Miscellaneous desk
< September 24	<< Aug \| September \| Oct >>	September 26 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk 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 on one of the current reference desk pages.

September 25

Can I take help from Wikipedia article in writing a book?

I am writing a book on physics these days. I found some Wikipedia articles and images very useful for my book. So, my question is - Can I take help from those articles and use those images in my book? Thank you for your advice! Concepts of Physics (talk) 08:06, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

See Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia. --Viennese Waltz 08:31, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

If you want to use images, make sure to double-check their summaries for a proper source, author and free licensing information. Volunteers try to clean up incorrect uploads, but it's an uphill battle and you will likely stumble over a few unusable ones (license-wise). GermanJoe (talk) 09:31, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Especially the stupid, annoying GNU licenses.217.158.236.14 (talk) 16:01, 1 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Mount Temple Comprehensive School

I am making some changes to the article, including the infobox. It says that the colours of the school are Blue and Black. Can anybody find out what tone of blue and the Hex number? This is the official website www.mounttemple.ie Miss Bono^{[hello, hello!]} 14:31, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

This is the sort of question that should have been posted on the article's talk page. --Viennese Waltz 14:37, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, sorry. Thanks. Miss Bono^{[hello, hello!]} 14:57, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The color they use on their website is 0x1214fe - but that's a really strange "school color" because something that saturated and near-primary would be hard to reproduce in non-electronic form - and it's really hard on the eyes!

Significantly, that shade of blue is nowhere even close to any Pantone colors - which would mean that finding things like cloth or paint or colored pencils or markers in that color would be next to impossible. Nobody in their right mind who knows anything about choosing color for logos and such would come up with that choice. Rule #1 - pick a Pantone color!

In any case, I doubt that's their actual school color - this is most likely just a result of poor website design (VERY poor...those school website designers need to see: http://xkcd.com/1264/ !!).

Conclusion is that unless you can track down whoever it was who chose the color in the first place - you're not going to find it...and probably the person who did it just said "Blue and Black" without being too specific about the actual color choice and any more harmonious combination will work for any practical purpose. SteveBaker (talk) 18:32, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Immigration-Fiancee visa in USA

Hello = My girlfriend (now wife) and I have known each other since Oct. 6, 2006. She is Filipino and had lived there since birth (July 1, 1981). She came here via a fiancee visa on August 29, 2012. We were not married until April 20, 2013. The fiancee visa states you should be married within 90 days of arrival in the USA. Since meeeting her in Oct. 2006 I visited her and her family four times. We were guided by a attorney who told us we could go outside the 90 day period and be all right. She has a social security card (USA), health insurance, bank account, credit card and works in the USA. Now we received a letter from the U.S. Immigration agency saying our request for her to continue to stay was not accepted. Our attorney had filed an I-485 form to allow or change her legal status in the USA but again it was not granted. We will appeal that decision via a "hardship" reason but I fear that maybe we will not be granted a change in her legal status and to allow her to stay which I want and she wants. I need guidance and help to know what options we have and the chance for succees or if not success initially how long before a change would be granted by U.S. immigration.

Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.196.221.45 (talk) 15:16, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, but we are unable to give legal advice. Looie496 (talk) 16:20, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

You'll need to talk to an attorney who specializes in immigration matters. Your embassy or consulate might have some names to recommend. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:09, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Interview

How does a journalist or the newspaper she works for, obtain an interview with a celebrity, let's say, the players of a famous football team? Miss Bono^{[hello, hello!]} 18:54, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

She calls their press agent/press office whose number will be listed in the phone directory, since that is their purpose. With actors you may have to do a little more work, but they have directories for that sort of thing as well, as well as Variety Magazine. μηδείς (talk) 19:00, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

For actors, you can also contact the Screen Actors Guild who will also have a contact for currently dues paying members. μηδείς (talk) 19:04, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

So, she calls their press agent and what does she have to say? I want to interview Andrea Pirlo. Where should I go?. And for actors, what else does she have to do? Miss Bono^{[hello, hello!]} 19:06, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

If a celebrity is visiting a certain town, their press team will issue a press release to all the local print media to inform them of this fact, and also how to get an interview with this person. --TammyMoet (talk) 19:27, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

In this case, the newspaper the girls works for entrusts her to go to Turin to interview Andrea Pirlo, so she is the one who travels. Miss Bono^{[hello, hello!]} 19:34, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Setting up interviews is the press agent's job, (see Tammy's comment) so he's not going to give you a hard time. He'll want to know your credentials, who you work for, what you plan to discuss, and when and where it will be published. If the interview has something to do with a book or album or film release he might send you a press kit with a copy of the work and informational material. μηδείς (talk) 19:38, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Only that? If you send the information you obtain an interview? Miss Bono^{[hello, hello!]} 19:52, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

That's all you need to send...but it doesn't guarantee you an interview! The person might be too busy - or it might be that you picked a sensitive topic - or they might not want to appear in the publication that you represent. Some people just don't like being interviewed. There are many things that can go wrong. But if you are effectively providing them with positive publicity that they need, in a place that people in their desired demographic read - then the odds are reasonable that you'll get an interview - especially if you can be flexible about time, place and duration. SteveBaker (talk) 20:09, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The press agent is going to want to make sure you are not wasting their time or that you wish to embarrass them. So long as you either have a reputation for yourself, or work for a reputable outfit, the agent will be happy to accommodate you if possible. I had a boyfriend who, as a teenager, hung out at a college radio station. He started requesting press kits simply as a means of getting free music CD's. Eventually he ended up being given short weekly spots to interview band members for five-minute spots. He basically fell into it by accident, and the fact that having kits mailed to him at the radio station made him look like a legitimate radio personality. μηδείς (talk) 20:12, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Great. So, reputation is all I need? Miss Bono^{[hello, hello!]} 20:26, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, either your own, or that of the outfit you work for. μηδείς (talk) 20:49, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]