Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 December 31

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December 31

Making dates into links

On 31st December 2006 Mmoneypenny wondered why people keep making dates into links. Is this helpful to Wikipedia? The work of a malevolent bot? Perhaps I am missing some subtletly, some unwritten rule which says every date must be linked? I await gratification. With thanks Mmoneypenny 00:43, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Okay, have found "build the web" and the other link to dates in the manual of style. But is this really a way of building the web?Mmoneypenny 00:57, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes it is. It interconnects Wikipedia pages related to a certain date. Also, if we didn't link to date pages they would probably be close to orphans, given the fact very little articles would link to them otherwise. In turn, the date pages wouldn't have a whole lot of info. — Kieff 01:03, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

The purpose if linking dates is not to "build the web". Instead its to allow specialist formatting. WP:MOSDATE explains, "If a date includes both a month and a day, then the date should almost always be linked to allow readers' date preferences to work, displaying the reader's chosen format. The day and the month should be linked together, and the year should be linked separately if present." Rockpocket 01:58, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

big ben chimes

on mid night on new years eve does the first or last chime mark the 12 midnight

A Striking clock begins to chime on the hour, making the first one the hour's most accurate mark.Wolfgangus 01:26, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

First chime of the big bell, that is, not the preliminary ding-dong-ding-dongs. --Anonymous, December 31, still 2006, 02:27 (UTC).

If you want to be truly pedantic, the big bell is Big Ben (i.e., "Big Ben" is the name of the bell, not the clock or the tower). The tower it's in is actually St. Stephen's Tower (although everyone calls it Big Ben), and the clock itself, AFAIK, doesn't actually have an official name. Grutness...wha? 09:34, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

I always thought Big Ben lived in Pittsburgh... V-Man737 20:38, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

In films it is usually the last chime, but I expect this is just to add suspense, as they only have twelve chimes of the bell to do whatever it is.

Hot Dogs

Why are hot dogs (also called frankfurters) always curved?

Are they?  --Lambiam^Talk 06:22, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Hebrew National hot dogs are more or less perfectly straight. I don't think that has anything to do with them being kosher, but you never know... —Keenan Pepper 06:34, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

From Hot Dog History:

In 1852, the butcher's guild in Frankfurt introduced a spiced and smoked sausage which was packed in a thin casing and they called it a "frankfurter" after their hometown. The sausage had a slightly curved shape supposedly due to the coaxing of a butcher who had a popular dachshund.

Does that help? — Kieff 09:01, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

If you mean "why do they curve when cooked", this happens because uneven heating causes uneven shrinkage. The side that gets the most heat will be the shortest. StuRat 15:39, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Hot dogs are not always curved. If yours a so consistently, they are not being cooked properly. --Nelson Ricardo 18:26, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

I've never had a curved one - always straight - you didn't mean bratwurst perhaps?87.102.14.212 18:24, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

I'm not positive on this, but whether a sausage is curved or straight may have something to do with if it is made with natural casings (curvy) or artificial casing (more likely straight). -- 21:24, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

Premonitory dreams at a school

Does anyone know anything about a premonitory dream that saved the lives of hundreds of children in an, I believe, English school disaster in the sixties or seventies? Uh, sorry that sounds so crazy. I remember reading something about it. Thank you. 66.65.50.46 03:02, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

You may be referring to the death of 144 people at the Pantglas Junior School in Aberfan, Wales in 1966. There were reports of precognition, however they were not reported until after the event and thus, sadly, never saved the life of anyone. Here is an article about it with sources [1] Rockpocket 03:10, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

endless night

when was the novel endless night, by Agatha Christie, set(in what time period)? """"

According to Allreaders, the time period is somewhere in the 1930's to 1950's. SWAdair | Talk 03:50, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

On the other hand, The Agatha Christie Companion by Dennis Sanders and Len Lovallo (1984, ISBN 0-517-47925-7) says the book "deals with the swinging youth of London, as did Christie's two previous novels". In other words, they say it was set in the present day (which was the 1960s: the date of publication was 1967). I've read it myself, but didn't like it and hardly remember it, so I can't comment from my own knowledge. --Anonymous, December 31, still 2006, 05:45 (UTC).

Well, the book deals with swinging youth but has very little to do with London. I can't think of anything in the novel indicating the setting wasn't contemporary to the time of writing (1967) - the modernist architecture could place it any time from the 20s on but the ease/ frequency of international air travel tell me it was definitely later than the 40s. Natgoo 12:42, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

bankrupcy

My friends husband passed away not leaving a will. He owned a small newspaper that the attorney turned control over to my friend on a temporary basis until it is settled in surrogate court. In the meantime the business is going bankrupt, who is responsible for any of the debt for the business, my friend or his estate? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.142.130.31 (talk) 13:16, 31 December 2006 (UTC).

This is a legal question for an unknown state or country, so we really can't help you, other than to point to the article on probate. --Zeizmic 13:46, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

According to WHOIS, the above poster is from City: Germantown, MD, 20876, US. OF course this could just be where their ISP is based--71.247.246.54 21:42, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

It depends in part on how the business was incorporated, and in what way the business was 'turned over' to the friend. Anchoress 21:45, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

Clock face positions

I would like to know what it is called when people give positions of objects relative to something else, I don't know if it is themselves, using the numbers on a clockface. An example is in 24 day 2 when Nina spots for Jack and says things like, "Your eleven o'clock, 90 meters" etc. Also is there an article about it? Algebra man 15:52, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

This is an example of relative direction, but using clock face directions. I haven't found an article about it. I'd think it would be in Category:Orientation. -- Rick Block (talk) 18:00, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Interestingly, the term "your six", as in, "I'm your six", has come to mean being somebody's backup, just like "I've got your back", from air battles when one plane flies directly behind another one to protect the one in front from attacks from behind. User:Zoe|(talk) 19:47, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't think that it has a specific name, once somebody explains it to you its very hard to forget. If you wear a watch look at it, all will become clear; 9 o'clock is your exact left and 3 you exact right and so on, this creates very accurate directions for somebody when you are telling them the direction in which they should look, you say "[your] ten o'clock" so that they know what you mean and where to look as quickly as possible. Using your own ten o'clock when talking to somebody will only create confusion.AMX 18:09, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

It's called the "clock method" or "clock face method" and it is frequently used to tell blind people where their food is on a plate. -THB 23:24, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

Is it? how do you explain the concept of a clock and the location of the numbers to somebody who has never seen one before? Braile?AMX 17:54, 3 January 2006 (UTC)

What, no one answered this? You give them a clock where the hands and numbers are uncovered (and where the markings can be felt). --Anon, January 5, 18:38 (UTC).

note in colloquial usage 'on your six' simply means right behind you, it can also mean, in dogfighting an enemy plane directly behind you in optimal position to use its cannons. I'm not sure exactly what you're asking, but to give directions in clock-face, simple put 12:00 directly in front of the subject in question, 3:00 to their right, 6:00 to their rear and 9:00 to their left. Thus 11:00 would be left-foreward (a 30* angle left from center) and so on. Hope that helps Wintermut3 05:26, 6 January 2006 (UTC)

Old Family Videos to DVD

I was recently cleaning out the basement when I came along some old family videos. I'd really like to burn them onto a DVD, but I'm not sure how. I know there's probably a way to get the videos (on VHS) onto my computer, and from there I know I could burn them onto a DVD. But, I don't know what kind of equipment I would need to do that. Besides getting them on the computer, are there alternatives to getting them onto a DVD? If anyone could point me in the right direction or help me with what sort of equipment I would need I would appreciate it. Thanks for the help. --71.117.40.40 18:56, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

To do it on a computer, you would need a DVD Burner, and either a Capture Card (which pulls both audio and video at once) or a graphics card with a video-in port, and a sound card with a line-in port. You would plug your VCR in to the computer, and and use one of several programs that can then capture it, and convert it to MPEG-2 to burn to DVD, (The capture card may even come with bundled software to do so). Video Help is an excellent resource to help if you decide to go this route. If you would like an easier all-in-one solution, you could buy a set-top DVD recorder, you would just plug the output of a VCR (if possible, to improve video quality, try to use Composite(RCA) or even better, S-Video, instead of Coaxial) into the input of the recorder, and go to town, but the recorders can be expensive, to the point where it may be cheaper to just find a company in the area that offers the service. Cyraan 19:25, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Some modern camcorders can turn external video signals into digital video. And I disagree that modern DVD burners are expensive, but the nuisance factor of getting it all done may still convince you to use a commercial service. On a Macintosh, iDVD makes it all pretty easy, though.

Atlant 14:55, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, should have been more clear, I meant the set-top recorders can be expensive, DVD burners for PCs are indeed very cheap nowadays. Cyraan 17:39, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

Do Black US males actually talk like this?

I just saw Boyz n the Hood - I had never seen it before. Though I am British and found much of the spoken script difficult to follow, it was an easy enough storyline to follow, indeed very powerful. But my question is (and I know the film was made about 15 years or so ago), do Black males in LA or anywhere else in the States actually talk like the characters did in the film? Do they call each other, Bitch, Whore and Nigger - the last of these being actually used by a Black Patrolman more than once? Do they actually say, "What's up?" and "Who dis?" when answering the telephone. And as an aside, how can it be possible (as portrayed) for anyone to get hold of an AK47 and enough ammunition to make LA look like an everyday scene in Iraq? I have travelled reasonably frequently to the USA - East and West, as a tourist, but have never personally seen or heard anything like the behaviour or insulting, threatening and self-deprecating language used in the film. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.242.119 (talk) 19:23, 31 December 2006 (UTC).

Bitch, Nigger, and Nigga discuss those words usages (whore doesn't). Perhaps you have never seen this video of a bank robbery with automatic weapons. It is possible, does occur, but Hollywood is generally prone to "dramatic" exaggeration. Rmhermen 19:37, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Some do, perhaps even the majority in the US. --Proficient 19:34, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Indeed, there are people who talk like that all the time, though I wouldn't say its the majority, at least around here, though maybe in some other places. I actually have black friends who abhor what the BET age has done to their peers. As for getting an AK-47/lots of ammo, while its of course possible to obtain one illegally, its definitely not as easy as just stopping by the local Gun Shop, you may be able to get a semi-automatic replica there with the right permits (California has fairly strict controls though, so I cant say for sure). There have, however, been cases of resourceful criminals wreaking havoc with them. Cyraan 19:47, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Swap out whore, insert Ho, and check out the recent Snoop Dogg single Vato, in which Nigger is repeated eight times in the chorus.Wolfgangus 19:50, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Regarding the LA African-American's represented in the film, I would suggest it is pretty realistic. Sociolects can be remarkably complex (see here for an example) and that one draws from many sources, including African American Vernacular English. Its also presuasive, consider the ubiquity of the word nigga (as opposed to nigger) in US culture these days. (Incidently, an extremely middle class African American friend of mine from LA always greets me with a "Whats up!", actually its usually "What up!", and he will often add an ironic "nigga" for good measure) I don't know where you are from in the UK, but expect you have been exposed to Geordies or Glaswegians speaking in in equally complex liguistic dialects. It would be incorrect to assume that all black males from LA speak like that of course (just as all white male Glaswegians do not speak like Rab C. Nesbitt), but some certainly do. I couldn't comment on the source of weaponry, but news reports like this would seem to suggest there are AK47s in the less touristy parts of southern California. Rockpocket 19:56, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Furthermore, the language isn't limited to African Americans or urbanites. The Wigger is one example.Wolfgangus 20:05, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

By the way, the story featured in Rmhermen's video reference is from the North Hollywood shootout. Frightening stuff, and hardly the norm.Wolfgangus 20:16, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

You can't generalize about all black males in the United States. However, I think that the speech style you describe is common in some urban areas. This speech style would occur mainly in the urban districts where African Americans are concentrated and are the dominant ethnic group. These are not usually the neighborhoods that foreign tourists frequent. Also, many individuals who use this speech style with peers probably shift to a different, more standard speech style when they are interacting with non-peers, such as white employers or foreign tourists. (See Code-switching.) Re the previous comment, there are young white men who use this speech style, but, except for the few who grew up in an African American environment, I think that it is usually an affected attempt to be "cool". As for AK-47s, there are no doubt individuals in the US who have them, but they are not widely distributed. I'm not sure that black males are any more likely to possess such weapons than white males. Marco polo 20:20, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

True AK-47 are somewhat rare in the U.S. (as ownership of fully automatic weapons is highly restricted) Civilian "cousins" of the AK-47 are more common and can function in an almost automatic fashion with simple modifications. Other automatic weapons like the Mac-10 are also somewhat common. Rmhermen 20:28, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Bear in mind Boyz in the Hood is a 15-year-old movie. People don't fly Concordes anymore, but there's plenty of footage around suggesting they do. The World Trade Center doesn't exist any more, but there's plenty of footage suggesting it does. Vranak 23:31, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Also bear in mind that this film portrays one of the most troubled areas of the nation's second largest city. Writer/director John Singleton grew up in South Los Angeles and wrote the script to this film as his thesis project for the film program at the University of Southern California (which is located at the edge of this district), so it's reasonable to conclude that the dialog is authentic regarding certain members of some very specific neighborhoods. It's no more representative of African-American speech in general than to suppose that everyone in the UK speaks the same English as the queen. When I've heard the cruder parts of that dialect it was mostly from children in late childhood/early adolescence - I was an outsider so adults may have cleaned up their speech in front of me. I wouldn't recommend that experiment to the unwary: to paraphrase Humphrey Bogart from Casablanca There are certain sections of Los Angeles, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade. Some of the organized criminals in this neighborhood do own illegal assault rifles and occasionally use them. Durova^Charge! 09:07, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

Some do. Probably not a majority. -THB 23:21, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

Half Life 2 Impulse 76

While playing through Half-Life 2, I tried to use hte impulse 76 command as I used it in the first one. This command should spawn an enemy soldier at the player's crosshairs. Indeed, when entered, the words "You must now restart to use Grunt-o-matic" appeared. However, when I reloaded the map and entered "impulse 76" again, the console told me that "Attempted to create unknown entity type NPC_human_grunt!" in red letters....and nothing happened. Has anyone managed to get it to work? 68.160.1.125 19:26, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Make sure you have the right command, if I recall the 'spawn' command is now used in Half-Life 2, but Http://www.gamefaqs.com should have a list of console commands if you search for 'half-life 2' Wintermut3 05:27, 6 January 2006 (UTC)

What do OP and OG stand for?

See header, I've seen such terms used across Wikimedia project discussions, and don't know what they mean. For an example of usage, see the ref desk talk page. 86.135.55.231 21:28, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

OP is "original poster". I don't know what OG means, except "Original Gangster". I have also used OQ on the ref desk, for "Original Questioner". User:Zoe|(talk) 21:33, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

I understand your confusion. As Zoe said OP means Original Poster, which as far as I can see has been used more during the last two months than in the last two years. As for OG, I'm still with Zoe. Can you provide a link or two so that we could perhaps figure it out? If we can't then we could go back to the Original User to find out what OG means. --hydnjo talk 23:30, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

In England OG stands for Old Girl (of a school). OK this is no help, but it may be interestingpetitmichel86.216.251.99 15:10, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

Postage stamps

In 'The Office,' the UK version, Ricky Gervais says that postage stamps are legal tender - I don't know if he meant generally or just in England. Is this true? Algebra man 22:53, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Look up Legal tender, and you'll see it isn't true. --Zeizmic 23:08, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

This is an old issue in the US also. In the 1950s and earlier, when amounts of money less than a dollar actually bought something, before checking accounts and metered postage were universal and long before credit cards and Fedex, advertisments in magazines, comics, and sometimes newspapers for small items would sometimes say something like, "Send 50 cents in coins or stamps". Everyone used stamps and so everyone needed them, and occasionally small mail order items could be paid for with stamps. Not in stores though, so not technically "legal tender". alteripse 23:25, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

I've seen shareware developers ask for "stamps" rather than cash payment. However, this was in the 90's, and I know not whether they were asking to build up their stamp collection or the reasons above. --Wooty Woot? contribs 23:54, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like a form of bartering to me. V-Man737 20:52, 2 January 2006 (UTC)