Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 November 8

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November 8

culling bettas?

i just read something about how when you breed bettas, you should "cull" the the babies. i understand that its something where you get rid of the "bad" fish, and just keep the good ones. what i dont understand is how. can anyone clear this for me? thanks.

Try Google search for "culling Bettas". Or you asking how to actually "dispose" of them? -THB 03:22, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

thanks, that helped me! :)

Anti-Monster/Undead Strategy

So I had this crazy dream where I was hanging around this "abandoned" house with some people I didn't know and it suddenly became incredibly clear to me that we had to detain a "werewolf". We fought the werewolf and I bound its mouth with a belt (the werewolf was really big), but while we were trying to tie up its feet it snapped the belt and bit off my legs. I backtracked in the dream and instead of using the belt I knocked the wolf out (which caused it to turn back into a portly, middle-aged man) and used a knife I didn't know I had to hack at his lower jaw until it was a useless mess. Is this a viable strategy for protecting yourself from disease transmission from the bites of the cursed undead? Zombies? Vampires? This is not homework. 24.250.33.247 03:25, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I'd stay away from the teeth/jaw, as it might not be the bite, but being slashed by a fang. If all else fails, find an item of pure silver and press it against any wounds. User:Zoe|(talk) 03:42, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

For a while there I thought maybe this was homework.  :) --Maxamegalon2000

And since you've mentioned strategies against the undead, may I suggest Max Brooks' The Zombie Survival Guide? It's a great book. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 07:15, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm, dream strategies for monsters made me think of the end of A Nightmare on Elm Street. 惑乱 分からん 07:41, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Maybe you're just a little nervous about tomorrow's dental appointment?--Shantavira 08:16, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

You may find it useful to know that firearms come in quite handy against unfriendly, unusual beings such as this. Яussiaп F 01:09, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Just remember that you need silver bullets for werevolves (IIRC) and zombies need to be shot in the brain. We wouldn't like any nasty surprises in your next dream... Also, please make certain that it's a monster first before you act. 惑乱 分からん 10:56, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Silver bullets are only good against vampires and witches. Werewolves have to be killed during the day (or not a full moon night) when they have no superhuman powers --froth^{T C} 22:34, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia Editing

How many edits are made to Wikipedia by editors under the influence of Marijuana or other drugs? Does it affect the quality of the project? Or does it simply impart a new perspective on the project? Hizzizzle 05:42, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

• If you click on Special:Recentchanges, every place you see a little bold m means that the user was high on marijuana at the time. (A little known fact is that the capital Ns stand for "naked"!) It's a pretty neat Javascript feature that was implemented pretty recently. --Fastfission 05:51, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

• LOL. And here I thought the "m" meant they were typing with one hand only. StuRat 07:27, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

"m" for minister or for might hand ? -- DLL ^{.. T} 19:19, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Rather for the Manual Movement Member Meddling done with the non-typing hand... ;) 惑乱 分からん 21:12, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

13 letter word

Its a 13 letter word. Doctors hate it, Fishermen like it and childern love to eat it. What is it?

If you enter "doctors hate it fishermen like it and children love to eat it" in Google you'll easily find the answer. Google has unfortunately ruined the art of riddles. --Fastfission 05:57, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

See our earlier discussion here: [1]. StuRat 07:21, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

what standing for asl plz

—what standing for asl plz 59.162.198.152 06:34, 8 November 2006 (UTC)santosh —

Asymmetric Subscriber Line? Arithmetic Shift Left? Age, Sex, Location? Oh, and please write in English, not in h4xx0r d00dsp33k. JIP | Talk 06:36, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

It's quite obvious to me that English isn't their first language, so we should have patience. StuRat 07:13, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I was referring to the "plz" bit. Is it so hard to write "please"? JIP | Talk 07:17, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

If the only English he knows is from chat rooms, then he may not know "plz" is short for "please". StuRat 07:25, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

In Internet chat rooms, the person who says it is asking you your age, sex (male or female), and location. StuRat 07:08, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

ASL? (57MUK) --Shantavira 08:20, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

And the PLZ might be part of the original question. Somebody could easily ask you "asl plz" which would mean, roughly, "Please, what is your age, sex, and location?" --Fastfission 11:44, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Or American Sign Language, depending on the context. Edison 15:54, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Name of this bomb test

This is one of the most iconic images of mushroom clouds and nuclear weapons: http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/755000/images/_756742_mushroom150.jpg

Anyone knows the project, bomb or at least the location names? ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 07:29, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Manhattan Project? 惑乱 分からん 07:40, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Searching for hydrogen bomb in google image search suggests it's a hydrogen bomb. Couldn't find the name of the bomb though; nothing on List of nuclear tests jumps out immediately. The image is sold as a poster in several places; there is a non-zero possibility it is a painting rather than a real bomb. Weregerbil 10:31, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

It is an image of a French hydrogen bomb test. Give me a minute and I'll figure out which one it is... --Fastfission 11:33, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

It is the Licorne test from 1970. If you watch the movie footage on that page you'll see that it has the same cloud effects as that photo at one point. --Fastfission 11:38, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Dang those are impressive pictures! I'm a complete noob as to image copyrights; is there anything we could use on the France section of List of nuclear tests? Weregerbil 12:07, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes! Licorne! Excellent! Now I just need to find a high resolution image of this! Thanks, Fastfission! ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 17:42, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Trinity seriously!

Life Aquatic

Near the end of the film there is song that acts as the climax, what is it? It starts at 1:47:36 (the lyrics aren't in English). --Cody.Pope 07:41, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I think it is a portuguese cover of a David Bowie song, remade as a guitar-based bossanova or something... 惑乱 分からん 07:45, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Sure, but I want I name. It is not on the album. --Cody.Pope 07:58, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Apparently, the songwriter kept the English title, even when translated. It could probably be found on The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions by Seu Jorge. 惑乱 分からん 09:08, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

It's "Ziggy Stardust", by Bowie, in Portuguese. --Sturgeonman 21:26, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

riddle mind boggling

check me tomorrow and i will be different..what am i?

gosh - the date. truly boggled!--Bilbo B 08:37, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Most things will be different tomorrow. It's called Impermanence. --Shantavira 12:52, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Or more general, Time. Joneleth 15:08, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

tuition fee

how much is the tuition fee that i will pay for an education course

• Please be more specific. Fees differ from country to country and also differ per course or by educational institution. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:53, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Hotel made of gold

Weeks ago I read about a hotel (maybe in Hong Kong? I don't know) that was totally made of gold, from the beds to the toilets. Can someone tell me the name of that hotel? Thanks! --RiseRover|^talk 15:05, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I severly doubt it was completly made of gold or it would fall apart instantly, even all the interior is most likely not gold either due to the excessive weight of it would make the floor crash. Most likely it just has a thin layor of gold plating on everything. Joneleth 15:07, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I expect one could build a hotel out of gold. "Gold" includes alloys, which are stronger than the elemental metal. Gold foundation? No problem. Then build beams and columns of gold to constitute the structure, or use goldbricks if cost is no object. Corrugated gold panels for walls and floors, held together with gold bolts or welded construction. Have to come up with a nonconductive oxide of gold to insulate the wires. Gold beds are going take a little work to be soft and comfy.Way easier to build than a House of Wax or even a Cheese Castle [2]as found along the interstates in Wisconsin, or a literal steak house, a Gingerbread House or the Corn Palace if it were truly as described. Edison 16:04, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Golden Palace, in Hong Kong. http://en.ce.cn/Life/news/photo%20news/200609/20/t20060920_8643778.shtml --Kjoonlee 17:05, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

But this hotel certainly is not "made of gold". According to the source, two tonnes of gold were used to build the hotel. This is approximately the weight of a large sports utility vehicle. This amount of gold would be insufficient to construct a hotel. Certainly the hotel's internal structure uses other materials. Relatively small amounts of gold must have been used for surfaces and furnishings. Marco polo 17:14, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

You have a point, but I think it's likely to be the same hotel RiseRover mentioned. I saw the hotel on TV the other day as well. --Kjoonlee 17:25, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

... Then I received an email from the World’s valets. They respected men-women parity and lived on prayers. Thelema, their abbey, had just received a gift that had help to clean the gold layers of the wall, floors and roofs, to better show the spirit of the place ... -- DLL ^{.. T} 19:15, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, it was that one! Thanks for the link Kjoonlee --RiseRover|^talk 21:53, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

When Anderson Cooper was on Jeopardy! one of the questions was something like "Only one cubic meter of this valuable element has ever been mined in all of history" and the answer was gold. So that makes it hard to believe a solid-gold anything. --froth^{T C} 01:01, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

With all due respect to Jeopardy's question-setters, and knowing that gold is extremely malleable and ductile, I find this assertion very doubtful. What about all the gold the Incas and Aztecs had? Not to mention Fort Knox and similar storage places elsewhere? Surely much, much more than 1 cubic metre. JackofOz 01:11, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

From Gold#History, "Gold in antiquity was relatively easy to obtain geologically; however, 75% of all gold ever produced has been extracted since 1910.[2] It has been estimated that all the gold in the world that has ever been refined would form a single cube 20 m (66 ft) a side (8000 m³)." CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 01:47, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Still less than I would have thought, but a lot more than 1 m³. Thanks, CBW. JackofOz 01:51, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Information on a company in buisness prior to1853 through 1863

History of a fire arm manufacturing company in buisness prior to 1853. Company name- Cooper Fire Arms Manufacture. Located in Frankford Philadelphia Pennsylvania

I may be surprised, but I doubt whether any of us at Wikipedia has easy access to this kind of archival information. I would recommend seeking guidance with a reference librarian at the Philadelphia Public Library. Probably you will need to visit state and/or county archives and get hold of old census records. Marco polo 17:16, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

If you are only trying to see what years it was in business, old city directories are a good source. Rmhermen 18:33, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

google came up with this: http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/Bah/dam/rg/ys/r26ys15.htm . There is an entry "Cooper Fire Arms Manufacturing Company, charter and list of subscribers" in the box 14 list. At least now you know which box to look in 8-). --Dementios.

DD3 Report from Canada Revenue Agency

I would like to know what is a DD3 Report from Revenue Canada. Specifically, I would be interested what information Revenue Canada discloses about a person in this report. I also would like to know who has the right to obtain this report or who is authorized to view this report.

I would really appreciate an informative answer as I do not know anything about this subject.

Thanks so much,

Ed

Probably the easiest thing to do is ask them. Lowerarchy 01:32, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Just called and ordered mine! Dec 18/ 2013 It is an internal reference to "income" slips reported by you the taxpayer for a specific year. Beware who is asking for these!!! I was informed the CRA will make sure I receive copies of my income slips for the years requested by myself in 5-10 business days.

Looking for a yearly overview of world news events

I need info on what the major news, sport and entertainment highlights were for every year of this century - a kind of "yearbook" article. My searches have been fruitless. Any ideas?

Wikipedia has a growing set of articles such as 1995 (and other years) for news. And check out the 1995 by topic box to the top left - that points to music, &c &c. Also Category:1995 points to Spot &c &c, as well as to other years. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Britney Split

Britney has split from her 2004 husband on grounds of irreconciliable differences. Channel V was airing all their pranks and foolish antics during their marriage. Just after second child they split. This clearly demonstrates the unreliability and lack of faith.

This is Freedom and the foolish culture of the west.

The same goes for the split between the paralysed scientist and his wife over irreconciliable differences who was always a victim of abuse.

How does one define irreconciliable differences?19:09, 8 November 2006 (UTC) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Kjvenus (talk • contribs) 18:58, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

• Pardon?

The question "how does one define irreconciliable differences" is reasonable, even if the rest of the POV in the question is, err, questionable POV. I suspect the answer is that there is no definition beyond a test of reasonableness (of the assertion that there is an ID) on the part of the judge hearing the case. It's difficult to gainsay a party who claims an ID, since it must to a large extent be subjective in nature. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I just like how the original poster said "2004 husband". It makes him sound like a car... "This is our 2004 model but everyone's dropping him off for a trade in these days. Just wait till the '08s come into stock though!" Dismas|^(talk) 20:54, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm going to start removing all these trolling "foolish culture of the west" "questions". StuRat 21:15, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I understand the idea, but it might be considered censorship, although the user basically abuses the reference desk continuously, to begin with... 惑乱 分からん 21:18, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

When you look at the original poster's contributions, you do have to wonder what benefit he is bringing to Wikipedia, especially with posting on archived pages. Or maybe that's okay. I'm new, it's late and sometimes I'm a grumpy old sod.Mmoneypenny 22:47, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

To give a possible, legally defined answer to the question (Definition of irreconcilable differences from nolo.com) "Differences between spouses that are considered sufficiently severe to make married life together more or less impossible. In a number of states, irreconcilable differences is the accepted ground for a no-fault divorce. As a practical matter, courts seldom, if ever, inquire into what the differences actually are, and routinely grant a divorce as long as the party seeking the divorce says the couple has irreconcilable differences." ---Sluzzelin 23:40, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps our inquirer might explain how "the foolish culture of the west" differs from what must be "the wise culture of the east" in the matter of Nikah Mut‘ah which looks suspiciously like the matter under consideration. B00P 11:01, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

I agree with Sturat: this clown is a tedious fool. alteripse 13:50, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

DL Envelopes

Having read your article on DL Envelopes I am fully aware of what size it is, but what does DL mean or stand for?

"The DL format is the most widely used business letter format. DL probably originally stood for “DIN lang” historically, but ISO 269 now explains this abbreviation more diplomatically as “Dimension Lengthwise” instead. Its size falls somewhat out of the system and equipment manufacturers have complained that it is slightly too small for reliable automatic enveloping. Therefore, DIN 678 introduced the C6/C5 format as an alternative for the DL envelope." [3] --Tagishsimon (talk)

Hiring IT Engineers

World's largest software vendor Microsoft,, which employs over 4,000 professionals in India finds hiring just out-of-college IT engineers a problem. Whats ironical about the above claim is that the turn-out rate of engineers in the US is drastically low compared to India. But Microsoft on the other hand cites the lack of practical approach of the Indians 19:30, 8 November 2006 (UTC)~~

And your question is? The disparity in the rate at which engineers are turned out in each country may have little or no correlation with the applicability of their training to the tasks MS would set them to. I've had occasion to be less than impressed with the subject-matter awareness on the part of first degree holders. So, I fail to see the irony. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Yeah, my classmates are kind of stupid and it's hard to be proud of a CS bachelor when I know how "smart" other grads are. --froth^{T C} 00:59, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

The Economist has stated that only a small percentage of 'offshore' graduates are ready enough to work directly for multi-nationals. In fact, there is as a much shortage there for 'talent' as anywhere. --Zeizmic 00:33, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

History

The Know Nothing political party consisted of what people?

Know Nothing may be your friend. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Thanks

Sergeant Schultz? ("I hear nothing! I see nothing! I know nothing!") Clarityfiend 22:37, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

physics question

'If a cannon ball was trying to hit a tank traveling at 10 m/s in a straight line, how far from the target should the tank be when the cannon is fired at 70 degrees? The change in x is 124.06 m.'

I'm not asking anyone to do the problem for me, but point me in the right direction? I just need to get started.

At first glance, it seems like more info is needed. What is meant by "the change in X?" Is the cannon 124.06 m from the path of the tank? Are you supposed to assume the muzzle velocity is such that a trajectory will carry it up at a 70 deg angle and reach a point at the same height 124.06 meters away? Edison 22:30, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

The change in X means the total horizontal distance traveled. The initial velocity of x is 18.04 m/s, and the initial velocity of y is 31.24 m/s. What I'm trying to find is how far away the tank should start. The cannon will fire at 70 degrees and hit the tank, assuming it goes at a constant 10 m/s.

First you need to figure how long it will take the cannonball to fall, using only the vertical component of it's trajectory. Then figure how far it will move horizontally, in that time. Next, figure how far the tank will travel in that time. Then plot both movements on a graph and find the total distance. I'm assuming the direction of the cannonball is 90 degrees to the direction the tank is moving, but I would need to see a diagram to be sure. If I'm correct, you can use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the total distance from the two component distances. BTW, why didn't you post this to the Science Ref Desk ? StuRat 02:33, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

do manga artist get paid?

do manga artist get paid? also wat if the series they made becomes an anime or toys or video games,does the manga artist still get some of the profits atleast?If not,that is SO unfair.But thanx for answering

It depends on their contract with the distributor/publisher. --Cody.Pope 22:47, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Of course. Rumiko Takahashi (creator of Ranma, Urusei Yatsura, Inuyasha etc, is one of the wealthiest women in Japan cause of her manga works, for example. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 00:34, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

• If the artist is with a reputable manga comic publisher and not indulging in vanity publishing, there's no reason not to pay them. Anyone who is attached to a reputable publisher is being paid for doing their job. What makes you think they're not? - Mgm|^(talk) 09:58, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

what kind of medicine existed in World war i?

i need the name of those medicines and the country which create the cure. ty

Lots including many that had existed for thousands of years and some made by every country. Are you thinking of new medicines from that period? Or common medicines? Rmhermen 23:56, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

There is a little information (though not much) in the relevant section of the History of Medicine page. Clio the Muse 00:16, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

i wanted a link or somewhere i can find the medicine used in world war one and each countries' invention of medicine at that particular time period. ty

Googled 'timeline pharmacological inventions discoveries:

• [4] and particularly this detail: [5]
• [6]
• [7]
• [8]

Might not be as much detail as you want, but it's a start. Anchoress 03:30, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

guys: thank you very much for your helps my name is Antonio He.this is my first time using "contact wikipedia" so i'm not quite good at asking questions. anyhow, ty for the help and i'll do my best to help others on other subjects i know the most.

They had no antibiotics. They had x-ray machines. They had anesthesia. They knew about the need to use sterile technique. They had blood transfusions. If the wound did not become infected, the patient had a good chance of surviving. Not sure if they used oxygen, but it was used for high altitude avaition experiments, so it might have been available. They did plastic surgery. Edison 00:10, 11 November 2006 (UTC)