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September 19

James Randi and Pascal's Wager

Has James Randi heard about Pascal's Wager? If so, then what does he think about it? Is he convinced by it? If not, then why not? If not, then what would he think about it? Would he be convinced by it? If not, then why not?

Bowei Huang 2 (talk) 02:23, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm positive that Randi has heard of Pascal's wager. I don't know what his specific objection to it is, but there are is a section on criticism in our article and his answer would probably be similar. As far as I know there aren't many people who are believers due to Pascal's wager. --Daniel 02:29, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This is your second question in less than two days asking Reference Desk editors to speculate on what James Randi has heard of and thinks. All pretty pointless really. The questions appear to be thinly veiled attacks on Randi's views. If you want to attack Randi, find a suitable blog, and stop wasting our time here. HiLo48 (talk) 02:42, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The questions also bear a striking resemblance to questions that we got about Penn & Teller with relation to Al Gore. Dismas|^(talk) 02:49, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Has Pascal's Wager convinced anybody, ever? It only takes a moment's thought to realize that the whole thing breaks down when you consider different possible gods. If you meet Odin when you die, then worshiping Jesus is about the worst thing you could do.

Better to stay neutral. APL (talk) 02:53, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Unless Odin IS God. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:46, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think this is anything that any serious person doubts, Bugs, I mean... Wait a cotton-picking minute, then who am I worshipping?! :O More on topic though, has the OP thought of email/calling/stalking Randi to maybe find out the answers to his questions? It would seem to be a better approach than asking intertubes people (until he gets arrested for the third of course :p). Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie | ^{Say Shalom!} 05:39, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I strongly suspect that Randi gets about a zillion crank emails like this. This guy probably got bored of asking Randi and not getting a response, so now he asks a bunch of wikipedians that couldn't possibly know what Randi thinks, but at least we answer him. APL (talk) 07:06, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

He might have a form letter that one of his assistants sends out. It's probably still more use than posting here. There's also a lot of threads in the Randi forums; they're more likely to know if the big man has made any pronouncements. --Colapeninsula (talk) 09:00, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Bugs, Odin the same as the new god and his carpenter son? Heresy! APL (talk) 07:06, 19 September 2011 (UTC) [reply]

Odin would be the personification of an attempt at understanding God... as with all religions. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:21, 20 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, Randi has heard of Pascal's Wager, and commented on it, here for example: Cliché/Canard Revisited. ---Sluzzelin talk 09:37, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

(Too bad. If we could read Randi's mind, we'd be a million dollars richer!)APL (talk) 07:46, 22 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Currency Rate depends on

hello sir, i want to know that, what are the factors on which the currency rate of different countries are depends or why 1 US dollar is traded at 45-48per Indian Rupees and Vise versa

thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sumitsj (talk • contribs) 14:27, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You can start by reading our exchange rate article. Looie496 (talk) 14:41, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Basically, if you take the value of the dollar against some arbitrary standard, like gold, and compare the value of the rupee to gold as well, then the exchange rate between the dollar and rupee is the ratio of their exchange rates with gold. So, if $1000 buys an ounce of gold, and 45,000 rupees buys an ounce of gold, then the ratio is 45000/1000 or 45 to 1. Note that you can't choose anything as the standard, though. A loaf of bread, for example, is probably less expensive in India, even when purchased in dollars, than in the US. Gold, and other precious metals, on the other hand, has a relatively constant price everywhere. StuRat (talk) 17:09, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

With the bread thing, it is also hard to make a direct comparison because there are a lot of different types of bread made with different grains, with a different process, with different yeasts etc. An ounce of pure gold is going to be the same everywhere. Googlemeister (talk) 18:59, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Although the loaf of bread is a better indicator of the purchasing power parity as gold. And an equally possible alternative, even if informal, is comparing purchase power of two currencies using Big Macs, like in the case of the Big Mac Index. Quest09 (talk) 20:18, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

And yet, not even all big Macs are created equal, as stated in the article. Some are made of chicken. Googlemeister (talk) 20:44, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'd think you'd at least want to use a burger guaranteed to be of the same size everywhere, like the Quarter Pounder (although they seem to be dishonest even on that one, in places). StuRat (talk) 21:37, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The Big Mac is McDonald's signature burger and is probably available in nearly every single McDonald's in the world even if it is made of chicken or has a number of other differences in other countries. The Quarter Pounder may not be. It seems like it has been re/introduced to some countries recently (Japan according to our article and I know it wasn't always available at Malaysia even though it is now. It's likely still it's not available in some (our article on McDonald's products (international) suggests Thailand). Also the Quarter Pounder appears to go by a variety of names and while this is partially true for the Big Mac (or at least for the variants like Chiken) it seems the situation for the Quarter Pounder is more confusing because some of the names for the QP equivalent seem to be used for other things in other countries. Nil Einne (talk) 01:43, 20 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Like most things, the value of Rupees (in Dollars) is whatever people are willing to sell them for, and vice versa. In general, if the exchange rate is X dollars per Y rupees, then people believe that on average the tangible goods you can buy with X dollars are about the same in value as those you can buy with Y rupees. If there is an imbalance then that can be exploited by import / export businesses. For example, take 10000 rupees, exchange them for 50 toys in India, sell those toys in America for 500 dollars, and now you can exchange those dollars for 20000 rupees. Repeat as long as the market and your overhead costs allow. In a free economy, the exchange rate will tend to seek a level where the value of the goods being imported is about equal to the value of goods being exported, so that the value of exchanges from rupees to dollars is about the same as the exchanges from dollars to rupees. Of course, when we are taking international exchange rates, there are a variety of national government interventions that prevent it from being a truly free economy. Dragons flight (talk) 22:29, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

What does "sponsored by" mean on a submarine page?

On the page for the Parche submarine [1] it says that the sub was sponsored by "Mrs. Phillip Beshanny." What does sponsored by mean? I think that it is not specific to submarines but to any naval vessel.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Parche_%28SSN-683%29

DouglasCalvert (talk) 16:09, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The article on Ship sponsor should help you out. --McDoob AU 93 16:55, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I think there should be an internal link to Ship sponsor. I think it is a term that would be unfamiliar to many people. Bus stop (talk) 18:19, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Your wish has just come true ;-) Alansplodge (talk) 18:34, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I picture a submarine with Pennzoil painted on the side. :-) StuRat (talk) 20:13, 19 September 2011 (UTC) [reply]

They are the people that get to whack the vessel with the champagne bottle. Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie | ^{Say Shalom!} 20:57, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

In the UK, the most famous association of this type was HMS Ark Royal (91), HMS Ark Royal (R09) and HMS Ark Royal (R07) with the Queen Mother. A visit to the last Ark Royal was her final public duty at the age of 101. Alansplodge (talk) 22:38, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

rubber glue

I am looking for a specific product not sure if it rubber glue or something else? I want to glue some cloth together but I don't want to burn the cloth because when I finish I just want to peel the rubber up and for nothing to be sticky as if I had never glued it in the first place. I have seen the rubber glue when I purchase products and you just pull the hardened glue up and it comes off without leaving any stickiness behind? Any idea what that is and where to find some? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.136.159.86 (talk) 19:33, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

We have an article on Rubber cement but I don't know if that product would perform to your specifications. Bus stop (talk) 19:47, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

In any case, I would expect that you'd need to wash the cloth after, to remove any stains left by the glue. One option is to use white glue, like Elmer's Glue, which is water soluble, so shouldn't leave any residue after a wash. StuRat (talk) 20:02, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Another option is to use temporary stitches to attach two pieces of cloth. These can be quickly removed, when no longer needed, by cutting them. Please describe your application, so we can better tailor our recommendations. StuRat (talk) 20:05, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The Wikipedia article Adhesive gives many alternatives. Perhaps Adhesive#Contact adhesives suit your purpose. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 20:27, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There may be some suitable, but the ones that I use are almost impossible to remove from fabric. Dbfirs 07:35, 20 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

book as a diary

I have recently started writing a novel, as a sequal to one I was working on last year and am just making the finshing touches to. This time, though, I decided to write it in the format of a diary kept by one of the characters. It seemed a nice idea at the time, varying the style a bit in each book, but I have one worry. To me, it seems unrealistic to have lots of dialogue in a diary, as though the person writing could remember every thing said to them through the day, but yet without that, the story will be rather flat, and also quite short if it has to be just an account of things remembered at the end of each day. So, what does anyone think, would it seem wrong to have someone's diary written as though just a book with dates for each chapter heading? I am sure there are books that use eaither way, anyone know of any? How well did they work?

148.197.80.214 (talk) 19:33, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Diary of a Nobody? (I haven't read it so don't know if it qualifies - shame on me!) --TammyMoet (talk) 19:42, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Here it is - no excuses now! Alansplodge (talk) 22:24, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Bram Stoker's Dracula is in a diary-like format from the point of view of numerous characters. See also epistolary novel, which has many other examples. Dracula is probably the best known and the most successful of the lot. --Mr.98 (talk) 19:44, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I can think of a couple fixes for that issue:

1) Endow your dairist with a photographic memory (or whatever the equivalent is for remembering words verbatim). You would, of course, need to have some exposition about it, like them relating how this ability helped them in school, for example.

2) Make the book mixed format, where you have most of the chapter about what actually happened, and then have the diary entry at the end being their take on what happened. Might be interesting to see how the diary differs from reality. StuRat (talk) 19:49, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

For some other examples, The Diary of Ann Frank is, of course, a real diary, while Flowers for Algernon is a fictional one. StuRat (talk) 19:52, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

See Stream of consciousness (narrative mode) which can be written as diary text. The real time method of narration e.g as used in 24 (TV series) can evoke excitement. If your story is flat then that's just how it is --> find a better story. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 20:19, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm reading Dawn French's A Tiny Bit Marvellous, which is in the form of chapter-length diary entries by different members of the same family. Works brilliantly for me. It's a laugh a second. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 20:51, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Okay... um *sheepish grin* It's from my personal reading niche - it's a gay romantic comedy, LOL but heck it fits your criteria perfectly: Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger is written entirely with post-it-notes, diary entries, newspaper clippings, letters, office memos, emails, courtroom transcripts, etc. I was leery of how well it would work at first, but it was surprisingly pretty easy to follow. It's also quite hilarious and is still one of my favorites (and no it doesn't have porn)-- Obsidi♠n Soul 21:20, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Off the top of my head

David R. Palmer's Emergence is written in a diary-like prose style (and "originally" in shorthand - cf. Samuel Pepys) in "real-time" updates containing backgrounding flashbacks, without actually being divided into daily entries; this gives the narration the feel of a diary while allowing it the freedom to be more conventionally novel-like as the work proceeds. Although in this case the narrator is unusually mentally gifted, artistic convention generally allows fictional first-person accounts, whether in diary form or not, to be perhaps more vivid and detailed that might usually the case in real life.

Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October is actually structured as a series of (31) daily entries, which in this case are narrated by a dog.

I'm sure I could come up with a dozen more. In short, there have been many, many variations on this kind of structure - whether or not any example works is down to the skill of the writer involved rather than any inherent limitations of the form. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.241 (talk) 23:04, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Just make it clear somewhere in the beginning that the narrator is re-counting the conversations as best he/she remembers them. It doesn't have to be a big deal...just enough so the reader can suspend disbelief and read the dialogue in that context. Quinn ^{░ RAIN} 02:11, 20 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned Bridget Jones's Diary. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 08:17, 20 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

And we also have a suitable category. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 08:20, 20 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ was briefly a huge hit in Britain in the early 1980s, spawning a sequel and TV series. --Dweller (talk) 09:18, 20 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Incorrect nominal GDP for Australian States for 'regions over 100 billion'

The 2010 nominal GDP for Australian States under 'regions nominal GDP over $100billion' heading is either outdated or understated. NSW-$401b,VIC-$293b,QLD-$258b,WA-$180b. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.187.127.53 (talk) 21:48, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If you have reliable sources for your figures, please update the article yourself. Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Marco polo (talk) 22:40, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The website of the Israeli clothing store, Hangar

I have looked around quite a bit and cannot seem to find the website of Hangar; and no, it is not www.hangar.co.il. It is an Israeli clothing store that sells very interesting though mildly crummy clothing and is a franchise there (so it must have a website). Can the refdeskers help? Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie | ^{Say Shalom!} 23:03, 19 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Do you mean this one? --Dweller (talk) 13:07, 20 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

That is one of their stores, yes; though I've never been to that one. Any sign of a website? Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie | ^{Say Shalom!} 20:14, 20 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, 60% of small businesses don't have a web presence. Dualus (talk) 07:04, 21 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Small business? They have at least 10 stores probably more. Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie | ^{Say Shalom!} 19:34, 21 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]