Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2007 June 13

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June 13

Kill switch for guitar

As a guitar disciple of Buckethead and Tom Morello, I have recently become interested in adding a kill switch to my guitar, in the style of the former's "big red button". How could I go about doing this or having this done? Someoneinmyheadbutit'snotme 01:01, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

I assume you want a button you can press to stop sending a signal to amp. Then, press it to send the signal again. No biggie if you are willing to cut up your guitar. Of course, I'm also assuming it is an electric guitar. You want a push-button switch. Radio shack has all kinds of them. Single pole will work fine. You will drill a hole in the guitar and mount the button where you want it. Then, cut one of the signal wires. It doesn't make a huge difference which one. Extend and connect the wire going through the switch. Connect one of the cut wire to one lead of the switch. Connect the other wire to the other lead of the switch. Solder them in place (or you'll get terrible sound). Presto - a kill switch. Hopefully the switch is good enough that it won't make the guitar sound funny. Youth in Asia 02:08, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, but the way his switch works is that the signal is cut off when it is pressed and returns when it is released. Will this method work that way? Someoneinmyheadbutit'snotme 14:47, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Yes, but only with a specific switch. You want a normally-closed SPST momentary switch, such as this one. Normally-closed means the default state of the switch is to connect the two leads (leaving your signal wire intact), SPST is the default connect/disconnect one wire switch, and momentary means it'll return to default state when released (as opposed to a toggle). — Lomn 15:10, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

If you're worried about this affecting your tone (or your finish) you may want to have a professional do the work. Friday (talk) 21:11, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Do you think they would do this at a Guitar Center? Someoneinmyheadbutit'snotme 00:24, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Well thanks for all your help guys, but in a typical moment of genius, I've come up with a solution that works for me; use a sustain pedal for an electronic keyboard and plug it into the footswitch jack if your amp has one, and use it to switch between clean and drive tones, and turn either one of the channels' volume all the way down. Someoneinmyheadbutit'snotme 00:51, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Da Ali G Show

Can anyone give me some names of the songs played in Da Ali G Show in the interludes and during the show? i dont know if you consider the songs rap or urban but they are played before and after the ali g segments

According to Wikipedia, Funkyzeit mit Bruno's title song is Crank It Up, by Scooter, from the album Our Happy Hardcore. Borat's theme song is "the rock-rendition" of Korobeiniki. The article on Ali G doesn't specify what is used as theme song for the Ali G segments in Da Ali G Show. 14:45, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

From what I remember, the music they used during the interludes was more garage and drum and bass. No idea what songs they were, but that could be a place to start. Recury 16:42, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Gold Cup 2007 official song

Looking for the name of the song played at the beginning of each Gold Cup match. Anyone? 24.69.83.245 06:17, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Which Gold Cup would this be? Which country, which sport?--Shantavira|^{feed me} 12:10, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup obviously.  slυмgυм [ ←→ ] 12:25, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

theme park world

i have theme park world on the pc. i dont know how to rotate an item. all my items face one way and i cant change its position.

try here [1] :) Perry-mankster 11:59, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

If i remember correctly it's the . or , key or the arrow keys or theres a button on the GUI somewhere 213.48.15.234 12:59, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

how do i work out percentages

Can u please give Me a way of working out percentages

I don't have enough context to answer this question. Would the article on percentage be of use to you? Friday (talk) 16:29, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Imagine you want to know what percent of cats are brown, and you know how many cats there are in total, and how many of them are brown. You divide the number of brown cats by the total number of cats, then you multiply the whole answer by 100. If you replace the phrase 'brown cats' and the word 'cats' with whatever the things are you are working with, it should work. If this doesn't answer your question, try explaining more precisely what you mean. :-) Skittle 21:05, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Even though there's no percentage in it for me, and this really should have been posted to the Math Ref Desk, I will help anyway. The trickiest part for percentages is "adding" and "subtracting" them. If a price goes up 10%, then up an additional 10% from the new price, that isn't a 20% increase, but a 21% increase. You do this type of problem by converting to decimal and adding one, multiplying instead of adding, then subtracting one and converting back to percentages. So, 10% "+" 10% becomes 1.10 × 1.10 = 1.21 = 21%. The same is true of subtraction: 10% "-" 10% becomes 1.10 × 0.90 = 0.99 = -1%. This means, if you increase a price by 10%, then decrease the price by 10% of the new price, the final price is 1% less than the starting price.

Note that this method only applies to changing bases. If you wanted to increase the price by 10% then by an additional 10% of the original price, you would just add normally to get 20%. And, if you wanted to increase the price by 10% then decrease it by 10% of the original price, then you would just subtract normally to get 0%.

When dealing with interest rates you normally do have a changing base to account for "interest on the interest". You also must often deal with multiple years. So, a 10% interest rate for 7 years becomes 1.10 × 1.10 × 1.10 × 1.10 × 1.10 × 1.10 × 1.10 = 1.10⁷ = 1.9487171 or 94.9% interest. StuRat 15:12, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

A television network dedicated to only telenovelas

Since MyNetworkTV is not going to have anymore telenovelas, why not come up with a whole new television network dedicated to English-language telenovelas that will be named The Telenovela Channel?

I don't care how low-rated or high-rated they are, personally.--Ericthebrainiac 21:11, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

SOAPnet --Nricardo 03:40, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

It's also worth noting that network executives are concerned with the ratings of networks. Given the wide range of channels available now, the lack of a particular channel is likely because no executives or investors have been convinced that they can make money on the deal. — Lomn 13:28, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Why would anyone want to do that, when they tanked so bad on MyNetworkTV? Corvus cornix 21:34, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Name of Two Movies

I hope there are some movie addicts on line tonight.

(1)First, I am looking for the title of a movie about identical-twin brothers, both of whom were gynaecologists. One committed murder and the trial hinged on how to tell the twins apart. If you know the title, do you also know who played the twins and what the outcome of the trial was?

(2)This is an older movie about a business executive who is being stalked. No one really believes that he has not encouraged the stalker and his only real supporter is his secretary. The climax of the movie has this secretary telling the executive's lawyer that the real reason she knows that the executive has not had an affair with the stalker is that he is in love with her (the sceretary). How does she know he is in love with her? Why, he has been writing her "coded messages' for years. The lawyer asks to be shown one of these messages, and she shows him a perfectly ordinary note from a boss to a secretary. The title of the movie, and the names of actors playing the lead roles, would be greatly appreciated. Bielle 23:00, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

#1 would be Dead Ringers, with Jeremy Irons as the twins. I have no idea how it ends. --Anonymous, June 14, 00:39 (UTC).

Thank you, --Anonymous. That's a good start. Anyone else know how the Dead Ringers ends, or the answer to #2? Bielle 02:01, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

It's been a long time since I've seen Dead Ringers, but I don't think there was any murder or trial. One of the twins died from drugs and debauchery, and I think the other one killed himself (maybe). --Joelmills 03:24, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Argh. I've seen something very like #2, though it may be an episode of a TV detective show. Further details: When the secretary was exposed as the real stalker, there was some talk about sex addiction as a disorder. In the end, one of the "coded messages" was a request to arrange for protection for the boss's wife who has received threats. Any help? —Tamfang 22:17, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

A check on Dead Ringers lead me to the story of the twins on whose life story the movie was very loosely based. As they died of "barbituate withdrawal" perhaps I am mis-remembering a trial. Thanks, Joelmills

Your story line is similar, Tamfang. I don't remember the last coded message that way. What I remember best was the look on the executive's face as he realized he had two serious whackos after him. Thanks you all for your help. Bielle 00:16, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Do you have any other information that might help? Year? Color/B&W? Country of origin?. Language? TV Show/movie/TV movie? Also, try the power search at the IMDb and fill in everything you know. Remove things if you get no results or put in more info if you get too many. - Zepheus <ゼィフィアス> 16:57, 19 June 2007 (UTC)