Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 October 13

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TV commercial credits

Does anyone know any source for finding specific data on actors, directors, etc. for television commercials?--Fuhghettaboutit 00:45, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

If you're talking about a database or compendium of commercials, I highly doubt it. If you're thinking of a particular ad or actor, it should be pretty easy. OTOH, since I am the Wikipedia Google Queen, I should actually check google before posting. Database of Television Commercials. Google results for 'database of television commercials'. Anchoress 00:59, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the effort. I am quite the Google king myself and have found bubkis for specific actor credits for many nationally broadcast commercials. Databases such as the one you posted are not generally helpful. There must be at least a source that those in the industry use. I'm not necessarily looking for an online source. An industry book I could send away for would fit the bill.--Fuhghettaboutit 01:15, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

The thing is (this was my original thought), I don't think they'd bother. Unlike movie directories, there would be no economic benefit to justify the work. I think the best approximation would be that talent agencies probably keep records of all the commercials their representees (is that a word?) participate in, and PR agencies probably do the same for their clients. Networks might also keep catalogues, but I doubt they'd publish them. But, I may be totally wrong. :-) Anchoress 01:24, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Maybe. However, think about it from an actor's perspective. Being able to cite your previous work is everything, so they'd likely want such memorialization. Also I have noticed a number of actors who appear in multiple commercials but whom I have seen nowhere else. Plus, there's huge money in commercials and actors who specialize in it. I bet it exists (but both of us are flailing in the dark). Hopefully and insider will come along and we'll both get an answer:-).--Fuhghettaboutit 02:16, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

There is (used to be) a UK magazine called "Advertising" I think, a sister to "Computing". Not a database, but if you can find a searchable archive of that or a similar mag ("Campaign"?) you may have some luck. Also some actors have listed (passive or active voice) their ad work on IMDB. Rich Farmbrough, 11:34 19 October 2006 (GMT).

Lactic Acid Pain

I don't really understand the article on Lactic Acid where it says where the muscle pain comes from. The article states that lactic acid is not directly responsible for the pain in your muscle and states other reasons. I didn't really follow the reasons, so could someone break it down for me in simple step-by-steps on why lactic acid is related to muslce pain in sprinting and what really causes the pain? Thanks a lot. --Jamesino 00:48, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

On an largely unrelated note: if you get lactic acid pain from drinking milk, stop drinking milk for a while. In fact, you may want to go off ice cream as well. Sooner or later you'll feel like eating ice cream again. Do not fight this urge! Eat ice cream again! Later, you'll feel like having milk again. Do not fight this urge! Drink milk again.

I'm not going to bother providing a 'scientific explanation'. Just give your body a break from milk for a time, and you'll feel much better as a result.

I apologize for the staggering irrelevance of this info. Chris 16:43, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

To simplify the article's explanation, lactic acid is produced during anaerobic respiration, which produces ATP more quickly than aerobic respiration. ATP is synthesized by hydrolysis, a by-product of which is water. The buildup of the hydrogens from these newly-produced H₂O molecules produces a more acidic pH, which is the cause of the pain. Generally, by the way, you'd get a faster response to this type of question by posting it on the science reference desk. -Elmer Clark 22:46, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Most embarassing way to die?

What do you reckon, guys? What would be *the* number 1 most emarassing circumstance for your loved ones to find your dead corpse in? Death by autoerotic asphyxiation? Death during a homosexual act when they thought you were straight? Death from pushing too hard on the toilet? Brain haemorrhage during masturbation? Opinions? --Kurt Shaped Box 01:01, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

look up the darwin awards, there full of embarassing/stupid people dying. one of my friend grndads was a finalist cause he urinated on an electric fire place and died.

It would never happen to me personally, but being found dead with one's genitals attached to the hind end of a sheep would be pretty high up in my estimation. Electrocution due to trying to stimulate one's prostate with a cattle prod would also figure prominently. Anchoress 01:04, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Oh yeah, how about the guy who was fucked to death by a horse? Just remembered that one... --Kurt Shaped Box 01:08, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

That raises a very interesting question: How many peoples prostates have you tried to stimulate using a cattle prod? BTW I thought all corpses were dead! --Light current 01:11, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I think Stephen Milligan died in one of the worst ways imaginable for a British Conservative party MP... (it's just hard to remember that he had a promising political career in a party just kicking off a 'Back to basics' drive when you know that he was found by his secretary, hanging from electrical flex, wearing only suspenders, with an orange segment in his mouth...) Although horse guy might be pushing him for a winner...--Mnemeson 01:14, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

For the Americans reading this..."suspenders" in Britain means a garter belt. A frilly garter belt, in this case. (I understood he was also wearing pink satin knickers (panties for the Americans)). Charlene.fic 01:26, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I dont understand the orange segment bit! Any explanation?--Light current 01:18, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

A dildo ? StuRat 01:28, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't think that anyone else did either. --Kurt Shaped Box 01:24, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I thought they found him with a whole satsuma in his mouth? --Kurt Shaped Box 01:24, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Maybe he was a fan of The Godfather. Anchoress 01:26, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

From memory, the point of the orange segment is that it was a popular method for self administring amyl nitrite at the time. I'm not exactly sure how - I thought the idea was that you buy a small glass phial of amyl nitrite from your local sex shop, wrap the phial in some orange rind, and once all your other preparations are complete (you might not have to go as far as Stephen Milligan), bite down on the orange rind to break the phial and release the poppers. However, on checking some online sources, an alternative might be to inject a segment of orange with the amyl nitrite then chew the orange to release the vapours when ready. -- Solipsist 13:40, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

What about replicating a Darwin Award winner? I could cope with my relatives thinking I was some kind of perv; but I'd really prefer not to have my heirs convinced I was dumb. --Robert Merkel 01:28, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

The guy who decided to play Russian roulette with a semi-automatic pistol [1] has got to be a contender. --Kurt Shaped Box 01:38, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Wasn't there a woman that ended up with a womb full of mud shrimp after using a lobster to masturbate with? Then she died of an infection or something? I can't remember her name now but theres probably an article on her.

Yes, there was. In the twisted fantasy world of the email hoax. Anchoress 01:37, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I was trying to post that when I got an edit conflict. You ever notice how 90% of urban legends about masturbation are about horrors that happen to women when they do so? Gee, I wonder why... --Charlene.fic 01:44, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Probably because most of the funny/embarassing stories about guys who have accidents whilst masturbating are true. :) --Kurt Shaped Box 01:48, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

List of people who died in the bathroom. List of unusual deaths. User:Zoe|(talk) 01:35, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Per the article Nelson Rockefeller die in the saddle, so to speak, and it took a couple of hours to get him dressed before medical personnel were summoned? Not really that embarrasing. I expect that many em-bare-ass-ing demises are covered up.Edison 04:57, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I've heard that Stalin died because when he was in agony, no-one dared touch him for fear fo doing something wrong. This has happened to quite a few other autoritatian leaders, including some Roman emperors, I believe. DirkvdM 08:44, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Based on the above examples, I think Im going to go for Stephen Milligan. I mean thats pretty extreme in lots of directions at once. I can only think of one thing that could make it worse. And no, Im not going to say what (but it could involve a donkey or horse). 8-)--Light current 14:00, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

For my grandmother, it would have been to die with a house that was less than pristine.Edison 14:29, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

or die in a car accident with dirty underwear... --Zeizmic 15:18, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Ah that's the one that's most embarassing for your mother! People may think she never washed 'em! 8-)--Light current 15:23, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

This one didn't make the papers, but I'd rank it up there: about ten or twelve years ago I was Rollerblading in Central Park one weekend when an ambulance and some other emergency personnel came in. This was more than the usual someone-broke-his-leg fuss so I got the skinny on the situation. Down at the southern end of the park some horse carriages offer romantic rides, usually to out-of-town tourists. Now those romantic horses produce some rather unromantic waste. This produces an organic obstacle course of sorts for everyone else who traverses the same pavement. Given that thousands of people worked out in the park, I suppose it was only a matter of time until someone slid on the stuff, hit his head against a curb, and died of the head injury. Of course you could just say this whole story is a pile of manure since I don't have a source to prove it. Durova 19:01, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Gutting, somebody who actually slipped in shit and died. Philc _T^E_C^I 19:28, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Well thats not embarassing at all for his relatives etc. It wasnt his fault. Surely someone should only be critisiced for some thing they consciously intend to do or do do (no pun)--Light current 10:46, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Mining claims

What is the difference between a patented mining claim and an unpatented one?

According to this [http://www.ewg.org/mining/howto.php] you have to file a mining claim in order to eventually get a patent (applies to the US Wild wild west). I take it to mean you can pan gold on a standard claim, but if you really want to destroy all the land, you need a patent. --Zeizmic 17:00, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Miss Washington Pic

Hello, I am the current Miss Washington USA, and I was wondering how I can change my picture on this site to a more updated one? Thank you for your time, Sincerely, Tiffany Doorn Miss Washington USA 2006

Wikipedia:Uploading images -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 05:42, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

We'd all be happy to do it for you! Although Washington is a bit far for me to go with my camera ... ;) --Zeizmic 14:26, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

High quality video website?

I am looking for a website where serious people upload videos they've created. I hope to find a site much more sophisticated than YouTube. Does anyone know of such a site? Thanks for ideas. --70.231.133.238 04:53, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

If you're at all interested in videos created within video-game settings, check out machinima.com.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  06:56, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

You're going to have to be a little more specific than "serious people" and "sophisticated". What kind of content are you looking for? Sports? Video games? Indie Films? Politics? youTube has a vast amount of content out there, some that might appeal to you, other stuff that might not(I'm guessing kids lip-syncing pop songs isn't your thing). —Mitaphane _talk 09:28, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, there are some good stuff at YouTube (as long as the movie isn't longer than a few minutes) like old music videos and cartoons. You could try a search engine for interesting topics... 惑乱 分からん 11:16, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Try Revver at http://www.revver.com/ ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 14:53, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your responses. I'll go back and explore youTube a little more, but what I'm looking for is a site where people "workshop" their videos with other people in a respectful and collegial way. The content is not so important to me, but documentaries or indie shorts ARE probably more appealing than lip-synching music videos. Thankx again.

How to post our question into mediawiki site

Hello, Any one please tell me how to post a question in midiaweki site. Thank You, Your's Friend

Anyone (including non-registered users) can post questions on talk pages within the help section of the community portal. First click on the button at the top if you are a user, system administrator, or developer.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  06:45, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Are There Bachelor Degrees In Landscape Architecture?

Danke.100110100 07:27, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Google is your friend. —Mitaphane _talk 07:52, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Danke schön.198.166.59.152 10:18, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

You already asked this if I remember correctly. I posted images of a thermometer and said something along the lines of "there are almost 100 degrees on this landscape" edit: Ah found it. Nice reply dirk I never saw that :D --froth^{T C} 20:28, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Distribution Centers

How would you select a location to build a distribution center?

Find out where the geographical center of your customer base is, put up a building or lease one. Not a good answer for your essay question since you'd probably want something longer but I'm sure you can find more to back it up in your text book. Dismas|^(talk) 09:39, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Seems like you would want to consider the lowest overall cost. Depending on the goods, you might want to have rail access. You must distribute the goods, so factor in putting it near the location from wich distribution costs will be lowest, minimizing distance to the retail locations. But the cost of the land is a variable to consider, so maybe put it in a location which is not at a premium. You have to have workers available who will work tirelessly at low pay and not organize to demand high pay. Edison 14:35, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Somewhat depends on how your product line is distributed. If quick delivery is important, then you might want to locate near an air hub of one of the major logistics companies. As Edison said, if your product will be delivered by rail, then you would want to choose a centrally located rail hub that would minimize your transport costs. If your product will be delivered by truck, which is probably the case for most products these days, then you want a central location close to a major highway. If your product is imported from overseas or exported overseas by ship, then locating close to a major port would make sense. In any case, you want relatively cheap land, so a declining industrial district might be sensible, particularly if it is vacant or if you can reuse the existing buildings. Marco polo 17:46, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

historical item

Hello i just do not know where to start i find myself suddenly in possesion of an unusual item and do not know how or where would be best to have it identified/explained etc . It is or appears to be a walking cane spindle like with a whole through at top presumably for a strap then various carvins such as the german nazi symboland ss also a tank skull & cross bones also the word Friesenwall 1944 .Please can anyone enlighten me or perhaps point me in the right direction i would be very grateful, Thank you for your time and trouble. Kind Regards Andrew

Sounds like the stick a Nazi tank commander would have. Look up Panzer--Light current 13:05, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

There's nothing about sticks in the panzer article. And nothing to suggest that others in WW2 Germany might not have had sticks. There seem to be abunch of people interested in nazi memorabilia, doubtless ranging from auction/clearance houses, to right wing idiots. I'd take some photos of it & start talking to them. (Actually, I'd probably toss it into my next bonfire, but there you go.) --Tagishsimon (talk)

Whats that thing on the table in front of the officer? looks like the top of a stick to me! 8-)--Light current 13:51, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

You must have a better monitor than me. or something. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Yeah if you load photo into a viewing program and zoom in you can see that the white thing resembles a cylindrical ribbed object (probably carved ivory) like the handle of an umbrella or stick. THere also seems to be a strap attached to the top, but its very difficult to be sure about that.--Light current 17:21, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

This babelfish translation of a German wikipedia page may explain Friesenwall 1944. --Tagishsimon (talk)

coughing and weezing? asap

What does this mean? That you have a serious cold? Cursa 14:34, 13 October 2006 (UTC) asap

That you have a respiratory tract illness. Could be a cold or flu. Could be bronchitis (sp). Could be all sorts of other things. Could be air pollution or the inhalation of particulate matter. Always check with a Doctor if you have concerns, never rely on the interweb. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Willy on Wheels

Who was this guy and what did he do. I know he was notorious, but I can't find any records of things he has done. THL 14:40, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Did you Google? 64.198.112.210 15:22, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Ah, thank you. THL 16:08, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

See WP:DENY. User:Zoe|(talk) 04:27, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Well, that explains why there are no records. Obviously the community feels that it was necessary to remove almost all records, but that seems really outrageous to me, especially making the page histories available to Sysops only. Then again, I wasn't here when he was around, so who am I to express an opinion. THL 07:12, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I think that is so that no one can recreate the pages, but I may be wrong.--Light current 10:32, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

• Page histories are available to everyone. You're talking about deleted page histories. They're not available, those are deleted because they violate rules and if everyone could read those, it would defeat the use of deleting them in the first place. Blatant adverts or attacks on people that get deleted would still be visible. It would make Wikipedia a mess instead of a work in progress. You can always ask a sysop to provide you with a copy or a summary if you really need it. - 131.211.210.14 10:12, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

I just wanted to know what exactly he did. The google results gave me all of the info I need. Thanks everyone. THL 13:08, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Credit Card Offers

I understand you can send letters to a group of organizations (US), and the credit card offers will stop. (Experian Target Marketing, Equifax Options, Trans Union Corporation, I believe.) What, exactly, are you supposed to send them? Should it just be a piece of paper saying "Stop sending stuff"? Should I include both my mailing addresses? Do I need to give them my name, social security number, some kind of proof I am who I say I am... What? Black Carrot 16:10, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

What you would want first, is concrete proof that any of this actually works. --Zeizmic 17:02, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Take a look at https://www.optoutprescreen.com/ -- considering its support, I suspect it actually works. I'll let you know in a few months... --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 17:10, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

This is exactly the site you want. I just did it myself. I was a bit hesitant to provide the info but the verisign validation shows it to be what it says it is. You can opt-out for 5 years on the site very quickly, permanent opt-out must be done by mail.--Justanother 14:14, 20 October 2006 (UTC)

In a few months you will already know if it works? How many of those things do you get? I suppose this is a US thing. I once saw in a film that if someone gets hold of such a credit card they can start using it *there was some trick involved) and the addressee gets billed even though they never did anything. Is this true? DirkvdM 07:34, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I get several of those offers a week. No big deal, just work for the shredder. The addressee can get pretty badly messed up via identity theft somehow, is my guess. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 08:25, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Usually the method of validation is to call them from your home phone and they'll check the incoming call number against the number they have on file for your address. So I guess you could break into their home and call, then take the card, or maybe a skilled phreaker could do it --froth^{T C} 19:18, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Ah, yes, I think I recall now that in the film they rewired the phone lines or something. But this is ridiculous. If a company thinks up a spamming scheme that goes wrong, then how can they expect the person they spammed to pay for it? How can this be legally possible? DirkvdM 06:31, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

When you make the call you agree to their terms of service (ie you'll be charged for purchases). Yeah, they make it as easy as possible to get into crushing debt --froth^{T C} 19:43, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

How can a phone call replace a signature? That could be anyone on the other side of the line, especially if it is not the company that makes the phone call. DirkvdM 04:09, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

• Check snopes.com first. I've heard about scams that mask as such services but actually spread the info you're trying to stop since you are a confirmed target when you respond. On my email I use filters to get rid of such offers, when I get them in paper through the mailbox, they'll go straight to the paper recycling bin. It will take a while, but eventually they'll stop because you're not useful to them. - 131.211.210.14 10:08, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

But you are still useful to people who sell mailing lists. Rich Farmbrough, 11:46 19 October 2006 (GMT).

Problems trying to goatse

I've been trying to goatse for about a month now and am considerably more able now than before; however, I am beginning to experience pain during defecation. Any ideas on what it is? P.S. I will go to a doctor, but I still would like some advice.

You're probably trying to do too much too soon. Rome wasn't built in a day - the Goatse Man probably took years to work his way up to that diameter. --Kurt Shaped Box 18:51, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Btw, to prevent such accidents to happen in the future, is there a manual at Wikibooks? @_@ 惑乱 分からん 19:02, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

For the love of God why? --froth^{T C} 19:28, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Behind every legend there is a thousand followers. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 19:39, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Because they can! --Kurt Shaped Box 20:43, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

How much money will you have if each living person in the world gives you ONE unit of his/her own currency (dollar, euro, pound, yen, RMB, ruble, won, ...) -- Toytoy 19:42, 13 October 2006 (UTC

This is actually not as hard as it looks. Take a population estimate from a country and insert it on http://www.xe.com (my favorite) and select the country and to change it into your currency. Do this with every country (which may take a while), and then add. This is your answer. Reywas92^Talk 19:55, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Several hundred million from america alone. Latin america and japan would probably add up to like a thousand dollars USD. EU states' money is worth a lot but I don't think they have as much population as america. not sure about china and india's currency exchange --froth^{T C} 20:26, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Derail - the population of the EU is half as large again as that of the US - you would get the most money from the EU as they have the 3rd largest population and the strongest currencies (Euro and GBP). Natgoo 08:14, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

What do you mean with "derail", "half as large" and "3rd lardest population"? Also, you might lose some of the money trying to find a good way to get rid of your millions of North Korean Won. 惑乱 分からん 12:26, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

'Derail ' indicates a tangent - it's a sort of a shorthand for apologising for posting something somewhat off-topic (derailing the thread). 'Half as large again' means 1.5 times as large, as in the population of the EU (~450m) is 1.5 times that of the US (~300m). Taken as a whole (which is appropriate in this context), the EU is the world's third most populous geo-socio-political entity (after China and India). Natgoo 16:05, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

OK, I didn't know about derail, but still wonder whether "half as large again" really is correct English. It sounds rather weird to me... =S 惑乱 分からん 17:10, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

"Half again as large" is more usual. Tesseran 02:53, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Not in my experience. Rich Farmbrough, 11:48 19 October 2006 (GMT).

I've personally had more experience with "Half as large again", but Google disagrees with us. Mayhaps a CwE/AmE difference? GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 21:21, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

Chess - must say check?

I can't seem to find it anywhere, is a chess player required to say check when he moves into the position? Thanks! Reywas92^Talk 19:42, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Only one dissenting (wrong) view on the entire first page --froth^{T C} 20:14, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

The rules of chess seem to say so. AMP'd 20:23, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

No they don't. They actually say the opposite. Anchoress 20:29, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Go easy on the newbie! I was assuming that he wasn't playing professionally! AMP'd 22:00, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Are you the newbie? Because I was replying to you. The OP asked if it's required to say check, and the article you linked to says no, it isn't. Anchoress 22:05, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes, I am, and that was what I got out of the article on chess. Sorry.AMP'd 22:07, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

LOL How is it being hard on you to point out that the article you linked to doesn't say what you indicated? I'm sorry if I've seemed harsh or if you took offence, but I really don't understand. Anchoress 22:13, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I quote from the linked article "In informal games, it is customary to announce check when making a move that puts the opponent's king in check. However, in formal competitions this is not only unnecessary but may be considered annoying or distracting." -- SGBailey 22:39, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Exactly. In other words, it is not required to say 'check'. Anchoress 22:49, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Glad we've established what I said two hours ago --froth^{T C} 19:12, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Considering his asking about Chess rules on wikipedia id say its fairly certain his not in any formal competition, and therefore it would be "customary to say check". Joneleth 00:44, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, but look at his question. He actually italicised required. That's what he's asking. Is it required. Anchoress 02:44, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Sidenote: speed chess (5 minutes or so each) is often played with the rule that moving the king into an attacked position isn't illegal. Nor is it required to say 'check'. So you can actually take the opponent's king. But if you fail to do so, they can then move the king out of harm's way. All this because the warnings would take too much time for speed chess (which happens to be my favourite version of the game). DirkvdM 07:39, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

• In formal tournament chess, saying "check" is not required. In a friendly "skittles" game, the rule is whatever the two players say it is (the default being that there is no such requirement). Saying "check" (and "guarde" when the Queen is attacked) went out of fashion with the advent of the chess clock in the late 19th century. B00P 09:42, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

the warnings would take too much time for speed chess - hahahahahaha you made my day, how long could it possibly take to say "check"? LOL --WikiSlasher 12:34, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

In bullet chess, too long. It's also distracting, since as fast as you can say check, the other person has likely made their next move. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 21:25, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

Quotation mark usage

I am in an argument with my teacher about this. Does an individual letter in writing or a list need quotation mark around it?
I say: . . . . My teacher says:
Lunch B . . . .Lunch "B" . .(it is specifying one of the different lunch times at my school)
I earned an A on the test. . . . I earned an "A" on the test.
It says nothing about it on the article (Quotation mark), leading me to probably be right. Which is correct? Please be definite. Thanks! Reywas92^Talk 19:42, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

This is a perfect question for the language desk :) But I think you can do it either way. --froth^{T C} 20:20, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Your teacher is wrong. You only need the quotation marks if you are discussing the letter as a letter. In the examples you gave, you are not actually discussing the letter itself. If teachers were all that intelligent, they would have better jobs. --Nelson Ricardo 01:19, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

There is an implication that something unnecessarily placed in quotes is questionable. That's why it is funny to see a menu that says "Enjoy our 'fresh' salads."Edison 22:26, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Tom Monagahan

Hi, Can you please tell me how I can reach Tom Monaghan (ie)e mail address or any other address, thank you for your help on this matter. Kind Regards Diarmuid Scullin

Who's Tom Monagahan? We don't seem to have an article on him and you don't give us any clues as to where he lives/works/etc. So the best I could offer is trying the phone book. Dismas|^(talk) 21:59, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Spelling counts, dearest Diarmuid. Tom Monaghan—the Domino's Pizza guy. Hyenaste ^(tell) 22:56, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

If you reach him, tell him my pizza too arrived cold. TIA  --Lambiam^Talk 00:13, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Tell him my pizza arrived a solid brick of grease with no distinguishable pizza features --froth^{T C} 19:16, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

October 14th

is there some reason all the questions under October 14th have disappeared?--66.65.155.117 20:33, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

• That was odd--66.65.155.117 20:36, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

dewey decimal system

What is the dewey decimal system?

See Dewey decimal system Reywas92^Talk 20:07, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

who's dewey?!! --froth^{T C} 20:22, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Same answer - see Dewey decimal system B00P 09:30, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Didn't you ever see that episode? :) The whole arthur gang was singing about how having fun isn't hard when you've got a library card. One of the lines in the song is about the dewey decimal system. Throughout the episode D.W. demands to know who's dewey?!! A bit esoteric I guess. --froth^{T C} 19:14, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Dr. Jekyll Hyde, Dr. Hyde, Hyde, Jekyll! --JDitto

How many countries are poor and consistently getting poorer?

The heading is my question.

Basically most countries in Africa. --69.51.87.130 20:56, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Most are getting richer. Philc _T^E_C^I 22:07, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Globalization is pretty much making all poor countries richer with the exception of various african countries because of their continious state of war between the local tribes. Joneleth 00:41, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

52 .THL 04:56, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Depends very much how you define 'poor'. Do you measure GDP or something more realistic like the Human Development Index? But those are about the averages. If you focus on just the poor people in a country, Human Poverty Index makes more sense (alas the article only shows rich countries). And at what level would you put 'poor'? I'm fairly sure I once saw a map on Wikipedia that answered your question, but I can't find it right now. But very roughly speaking 'most of Africa' just about covers it. DirkvdM 07:52, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Depends very much how you define "poor". If you compare GDP or GNP, you would not go much further than the obvious.

For example, I think people in the U.S. are getting poorer and poorer despite of the obvious. Let's see, if you see mass transportation as important as clean water supply, many U.S. towns and even cities are without a usable mass transportation service. You may drive a car. You may buy each family member a f**king huge SUV or a military surplus M-1 main tank. You may also provide old and handicapped people free buses. These things cannot replace a mass transportation system that works.

Many people in the U.S. are also unable to afford medical care, because of high wages for medical workers and lack of insurance coverage. Many could not afford a plumber. You can import cheap DVD players manufactured in China. You can import butchers from Mexico. But how do you import all your bus drivers, garbage collectors, chefs, florists, dentists ... from India, Yugoslavia, Gabon, Albania, ... ?

Many children in the U.S. are unable to receive enough parental care. Either their parents are spending countless hours driving to and from work, or their parents are watching TV, or all of them are watching TV. Families could not afford to go to a show with live performers. These kids may also receive no wholesome education other than a cheap calculator that replaced basic math training.

A great majority in the U.S. cannot afford wholesome food. Either they have too much soda or they have to eat canned and frozen food. Many do not buy beef or pork and cook at home. Most do not even go to a restaurant with a chef who really cooks. Instead, they have miserable fast food. They eat too little greens and too much fried potato and fat.

In many places, personal safety and privacy are also becoming more difficult to obtain. In many U.S. cities and towns, jobs are more difficult to find nowadays because local business owners are closing their doors. People would drive to a far away Wal*Mart rather than walk to the main street to buy their food. As a result, more people are jobless and hopeless than ever. They may not survive a winter without strong U.S. dollar, cheap oil and dirt cheap importation from the 3rd world.

Now tell me how many countries are getting poorer and poorer because they follow the footsteps of the U.S.? -- Toytoy 12:28, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

If you define poverty based on a fixed set of reasonable criteria, we are getting to be poorer and poorer. For example, you may afford to watch 1000 hours of programs on TV and 50 computer graphics SciFi movies in theaters a year, but how many quality live performance shows can you see?

You may have a zillion downloaded MP3 songs in your hard disk. Can you play an instrument such as a flute like a poor farm kid in India?

If you change the items in your basket of goods, you may find yourselves getting richer and richer. But otherwise, you are getting poorer and poorer. For example: in the 19th century, you could walk to the shops and talk with the person behind the counter. Today, you can drive to a Wal*Mart and ... whatever. You get machines and machines but you lose yourself and friends. -- Toytoy 12:47, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

somebody's jealous of america :) --froth^{T C} 18:50, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

And obviously it's not Toytoy. DirkvdM 06:39, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Toy-toy, your idea of 'wealth' and 'worth' etc. is your own. Mine is mine. Do not look down on my idea because you believe live-performances beat tv, or playing an instrument beats listening to one played. One man's rubbish is another's treasure. Be careful not to fall into the trap in believing your treasure is more worthy than anyone elses. ny156uk 21:01, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure that I saw in the Economist and table which showed that almost everywhere in the world had increased its wealth. Disparity of wealth across a nation, however, will lead some to quesion wealth based purely on a whole naiton. If by poor you mean little possessions then there may be more poor than you think, if by poor you mean few of the vital requirements for life (food/water) then fewer than realised. Whilst it is extremely sad that some will have more than others, envy shouldn't be displayed at those more fortunate. A A Gill said when he visited Africa that the thing that scared him most was the laughing and flirting, and fun that children had. I believe that across the world almost everybody has benefited from global trade but many will disagree - unfortunately wikipedia doesn't have a 'debat forum' i know of so here's not really a place to detail why. In short depending on the timescales you compare (poorer than 50 years ago?) and the definition of poor, you will get different results ny156uk 09:34, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I have also noticed that the poorer people are, the happier they are (provided they are not starving, of course). It seems weird, but is may have something to do with the point Toytoy seems to try to make. Poverty is not just measured in physical wealth. There are also values like a good community and friendship. The basic necessities of a human are enough to eat and drink, protection against the elements, preferably good health care and good companionship. Wealth can actually get in the way of good companionship. The best example I can think of is Cuba. Cubans are possibly the happiest people I've ever met. They're not rich, but they've got enough to eat, proper drinking water, a much better health care system than other poor countries and some of the best music in the world. What else could they need? DirkvdM 04:19, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

If Cubans are so happy, why have so many fled to Miami, often at the risk of their own lives ? As for Toytoy's diatribe on the US, food prices are quite low in the US. Healthy food is a bit more, but still quite low relative to the rest of the world. For example, bananas run around 2-3 pounds for a dollar. Live performances are free at many community theaters, schools, and parks. And what's wrong with viewing a quality live performance on TV ? StuRat 11:47, 20 October 2006 (UTC)

Happiness is almost impossible to define, even harder to compare across nations. Surveys rarely work as cultural differences have a big effect (or is it affect?) on people's responses. Some national identities mean they will rarely say they are much more than just 'ok', others never less than 'great'.

I agree money is no guarantee of happiness, but neither is the 'simple life' - which is what many people seem to yearn for. I am sure many Cuban people are very happy, but I am also sure they have their fair share of social problems. I guess the answer is nigh on impossible. In real wealth terms someone can answer who has become more poor, but when people begin to put a value on that which is not monetary based then it becomes opinion. As Toytoy notes it could be live-performances/time with children/etc. etc. or as I tried to say it could be almost anything. I think overall happiness is a state of mind, not a state of circumstances, but said circumstances will influence how easy it is to feel happy. Good chat everybody ny156uk 07:09, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

This is an interesting question and I have data showing that the answer is very few countries have lost per capita purchasing power over the past decade including the majority of African countries. You need to look at inflation-adjusted dollars and an excellent data source is the Real Per Capita Income table here. While a few countries have had a consistent string of decline years, the overall trend over the past decade is growth. Few countries lost more than $100 in real purchasing power though for some this was a devastating drop (the West Bank lost $1k...almost half of their 2000 purchasing power). So more the % loss of their real purchasing power in 2000 is the correct place to look. Countries that lost more than 10% during that period include Haiti (13% drop), Iraq (10%), West Bank (50%), Yemen United (40%), Cote d Ivory (10%), Liberia (22%) and Zimbabwe (33%).

Lots of potential here for more systematic research. Also I didn't check whether they use a median or mean, which makes a significant difference.

I think a lot of people confuse 'absolute level of poverty' with 'level of global inequality'--the first is what is important from a humanitarian perspective and the latter makes good headlines because greed (like sex) sells. Antonrojo 03:46, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Colonization

What are the most likely candidates(places) for future colonization? --18.85.18.23 20:42, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

On Earth or elsewhere? As far as somewhere on the Earth, basically every landmass large enough to sustain a population of people already has a population of people there. As far as off world goes, we may see colonization of the Moon or Mars within the next ~50 years but that's about it for the near future. Dismas|^(talk) 21:56, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I would expect to see orbital colonies at about the same time as colonies on the moon. --WhiteDragon 19:42, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

The presence of a population has never been a disincentive for colonization.  --Lambiam^Talk 00:10, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Due to global warming, areas now covered by glaciers, like northern Canada, Greenland, and Antarctica, may become habitable in the future. StuRat 00:02, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

We can try to colonize Bikini Bottom.  --Lambiam^Talk 00:10, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

And lower ourselves to Krabby Patties? I'll take the moon, the Toast King and Insanity Prawn Boy live there.AMP'd 00:15, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Iraq? (Oops, that's present, not future.) DirkvdM 07:55, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

You'll not have much luck in colonising melted glaciers in Canada as only 2% or 200,000 sq km in the whole country. What might be more likly is that if global warming continues then more people might be tempted to move to areas that currently support only a marginal number of people. However, that would probably be a gradual mirgration north through the provinces rather than a sudden move to Nunavut/NWT/Yukon/Alaska. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 16:09, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

If global warming gets worse and the oceans recede, you've got a whole new waterfront to expand onto. --froth^{T C} 19:07, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

You've got that topsy turvy. Global warming will cause sealevels to rise and potentially inundate most of the Netherlands, Florida, Bangladesh and the Seychelles, to name just a few of the worst struck places. But a much bigger problem here is that all over the world most people live in narrow strips very close to the sea, preferable in the more fertile lowlying areas, exactly the places that would get flooded. So colonisation of other areas (with less sustainability) will become a necessity. DirkvdM 06:41, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Texas has a big, empty spot its western region. That could hold a lot of people, probably. A huge number of people could migrate to Africa; there is a lot of empty space there. I forget the name of it, but there was this kind of ice invented during WW2 that takes ~1000 years to melt. It is a frozen mixture of water and wood slurry. America and the UK were going to build an aircraft carrier the size of an island out of this ice for use in a future invasion of Japan. They abandoned the project because they were winning by more conventional methods, and the atom bomb was coming along nicely. They did build a scale model, and they sank it just off the coast of Canada, it has barely begun to show any signs of melting. We could use this ice to create our own islands if necessary; I don't foresee us having to colonize other planets. THL 20:21, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

We have articles on this. Pykrete takes a long time to melt but not that long. See Project Habakkuk for more. The 1000 ton scale model took all summer to melt. Lisiate 21:33, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes it was Pykrete, thank you. Your correct, on its own the Pykrete doesn't take 1000 years to melt, but when they run coolant through it does take that long. I saw this on the History Channel a while ago. They run pipes throughout the Pykrete that run coolant. The coolant can keep the ice from melting for ~1000 years. The reason the scale model melted that quickly is that they stopped running coolant through the pipes. THL 04:08, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Hold it, on the History Channel they showed recent pictures of the scale model, it hasn't melted. THL

Health Symbols

The symbol for low carbohydrates is a diamond with a ckeck in the middle, the symbol for low fat is a triangle with a check in the middle. What is the symbol for low calorie?

I have never seen these symbols, and Google isn't very friendly today. Perhaps this is only on the box you are looking at?AMP'd 01:53, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

It's not exact, but the Heart Smart symbol often means low calorie. Anchoress 04:29, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Actually, that is low cholesterol. I don't think low calorie has a symbol, but a pentagon with a check in the middle would look awesome. THL 05:01, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Oh, I didn't know that lol. :-) Anchoress 05:20, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

The Goatse Man

Does anyone know if the Goatse Man ever made any money from his online fame and unusual talents? I'm guessing that there'd be a niche market for 'Goatse' branded videos, for one thing - there would be a heck of a lot of people who'd buy Goatse T-shirts too (I know I would). --Kurt Shaped Box 20:49, 13 October 2006 (UTC) $Insertformulahere$

What? And make a really big asshole of yourself? 8-)--Light current 21:54, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

That would be the general idea. :) There has been a fair bit of unofficial Goatse merchandise over the years - but why would I want to help someone who takes credit for someone else's work get rich? --Kurt Shaped Box 22:24, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Simplified baseball rules

I put a couple of questions on Talk:Simplified baseball rules back in June. Whilst the article is good, those questions haven't had answers added either in talk or the main article. Could someone answer them (either here or on the talk page or even the article page). If they are clear enough I'll add them into the article. Cheers. -- SGBailey 22:32, 13 October 2006 (UTC) (PS, I presume "Sport" counts as micsellaneous - I was surprised that it wasn't explicitly listed on the reference desk starter page.)

Actually, sports are considered to be a subset of humanities. StuRat 23:45, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

What part of "History, art, politics, literature, religion, philosophy, law, music, fashion, culture, and society" includes sport? -- SGBailey 21:24, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

The article describes both of those situations. Specifically the questions were: 1. When is a "Strike-out"? Is it after 3 failed attemnpts to hit the pitched ball? 2. "Ground-out" Is this hitting the ball whilst on the ground or hitting it in the air but so that it strikes the ground after being hit?

1. A strike out occurs as the result of getting three strikes. A strike is either a complete miss of the ball or hitting the ball out-of-bounds (a foul ball). Except that a foul ball cannot be the third strike. (A foul ball ball after two strikes is simply not counted for anything) 2. The batter cannot hit the ball while it is on the ground (nor would he try as it is out of the strike zone) (also I don't think that the ball can hit the ground before reaching the batter even if it returns to the strike zone.) A ground out specifically means that the hit ball lands in fair territory, a fielder then catches it either off the ground or in the air off the bounce/s and throws it to the first baseman before the runner reaches the base. Neither of those is exactly a simple explanation, though, for the article. Rmhermen 07:04, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

The are some minor exceptions to Point 1.

A foul ball does count as a third strike if the ball was bunted.

A foul ball also counts as a third strike if the pitch was merely brushed by the bat without altering the trajectory greatly (a "foul tip") and the catcher catches it as if it weren't touched at all.

It should be noted that "hitting the ball out-of-bounds (a foul ball)" if caught by a defensive player before it hits the ground, is an out. B00P 09:57, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Thnaks all - that clears up the strikeout well for me. I remain confused about ground out - which doesn't seem to be mentioned in the main baseball article. It would appear that "hitting the ball whilst it is on the ground" is not what is meant by ground-out. So I assume it is the latter when the ball lands or bounces and is picked up from the ground or caught after the bounce and thrown to first base in time. If you can confirm that I'll bung something into the artcile about it. -- SGBailey 21:21, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Exactly. -- Mwalcoff 23:25, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

The Green Green Grass (BBC 1)

Hi, first of all I apologise if this is the wrong place to ask this. If anybody knows who the actress was who played the French Exchange student in tonights episode then I'd be greatful. I've already google and had a look-a-round on here but to no avail. Thanks.

Melmer 22:37, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Actually, TV is considered to be a subset of humanities. StuRat 23:46, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Have you checked the links at the bottom of the Green Green Grass article? IMDb is also a good place to look. Anchoress 23:50, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I hate to argue with Anchoress again already, but none of those external links told me anything about this exchange student, who apparently only appeared at the end of the episode...AMP'd 00:09, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I didn't say they would have the info, I just asked if s/he'd checked them. It's useful to know if s/he checked them, because undoubtedly other people will wonder. And I didn't know we were arguing before. Anchoress 02:27, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

According to this page, Beatriz Romilly is the actress who played the French exchange student.LondonSE16 09:23, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks alot :) Melmer 15:13, 14 October 2006 (UTC)