want to get a new antenna designed for digital TV. A good electronics store near your home will probably be the best place to help answer any questions or address concerns specific to where you are (for example, they may know some tricks on how to place the antenna to improve reception for particular stations). Based solely on your location, you probably will have a number of stations to choose from over-the-air. --McDoobAU93 (talk) 16:39, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

You can check which stations you are supposed to be receiving at your location by plugging in your zip code at http://www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/ . Anything marked as green or yellow should be obtainable with your run-of-the-mill VHF+UHF antenna. Titoxd^{(?!? - cool stuff)} 17:37, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

I disagree. That web site says "assuming an outdoor antenna 30 feet above ground level". With my rabbit ears on the first floor, I don't even get good reception for the stations in green. StuRat (talk) 21:37, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Funny you should ask about digital TV. I live in Detroit, USA, which is a major city and flat, so reception shouldn't really be a problem. But, ever since the US transitioned from analog to digital, I can't get a consistent good signal, which is extremely annoying. I just have rabbit ears, but that's all I had with analog TV and they worked fine. Right now I'm actually watching an analog station from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, which hasn't yet gone through the digital transition. Even though the station is farther away, I get better reception because it's analog. So, to me digital TV is crap. I wish we had never switched. I'm going to be stuck paying hundreds of dollars for a massive roof antenna just to match my old reception with rabbit ears, it seems. StuRat (talk) 21:26, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

My understanding (will try find a reference) is that at the moment the 'digital' signal cannot be broadcast full-power whilst the analogue signals are still being sent out, once they turn these off (region by region) they'll be able to boost the digital signal output and everyone within the area should (ignoring personalising factors) receive a better signal. I agree though, digital noise is a different kind of annoying to analogue - though how much of that is just getting used to it i'm not sure. 21:29, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

I've had over a year to get used to it, and I haven't. It's not just different, it's worse. With a weak analog signal, you get a fairly consistent snow on the screen over the video and white noise on the audio. With a weak digital signal it cuts out repeatedly. You just can't follow a show that keeps cutting out like that, not like the way you could adapt to snow on the screen. Also, what constitutes a weak signal has changed. Here in Detroit, a weak analog signal was one from Toledo, Ohio or Ann Arbor or Flint, Michigan. Under digital, I have no reception at all from those cities, and stations actually in Detroit are now weak under digital. StuRat (talk) 21:55, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Have you considered the possibility that your converter box is ... not good? I'm not at all convinced that those government subsidized converter boxes are quality pieces of equipment. APL (talk) 22:43, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

I have what I'd call an upscale version. The ones at Walmart looked like such crap I walked away, and ended up with the Zenith DTT901 instead. But, if even with the $40 government subsidy and an additional $24 each, I still can't get decent reception, that's another strike against digital TV. StuRat (talk) 03:49, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

It may partially that your antenna isn't particularly suited for the transmission your trying to receive. You say you have a rabbit ear antenna. Presuming this is really solely a rabbit ear antenna with a loop, this works well for VHF, but doesn't work so well for UHF. It's not clear what channels you used to receive and whether they were all of acceptable quality but if you were primarily receiving VHF channels before and are now primarily receiving UHF channels, this would be a problem. Here in NZ most of the important analog channels are generally in VHF and DVB-t is generally in mid to high UHF (and I don't know if there are any plans to start using the VHF once analog switch off occurs, it may be used for something else) but evidentally things are not so simple in the US [3]. In Detroit however it appears most channels except for Fox are in UHF most mid or high [4] so this may indeed be a problem if you're a dipole only antenna. While not really addressing the question of your analog vs digital issues, you could also try a higher quality indoor antenna or moving around your existing one Nil Einne (talk) 07:15, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

My rabbit ears combine a dipole antenna with a loop. Digital TV is mainly in UHF, yes, but analog was in both VHF and UHF here, and I was able to receive both with this antenna. It actually seems to be some type of interference, as sometimes digital reception is fine, then it goes through periods where about once a second it cuts out. When looking on the signal meter the signal strength wildly oscillates between strong and weak. StuRat (talk) 12:55, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

StuRat -- the problem with "rabbit ears" is that they're pretty non-directional, and many of the problems people have been having with Digital TV reception in the US has been due to multipath interference, rather than the "weakness" of the signal as such. I had to junk the rabbit ears and go with a $29.99 indoor directional antenna to get acceptable reception (but that antenna is optimized for UHF, so if there are VHF signals in your area, then it might not resolve all your problems). AnonMoos (talk) 06:57, 3 April 2010 (UTC)

You have rabbit ears too, Stu? Are you Baseball Bugs's cousin or something?  :) -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 19:10, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

And If I gave them to you, you'd have Jackrabbit ears. :-) StuRat (talk) 15:20, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

Digital Radio

I have always, for the past 20 years or so listened to the radio while I sleep. Radio in the Uk has changed to digital. Or mine has at least. Now rather than getting crystal clearreception, I get a garbled sound, this fades out to clarity and back again to garbled, it sounds almost like they are half underwater. why is this, is there something I can do to fix it? I thought that the swicth to digital was supposed to give the consumer better reception, or am I mistaken? Does anyone else experience this. Will I have a similar problem when I change my TV to digital. Further more, I have a freeview box, and every 2 weeks or so I need to switch it off at the back and on again as the names and times of the programs are not displayed, is this a common problem? 1 of my friends has the same issue. My main concern is my radio though, BBC worldservice is just not the same underwater. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 16:25, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

You've probably gotten used to a certain amount of analog static, and are reacting to the weird garbledness of digital interference.

This is certainly a criticism of the switches to digital. With a strong signal the digital sounds better than analog, but with a weak signal you get a different kind of interference that's harder to ignore.

I suggest getting a better antenna. APL (talk) 16:37, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

I'm a little confused. The Digital Switchover in the UK isn't scheduled until 2015. In order for you to receive DAB signals you need to buy a DAB radio. Are you saying that you have bought a DAB radio recently? On my DAB radios is a wire aerial, which I had to find the best position for. Have you tried doing that? Generally, it seems to be the case that certain areas of the UK have poorer DAB reception than others. If you look at this forum [5] you will find some related information on this, and you may get a better answer quicker there. --TammyMoet (talk) 17:26, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

(e/c)First off, many parts of the UK do not receive a decent digital radio signal; either way you won't be able to listen to a digital radio station without a digital radio receiver, and either way you can always improve performance with a better aerial. Perhaps your aerial has broken or become detached? As for the Freeview box, like any computing device it will occasionally crash and it's necessary to reboot it. You will also save some electricity and minimize fire risk by turning it off every night.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 17:32, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

I don't think your problem has any connection with digital radio, except possibly from interference from digital signals. It is probably just drifting of your tuner slightly off frequency. Where I live, this is the normal situation on FM because the signal is so weak. I usually listen to Radio 4 on Long Wave (better reception than FM), and other channels via satellite. If you have a freeview box, then your TV signal is already digital. Can you not get radio via freeview? Dbfirs 21:17, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Fixed indenting - shantavira, you do not need to re-indent comments above yours. Or perhaps it was a system problem --203.202.43.53 (talk) 04:59, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

I found with a DAB radio that if you move the antenna away from the wall or other solid object it can stop the weird gargling noise you sometimes get. From my experiences DAB digital radio is tons better in sound quality that FM. Chevymontecarlo. 06:38, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Circumcision in Germany.

Just curious to know whether elective circumcisions on non-Jewish baby boys in Third Reich Germany declined in demand, and if so, whether they have re-emerged in popularity. 92.30.74.175 (talk) 17:58, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

In the movie Europa Europa, a Jewish boy tries to pass himself off as a German by pulling up the skin over the head of his penis and tying it in place. That ends badly. Woogee (talk) 18:17, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Male circumcision is illegal in Germany with exception for "hygienic, religious or aesthetic reasons".[6] Presumably the influx of Muslim immigrants after World War II will have increased non-Jewish circumcision, but I guess that wasn't what you meant. Gabbe (talk) 23:50, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

What other reasons besides those three would there be for circumcision? Beach drifter (talk) 23:59, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

I doubt circumcision done in an effort to enhance sexual pleasure, for example, would count as "hygienic, religious or aesthetic". Gabbe (talk) 09:28, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Does "hygienic" cover all medical reasons? Sometimes it's medically necessary to circumcise a person, for reasons that are not hygiene-related as such. -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 00:40, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

The OP asks about circumcision of Jewish boys in Germany during the 3rd Reich. Surely the local rabbi would have performed the operation. These would have maintained a significant anonimaty for the young males. 86.4.186.107 (talk) 07:36, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

How do you interpret "elective circumcisions on non-Jewish baby boys" as meaning "circumcision of Jewish boys"? Gabbe (talk) 08:07, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

I don't get the bit about "anonimaty". —Tamfang (talk) 21:02, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Thaks Gabbe, clearly, some people here should stay in Bed rather than pretend they can read and comprehend simple English. As the OP here, can I re-state that I specifically asked about circumcision on non-Jewish boys 92.30.75.211 (talk) 16:55, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

It seems this law would be completely unenforceable due to the "aesthetic" part. Beach drifter (talk) 21:09, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

A trick used by some Jews (in the Cracow ghetto anyway) during the days of the third reich was to fix a bottle of water to themselves every night. They would start with just a little water. Also why is circumsicion banned but chopping off your own fingers isn't?--92.251.191.108 (talk) 00:02, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

Chopping of other people's fingers is generally frowned upon. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 06:24, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

I just want to point out that the page referenced by Gabbe actually says something completely different, rough translation: "Someone who performs without medical indication -- but for hygienic, religious or aesthetic reasons instead -- a circumcision on an underaged boy, commits battery (don't know if that is the correct legal word) according to §225 of the penal code." I can't vouch for the validity of this legal opinion. 93.129.103.164 (talk) 09:05, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

Question about Crows

House Crow and Asian Koel Combination…

A Live Case Study / Analysis?

It’s a long mail and I request your patience to go through this, because it’s important.

We have a live case, where a pair of House Crows built their nest on the branches of the mango tree in our backyard.

First pair of House Crow (House Crow I) had built their nest some time during November 2009. There were four eggs but only one egg hatched in December 2009. I have the videos covering that event, which I have uploaded on my channel “GeorgeCMaliakal” on YouTube with title ‘House Crow I – Mystery of Vanishing Eggs Part I and Part II’

Now, another pair of House Crows (We call them as House Crow II) had built their new nest on a different branch of the same mango tree in our backyard sometime during January 2010 and laid eggs sometime during first week of December 2010. there were three eggs of which one was bigger and the other two comparatively smaller but of the same size.

Because of the difficult location of the nest, we could cover the event by using a remote camera fixed at the tip of a 30 feet long pole and the event monitored with the help of it’s base unit connected to our TV monitor screen. And the live movements covered by the camera were recorded from the TV monitor using a HD handy cam fixed on to a tripod placed in front of the TV monitor.

Since the total distance between the remote camera and the base unit/ TV monitor was about 50 feet and due to the limitations of the camera we used, we could get only black n white signals and that too without audio.

However, we had also tried to cover the event in colour by using a digital camera placed at the tip of this log pole. But it had its own limitations of memory and battery life. So finally we had to resort to using remote camera and covered the live action from February 14, 2010 for over FORTY days. Even now we are covering whenever they visit the mango tree.

It is worthwhile mentioning the volume of videos taken and the time we spent observing the live events, about 250 edited files, amounting to about 55 GB memory taken over a period of about 40 days, from 7 am to 7 pm. Hope you can very well understand the effort that has gone into this.

Brief summery of events covered so far include,

• Nest with eggs lying • House crow incubating the eggs • Two small eggs hatched and the big egg found missing after a few days. • Apparently, the House Crows found not disturbed by the presence of remote camera and this gave them the freedom of action. • The mother crow used to incubate the nestlings very often. • And the parent crows found visiting the nest very often and found taking care of the nestlings. • Taking something from the nestling’s throat, later feeding them, cleaning them and cleaning the nest were all routine actions in the following days. • As the nestling grew, we noticed some white spots on the body and the wings of the nestlings. • We waited and after a few more days after searching the details from relevant sites from the internet we concluded that the nestlings were of Asian Koel and that too, one was male and the other was female. • We got excited. Though there is a saying ‘Asian Koels are brood parasites’ it was now confirmed and we were witnessing the events live. • As days passed, the nestlings grew bigger in size, became more active. • We were now anxiously watching as to ‘what will happen next?’ • We wonder, how a bird can count on number of days and decide when to fledge the nestlings away? Especially in this case where there are nestlings of Asian Koel’s only, in which case the fledging away period is comparatively less than of House Crow. • The bird’s calls – The nestlings haven’t heard anything from their parents and what they hear is the calls of House Crow’s. • The nestlings started moving out of their nest and began jumping on the branches near by. • Now we started covering their movements from below as that was the only way possible. • It is confirmed from their appearance that one is male and the other a female koel. • On the 29th day after hatching, they fledged away. Again for another few days, the young male Koel seen spending the night on the branches near the nest where as the young female Koel might have spent the night somewhere else. • For a couple of day we missed their presence on the mango tree. We thought they have now gone for ever. • But to our surprise, the young Koels, both male and female, now come and spent sometime on the branches near their nest and fly on the branches of the mango tree. • All these days we have seen, in a way, their foster parents, keep a very close watch on their movements, feed them and follow them wherever they go. • Whenever I come out to cover them in the video. The parent crows make their loud calls and try to dissuade me. • The parents are now busy teaching the young Koels ‘how to make calls? And we find the young ones quite confused. • At times we hear the young Koels making some short calls like that of the Koel’s, we presume.

The questions that are haunting us today are:

• What next? • How long will the foster parents continue their control over these Young Koels? • Where are the parents of these young Koels? • Or are these young Koels orphans? • Who will accept them? The crow community or the Koel community? Or will they be accepted by any of these two community? Then what? • What is the nature’s rule?

Does any one any answers to these?

So far I could find only very limited information from various websites.

I am willing to help and contribute enough materials supporting the above facts.

After all, anybody having had a chance of similar nature, will definitely think of making more information of this nature for public sharing.

Awaiting an early response,

Maj. George Maliakal (Retd.) —Preceding unsigned comment added by George C Maliakal (talk • contribs) 18:07, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

You really need to work on making your posts shorter. For example, you didn't need to tell us anything about the video recording methods you used, since that has nothing to do with the Q.

I don't know about this species, in particular, but the way it normally works is that the one species mates, then the male goes on his way and the female lays her egg in the nest of another species (possibly also destroying any eggs already there). She then leaves and neither parent has anything more to do with the young. The eggs hatch (usually quicker than the host species), and, if there's still an egg or chick of the host species there, they might kill it or push it out of the nest, so they get all the food for themselves. They may imitate the other species for a while, but eventually they switch back to their own species, with calls and such being instinct, not learned behavior. They then mate with others of their own species and repeat the cycle. StuRat (talk) 21:12, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Have you seen the Brood parasite article?--188.222.58.219 (talk) 06:30, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Have you tried contacting a zoo? Or your equivalent of the RSPB? Also, you may wish to look at these hints on concision. BrainyBabe (talk) 10:23, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

Four wheelers

How come there are no articles about four wheelers or four wheeler parts?W0W 1'm Sm4RT (talk) 18:23, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

• All-terrain vehicle. As for parts of ATVs, Wikipedia isn't a forum for ATV modders, or a how-to guide. Acroterion _(talk) 18:27, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia contains articles that volunteers have written. If there are no volunteers who have an interest in four wheelers - it's unlikely that very much will be written about them. SteveBaker (talk) 04:56, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

What about 4x4s? There's loads of articles on them... Chevymontecarlo. 06:35, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Ruined Wii Remote

My mother refused to allow me to buy expensive batteries for my Wii Remotes. As a result, the cheap batteries leaked. One remote now works fine (though it was a close call, and the metal bits still have a slight rust coating) but the other one is unusable.

Is there any way to fix it? And will it be worth my time? Vimescarrot (talk) 19:33, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

My Googling turned up a few suggestions...However, they were mostly from sources such as Yahoo Answers. So...yeah. Vimescarrot (talk) 19:34, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

You can try cleaning the contacts where the battery goes, but if the acid got into the circuit board it's probably all over for it. One future suggestion, store electronic devices with the battery side down, so that if it leaks it doesn't leak into "the works". StuRat (talk) 20:57, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

I would say in future if you were going to store the Wii remotes for a while take the batteries out and store them somewhere else. Chevymontecarlo. 06:33, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

I agree with that. However, you often don't know in advance that you won't use a device for a while, so it's best to always store it battery side down, in case it leaks. StuRat (talk) 14:06, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

35.8 - 54.6 - 45.6

The above mileages per gallon (UK) are given by Suzuki as the Urban - Extra Urban, and combined mileages per gallon of the 1600cc 2 wheel drive SX4 XZ4 (manual transmission)(Petrol engine)(latest 2010 model). I have just bought that car and love it. But having now driven it for 1 month from new, and having driven it locally, and also on the open motorway for several hundreds of miles, without ever having experienced any heavy driving conditions, and having now totalled 850 miles, my combined petrol consumption is sitting at 39.4 miles per gallon. No heavy driving, no racing, only 1 or at most 2 people in the cab, no heavy luggage or shopping, and no labouring in the wrong gear. So where am I going wrong I wonder. Oh, I am well pleased to be getting nearly 40 miles per gallon in a solid 1600 cc car, but how do car manufacturers calculate their published fuel economies? I understand that my query is not in isolation amongst new car owners. Thanks. 92.30.75.57 (talk) 19:55, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Do you let the car coast whenever possible, as opposed to racing from light to light then braking ? Also, do you leave it running while not moving, such as at a drive-through restaurant window ? StuRat (talk) 20:54, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Did you drive at a constant 56 mph on the motorway (or whatever speed is the optimum for your vehicle)? Manufacturers must employ expert drivers who drive extremely carefully to achieve the published figures. I find that my fuel consumption varies with my mood because this affects my driving-style. Dbfirs 21:01, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

My understand is that new-cars take some time to 'bed in' in terms of their engines - perhaps it's not running as efficiently at present as it will be once it has a couple of thousand on the clock? The above about coasting makes sense - similarly you say you've done 850 miles in various conditions but how many journeys have you made? Again my understanding is that a car will get lower mpg in short-burst use (e.g. 20 x 5 miles drives to the shop) compared to in longer drives (e.g. 5 x 20 mile drives to the shop) as the engine needs to 'warm up' to run efficiently. Also what proportion of your 850 miles are in each of the 'urban' 'extra urban' bands (or what you expect?). That said i've found my car to be mostly (ball park) exactly what the manufacturer claimed it to be, and there was also a Top Gear episode where they did a big drive test with a Volkswagen Golf (or Polo?) and found it to be almost exactly what the manufacturers claimed (driving in an idealised way) but they also found it lost very little just driving it 'normally' too. ny156uk (talk) 21:26, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Certainly many cars have engine management computers that automatically run the engine in while it's new and gradually improve the MPG numbers over the first 1000 or so miles of driving. Some cars even optimise for individual driving styles (mine does - and when I drive my car with my wife's copy of the electronic key fob - I can tell that it doesn't perform the same way it does with mine). But in general, if you can keep your RPM's in the 1500 to 2500 range, you'll get the best MPG. Assuming you have a tachometer, keep an eye on it as you pull away and as you drive on motorways. Make sure your tires are inflated to the higher end of the allowed pressure range. If your car requires high grade petrol - use it - the penalties caused by the car's computer trying to avoid pinging by far exceed the cost savings in lower grade gas on cars that require it. Turn off the A/C and open the windows instead at low speeds...but at high speeds, you need to keep the windows closed even if that means you have to turn on the A/C. You'll be surprised at how gently you have to drive, and how often you have to change gears to keep it in the 'sweet spot'. Most people who think they drive gently - do not! SteveBaker (talk) 04:53, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Thanks Steve - I knew I could rely on you for a well-thought-through answer - as always. What you say makes eminent sense. I should have mentioned that my car does have an instantaneous consumption slide bar on the dash, and I do know from that that I have a tendency to over-rev the engine from a standing start - so already the car IS teaching me to drive more efficiently. Thanks again and thanks to everyone else who responded. 92.30.55.63 (talk) 10:20, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Despite descriptions like "Urban", "Extra Urban" and "combined", you need to bear in mind these are optimised figures supplied by the manufacturer under the oversight of the body that approves such things. If you follow the definition exactly, you might achieve the stated fuel consumption. But in practice, and in my experience, fuel consumption can be appreciably higher. For example, the only time I ever get anywhere near the stated fuel consumption for my car, is if I take a slow (60mph), steady drive on the motorway for at least half an hour. On the other hand, on the short <3 mile drive to the train station every morning and the similarly short drive back in the evening, my car struggles to achieve 25mpg. Astronaut (talk) 17:02, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

I forget how the numbers are determined in the UK - but here in the US, the EPA drive the car at tightly controlled speeds on a carefully designed track and get the MPG figures from that. Manufacturers are not allowed to claim either more or less MPG than that. So you can't put the blame on the manufacturers. Also, not all cars get worse MPG than the EPA states. My MINI Cooper'S is rated at 37 mpg (US gallons) - but I get between 38 and 42 - with a 20,000 mile average of 39.5 mpg...and although I do quite a bit of freeway driving - I'm anything but gentle on the throttle. (I calculated that the money I'd save in gas consumption if I drove more slowly is about 1/10th what I can earn by working overtime at work for the amount of time I save by driving more agressively - hence it's not cost-effective for me to drive in a fuel-efficient manner). SteveBaker (talk) 02:42, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

UAV number

How many UAV does the US military operate? Googlemeister (talk) 20:55, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Our MQ-1 Predator article says "The total number of Predators in U.S. Air Force use as of March 2009 were 195 Predators and 28 Reapers". By chasing the reference (a 2009 NYT article) you find "Including drones that the Army has used to counter roadside bombs and tiny hand-launched models that can help soldiers to peer past the next hill or building, the total number of military drones has soared to 5,500, from 167 in 2001." 94.168.184.16 (talk) 22:47, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

And this NetworkWorld article from today says: "In 2000, DOD had fewer than 50 unmanned aircraft in its inventory; as of October 2009, this number had grown to more than 6,800." 94.168.184.16 (talk) 01:46, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

I have it on good authority that there are warehouses out there full of Predators and Reapers - the problem being a shortage of pilots to fly them. (Which, incidentally, is one of the things that the company I work for is attempting to change. See: [7]) So the confusing numbers may be due to the disparity between the number that the US military "owns" versus the numbers it has "in service". These are remarkably cheap aircraft - built with whatever technology was at hand at the time. For 100% sure there are going to be a heck of a lot more of them out there in the future. SteveBaker (talk) 04:42, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Although it does seem a bit extreme to me that they could only find enough people (I appreciate more then one person may be needed for various reasons) to fly ~225 drones Nil Einne (talk) 07:18, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Actually to fly a UAV for the Air Force, you need to have the same pilot training as the guys flying the real planes (F-16s and C-17s). Googlemeister (talk) 19:56, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Proper material to land onto

Is there any ultrasoft material which can safely land me after a jump from any arbitrary tall building up till Burj Dubai? 213.154.8.70 (talk) 21:30, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Stunt men use giant airbags, but also know how to land to put all their weight on their back and don't reach terminal velocity. If you're talking about potentially landing on your head at terminal velocity, then, no, I don't think so. StuRat (talk) 21:45, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Mythbusters had an episode called "Dumpster Diving", in which they found that foam was quite comfy (from three stories at least). Clarityfiend (talk) 22:18, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

From this calculator (using the default settings), it seems that the terminal velocity dropping from a mere 30 ft (190 ft/s) is reasonably close to that from 10,000 ft (221 ft/s). Clarityfiend (talk) 00:54, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Clarity, I haven't checked why you got the wrong answer, but you certainly did. The formula relating velocity, distance (s), and acceleration (ignoring air resistance) after starting from rest is v² = 2as, so for a 30-foot drop you have v = sqrt(2×32.17×30) = 43.9 ft/s: far short of terminal velocity for a person falling in air.

If you're dropping at 5 times the speed, you have 25 times the kinetic energy. Dropping into something like foam might still work, but you'd need a layer quite a bit thicker. Indeed, people have fallen from damaged planes and survived impacts at or near terminal velocity -- in the case of Nick Alkemade, without major injury, even. What he landed in was trees with interlocking branches, then snow on the ground. So this demonstrates that it is possible.

By the way, the Burj Dubai was renamed when it opened; it's now the Burj Khalifa. --Anonymous, 01:38 UTC, March 30, 2010.

Why did the OP say "up till Burj Dubai"? Is that because of the building's construction, with all those setbacks making a safe jump much more difficult? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:43, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

I think it just meant "any building no matter how high", like saying "any mountain up to Everest". Confusing "till" and "to" in such uses is a common error of some non-native English-speakers. --Anonymous, 04:23 UTC, March 30, 2010.

The numbers did seem a bit odd, but who was I to argue with NASA? Clarityfiend (talk) 02:38, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Ah, I get it now. It's a calculator for terminal velocity, which is irrelevant to short falls. In other words, it's not telling you what speed you'd reach if you jumped from 30 feet above ground; it's telling you what speed you'd reach if you started from 30 feet above sea level and fell until you stopped gaining speed. In other words, either you're jumping into a vertical mineshaft or you're flying above some place like the Dead Sea. The reason it wants the altitude is that the lower the starting altitude, the more air friction there is, so the terminal velocity is lower. --Anonymous, 05:44 UTC, March 30, 2010.

This is something that could only have been conceived by an engineer. Clarityfiend (talk) 09:04, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Who will say (arguably correctly) that it's your fault for not using it as intended. --Anon, 17:22 UTC, March 30, 2010.

I wonder if that calculator includes increasing density as you fall, since your terminal velocity will slow as you get lower. Googlemeister (talk) 19:55, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

If you can find The Worst-Case Scenario books, one of them (I think the first one) talks about how to maximize your chance of survival from a long fall. You'd have to look for it, but I think it recommends trying to land on your back, on something that will help distribute your momentum (i.e. "break your fall"), even cardboard boxes. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:32, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Imagine trying land in a target as small as a dumpster from hundreds or thousands of metres :-) Astronaut (talk) 16:50, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

According to Stunt Dar Robinson, the highest free stunt fall onto an airbag was 200 ft. 311 ft. Clarityfiend (talk) 19:08, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Although it is science fiction, the film Final_Fantasy_(film) has an opening scene where infantry bail out of helicopters and land in essentially large piles of goo which they've fired downwards during descent. The goo gradually slows their descent and then dissipates a short time later, releasing them. The "pile of goo" part is probably reasonable given today's technology, the timed dissipation... less so! :-) 218.25.32.210 (talk) 02:02, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

determination of numeric categories for cpt manual

how and who determined the numbers to be used for the current procedure terminology manuals used in physician offices and hospitals —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.3.97.186 (talk) 22:26, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

According to our article on Current Procedural Terminology (which you'll want to read if you haven't), they're assigned by the "CPT Editorial Panel" of the American Medical Association. See also this link. —Steve Summit (talk) 00:18, 30 March 2010 (UTC)