Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 August 20

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name of '70s sci-fi TV series

I can't find any clue about the show because I only have a scetchy memory of it. It may have been made in the 60's or 70's. It was on a ship in space. One of the alien crew members was a shape shifter......I think she became a cat a lot? I saw it on weekend mornings when i was very young. Any help would be great. Thanks! 71.79.17.132 01:40, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

It's probably Space:1999. Anchoress 01:42, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Series Two: Maya wasn't in Series One (which, frankly, was vastly better). That said, it was on the Moon rather than a space-ship, though that's a minor distinction when the Moon is floating around the universe visiting a new planet every week :). Mark Grant 01:46, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Hmmmm I don't think it was space:1999 i came across that when I first started looking. The cast in mine was alot smaller. I think it didn't have much of a budget.....you always heard the battles but never saw them. They were always trying to keep enemies off the ship....

Well, Space 1999 was a British series, meaning it had about the same budget as a bum has in his tin can. :-) StuRat 05:05, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I do have vague memories of another space show with a character who changed shape, but can't remember what it might be. As mentioned below, Red Dwarf may another possibility, but it was decades later and the character was permanently a cat/man, not a shape-changer. Presumably it was live-action and not animated? The latter would open up a lot more possibilities. Mark Grant 12:55, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had such a character, Odo, but was also decades too late. StuRat 14:37, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Red dwarf had a character who had evolved from a cat, and someone else who was a hologram, but that was 80's or 90's. There is also Blake's 7 which was too cheaply made (£60000 budget per episode) even for me to watch. The Blake's 7 article mentions Battlestar Galactica. Try also Category:Science fiction television series, although I cannot get the link to work. 62.253.44.146 09:00, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Category:Science fiction television series. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 09:45, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

RV industry

does anybody know why there is such a large RV industry in the south bend-elkhart area in northern Indiana

Probably about the same as how cars started to be made in the Detroit area. One company started making RVs there, then that made it in the interest of other RV companies to locate there, since the infrastructure of suppliers, dealers, etc. was already in place, and a regular supply of customers was showing up there looking for RVs. StuRat 19:46, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Who is the largest employer in the U.S.

Who is the largest employer in the U.S? I would think its the federal goverment

Undoubtedly, if you take the federal government as a unified entity. The biggest private employer is probably Wal-Mart. --Robert Merkel 05:47, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Some sources list United States Department of Defense, Wal-Mart, United States Postal Service as top three. here is a global list that doesn't include government institutions. Weregerbil 10:05, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Wal-mart is an answer that is common. That might not be it though. --Proficient 22:57, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I heard Citigroup is pretty big, but apparently there more profitable than populous.--Porsche997SBS 00:45, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

Architectural Model Building

Hi,

I've decided to make a model of a house out of balsa wood. It will be a weatherboard house, and I am wondering what is the best way to join the pieces of wood. I would like it to look as detailed and precise as possible (with stumps, joists, studs, etc.). I have studied up on the construction of a real house, as well as talked to an architect. I have already done the planning required to start and it will probably be on a piece of chipboard which is 500x500mm.

Thanks.

Ronald

At that scale I would think you would need to use glue. StuRat 19:40, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

A model of a house would not normally show the interior construction of a wall, with studs, rafters, joists, unless you propose to build a cutaway model. Even then, you would not build the whole house exactly like a real house, just the exposed section. And what kind of house construction uses "stumps?"Edison 19:47, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Well, weatherboard houses generally do not have a foundation of solid concrete, rather, they are elevated from the ground using stumps. The stumps can be either timber or contrete. And yes, I was thinking of starting from one corner, with that fully finished, and then as I move away from the corner, it is less 'finished'. I will do my best to show all the components involved in the contruction of a real house. It will be similar to what university students need to do to gain their degree in Architecture (in Australia at least). And glue seems to be the best thing to use really, but i would like to see if there is any other methods.

Ronaldh 10:11, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

I asked someone who recently received an architecture degree and built numerous models. Recommendations: They prefer thin basswood for the type of model you propose. It comes in all thicknesses as well as long thin square pieces. To cut it, you could use an Exacto knife or a utility knife, but an Olfa knife is preferred. To stick it together, Sobo glue is recommended. Make a small pool of the glue, then use a tiny scrap of the basswood or chipboard to apply a thin line of glue. It will be tacky, allowing you time to adjust. Hot glue is not recommended: too little adjustment time. White glue (Elmer's) is not recommended: does not become tacky quickly enough. Some use Gorilla Glue. Cyanoacrylate (Crazy Glue)is likely to stain the wood dark, and so is not recommended, but it gives considerable strength as for building bridges in physics class contests. If you want to show the overall form but also the interior construction of joists, rafters, etc, you might build a "half model" if it is symmetric, so the cutaway part reveals the structure. Allow lots of time and probably more than one version to get it right. By "stumps" do you refer to a foundation, or is a house on posts like in the Louisiana bayou? Edison 18:58, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

Guitar question.

I saw an ad in a local trading post for a cheap used guitar. I'd like to grab one, just to mess around with (I can't play and aren't interested in seriously learning). Can anyone tell me if this guitar has everything I need to use it (so I don't have to buy any extra amps/equipment/etc), if it's a decent guitar, and if I can listen to it on headphones (you know, so I can hear the guitar normally but noone else can)? It reads Electric guitar, session stage series, stratocastor style solid body with 3 pickups. Includes tuner, $50. Thanks!

You will need amplification, because the guitar pickup is not powerful enough to make any sound in the headphones. You might buy a cable to go from the guitar to the "aux" input of your stereo, then you could play it over the loudspeakers, or use your headphones. I also seriously doubt that somebody in their right mind would sell a decent guitar for USD 50. --N·Blue ^talk 12:38, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

AUD 50, which is USD 37.

Actually you don't need an amp to play an electric guitar, they make a fair bit of sound on their own. For a performance or something, though, you'd naturally need one. digfarenough (talk) 17:10, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I'd just be using it in my bedroom, so I wouldn't need it to make much noise. I'd like to confine all sound to my headphones if possible, though.

A solid body without amplification doesn't quite produce enough sound unless you're in a very quiet room and are only interrested in practising for 'the real thing' (which obviously isn't the case). Playing over a hifi sounds dodgy to me. I'm not sure, but I think it might ruin the amp and/or the speakers because of the wide range of sounds and volumes an eletric guitar produces.

The 'clean' sound of an electric guitar is slightly boring (though many would disagree). So you might want to invest in some effects too, especially if you want to sound like a specific guitar player. But there are loads of effects and deciding which one(s) to buy is difficult. A cheap way to produce distortion (one of the most popular effects) is to do the real thing - buy a crappy, low-power, overused combo (amp + speaker) and crank it way up (I say low-power for the well-being of your neighbours). Don't expect it to live for much longer, though. Then again, the effect might improve and reach perfection just before it dies. :) DirkvdM 19:22, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I really echo DirkvdM's caution about mixing your guitar directly into your stereo. Even on low volume, you could damage your speakers. It's fine to go the other way, though. :-) Oh yeah!!!! Anchoress 22:10, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, Dirk and Ancoress, but your responses clearly show that you have never actually tried to do this. I have, and it certainly is possible, although the signal from the single coil guitar pickup that you would find on a strat style guitar is so weak that you have to turn the amp up quite loud to get much sound. See [1] for further confirmation. Dirk is quite right, however, in stating that the sound will be flat and uninteresting. A good solution is to buy a "virtual amplifier" such as this one which I use. You plug both the guitar and the headphones into the box, and get beautiful sound (provided, of course, that you put a little more than AUD 50 into the guitar). --N·Blue ^talk 21:23, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Tacky Duck Tape

I put some out-of-date duck tape on a boat gel coat surface, and when I peeled it off, the tacky part of the tape remained. Is there any product that will remove it without damaging the gel coat? Thank you!

Poor duck! Did you tape it to your boat? Or are you talking about 'duct tape'? In these parts that is called gaffer tape, but the real stuff that gaffers use shouldn't leave any 'tacky stuff' (it's actually designed for that purpose), so I suppose you got the cheap stuff. I know thge best stuff to remove glue is turpentine, but I don't know what that would do to the surface. Another trick is to use more gaffer tape (the real thing preferably this time), put that on it and peel it off again. repeating this several times should at least get rid of some of the stuff. DirkvdM 19:29, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

My apologies. It seems that gaffer tape is not the same as duct tape and that the latter was originally called 'duck tape', so I was wrong to make fun of you. You may wrongfully make fun of me now. DirkvdM 19:33, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

There is a brand of duct tape which is indeed called Duck Tape, to take advantage of the common misnomer. StuRat 19:35, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Except it isn't a misnomer - see the article. Rmhermen 20:38, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I thought it was called duct tape for taping up ducts.--Light current 20:38, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Turps is a great solvent to use which will work well, however it may remove the gel coat at the same time. Have u considered nail polish remover (or acetone), which I use at work for removing adhesive residues from painted walls --russ 21:52, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

I ended up using WD-40 and it worked great! Even the ducks liked it! -- Mugogo 17:41, 25 August (UTC)

Buy a squash racket in NYC (preferably Manhattan)

Hi! I'm looking to buy a squash racket in NYC, preferably in Manhattan. Any recommendations on where to go for a reasonably priced racket? Thanks!

Did you check out Paragon Sports near Union Square? --Nelson Ricardo 00:35, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the suggestion - I did, but I ended up buying from Sport Authority (on 3rd between 51 and 52)!

Gamecube memory card

I recently and accidentally overwrote all my game data for Super Smash Bros. Melee,so I lost every trophy and unlockable I had. I had spent months on getting the 260 trophies that I had. Is there any possible way to restore the data to the memory card? -- TheGreatLlama ^{(speak to the Llama!)} 15:34, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Unfortunately, no. However, you can copy a friend's file or download 100% Completed saves from GameFAQs to get your unlocked characters back.

Well, I'm probably going to get an Action Replay in a week or so, anyway.I know there's a code for unlocking every trophy, but are there codes for unlocking individual trophies so I don't get the 30 that I hadn't gotten yet? -- TheGreatLlama ^{(speak to the Llama!)} 21:44, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Where can I download videos of people completing popular RPGs?

I've heard from various people that DVDs exist depicting people completing popular RPGs like Final Fantasy X, cutscenes intact. I'd be interested in downloading some of these (not speedruns, which don't include cutscenes). Where could I find them? I'm mostly interested in Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy IX, Xenosaga and Silent Hill.

I've seen similar things on Google Video and YouTube... Or try a newsgroup (do those things still exist?) devoted to RPGs or FF, etc. Sorry if this is obvious. --zenohockey 02:34, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

nacho libre soundrack

Where can I find the song I am by a band called mr. loco, and i want the song not to have a virus with it?

Amazon.com or iTunes? Rockpocket 19:15, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Culture Shock

Yesterday I visited a WalMart in New England which has a gun shop. I was spechless to see them placing live ammunition on the shelf. I opened a box and took a buckshot shotgun shell from it and no one asked me to put it back. What's wrong with these people? Don't they know there are kids running around in the WalMart? Don't they know people with a hammer could easily detonate a whole box of bullets? -- Toytoy 20:13, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

free will and freedom of choice are held in very high regard in these areas. Wjlkgnsfb 20:49, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

What is the question?--Light current 22:05, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I think the questions are the sentences that end with question marks. Sure, a hammer could detonate the bullets, but that's far from the only dangerous combination of items that you'll find in a Wal*Mart. I do hope you put the shotgun shell back, because asking "What's wrong with these people?" after saying you stole ammunition would be pretty ironic :) digfarenough (talk) 22:52, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Ever heard of rhetorical questions? THats what those were.8-|--Light current 23:13, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I actually found ammo on the same shelf with children's toys, right at ground level, at a K-mart. I complained, and they told me they had no intention of changing anything. I picture a kid shoplifting some ammo, thinking it's some kind of toy, then detonating it with a hammer or rock. There really should be laws saying ammo must be locked up at all times. That K-mart is now out of business, as are many others. Perhaps it had something to do with their careless attitude. StuRat 04:21, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Didn't K-Mart stop selling ammunition after that sequence in Bowling for Columbine when Michael Moore took the kid in a wheelchair to their head office? --Richardrj 06:17, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

If so, I'd assume it was just until the press stopped paying attention. They did something similar after 9-11. StuRat 06:29, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

How dangerous is it to detonate a loose bullet by hitting it? In a gun it gets accelerated because the explosion can only go one way. Outside a gun it would be like detonating a firecracker. How much gunpowder is there in there? What size fire cracker would it correspond to? (There;s a real question for you, light current :) ). DirkvdM 06:52, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Why me. What've I done? No . dont tell me! We dont have guns over here so I couldnt even guess!

You were complaining there wasn't an actual question here. DirkvdM 17:33, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

I want complaining. I was asking what the real question was.--Light current 17:56, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

I looked this all up. The biggest danger from handling loose ammunition is from the lead compounds that coat everything. In a fire, they just pop and can't penetrate anything. If you made a point (ha, ha) of firing one right beside your head, you would get serious eye injuries. In Canada, ammunition has to be signed out. --Zeizmic 12:53, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Different types of bullets have different amounts of gunpowder. This is one of the reasons that certain types of bullets have more penetrating power than others. The higher the amount of gunpowder ("grain") the more often you have to clean your gun, if I recall. The best part about going to a shooting range in the United States is that they make you sign a waiver attesting to your mental health. --Fastfission 13:30, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Yeah! OK. And if you were loopy, yould admit it, right?--Light current 17:10, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

No, you wouldn't, that's how they recognise you. Just like all the nutters in the institutions have acknowledge they're nutters to get out, you have to declare you're a looney to actually get into a shooting range. DirkvdM 17:33, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

The problem here would be that the people who are selling guns and amunition baltanly dont care about human life, or they would not be selling these things in the first place, and please, i dont need a Rifle association Yankee trying to justify a semi-automatic assault rifle with night vision scope and silencer for hunting.193.115.175.247 14:16, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

That's right, we need to legalize thermonuclear weapons for hunting. Why should I be happy with killing one animal at a time when I can get a million with one bomb ? Let's get legalized nukes on the NRA agenda at the next meeting ! :-) StuRat 17:42, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

I fear this is getting a bit serious and off topic. See NRA--Light current 17:58, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

I really think my question is a good one. I mean, in the U.S., you can't leave a kid alone in a car for even one minute. You have to use a paper bag to conceal your liqueur botttle. You have to stop your car if a school bus on the other side of the road stops. You can't ask your kid to buy cigarette for you. You have to post a minimum wage poster in your office so every employee can see it. If you abuse drugs in a school zone, you're under increased penalty. ... And then you are allowed to display live ammunition on an open shelf while kids are running around nearby? Is there a law that immunes gun dealers from most tort lawsuits? -- Toytoy 23:50, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Lost Location

I am looking for a location in Arizona concerning the name Maggie or Maggi or Magi, this could be the old name of a towne, a indian tribe, or someone who was very important in that the Arizona area. My searches have lead me no where and I could really use some help so please let me know if you can find anything on the subject.

Maggie Canyon? There's also a Maggie Dam, Maggie May Spring, Maggie Mine, Maggie Wash (a stream)... digfarenough (talk) 23:07, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Spinning things on the tops of buses(!)

On a lot of buses and vans, I've noticed these strange spinning things. They are slightly larger in diameter than an outstretched palm, and appear to be driven by air movement, as they slow down when the bus stops. I can't find any images of them on Commons (perhaps it's just a British thing), but there's an image of one quite clearly here; it's the strange protusion with a black square on it towards the rear of the bus. What the heck are they? smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 21:14, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Ventilators! (or possibly air speed indicators when the vehicle takes to the air 8-))--Light current 21:20, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

That's not a very helpful link. ;) Henry^Flower 22:31, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I know. We obviously need a page on other sirts of ventliation!--Light current 22:48, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

They are wind-driven or turbine ventilators. I always thought they were a scam, but I did an extensive search and couldn't really find any authoritative. Some new designs have the advantage of not allowing rain penetration under high winds. They have a tendency to start squeaking after a few years. --Zeizmic 23:53, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I dont mind the squeaking, I do mind the gut churning, joint dislocating ride we get on our local buses (51/53). Im sure SMurray will attest to that. --Light current 00:12, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

kissing bugs habitat

hi, i was on you site looking for where the kissing bug is found in the world,but i cant seem to find it on the web page about kissing bugs.I live in Australia and was wondering if we have the kissing bug here?

thanks amelia

Do you mean ladybird?--Light current 22:15, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

On no you mean this one dont you? [2]--Light current 22:18, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

The name "kissing bug" is given to some members of the family of insects called Reduviidae. That article doesn't say where they live, but googling for "Reduviidae Australia" finds stuff like this, which says there are 30 genera (kinds, roughly) of insects from that family native to Australia. Also our Triatominae article (the Triatominae are a subgroup of the Reduviidae) says that some live in Australia. If you're particularly concerned about Chagas disease, a disease carried by kissing bugs, it seems to occur only in the americas. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:21, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

SANZAR contact details

Hi, i used wikipedia to find the contact number for SANZAR, the controlling body of the super14 rugby competition. I was unable to find any contact numbers or email addresses. If you could assist me in any way it would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks Philip Bakos

Have you checked out Super 14?--Light current 22:50, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

That article doesn't appear to contain contact information. The three unions linked to on SANZAR all have links to their official sites, though. You can most likely just contact one of the three. digfarenough (talk) 22:55, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Faking one's own death

There's loads of conspiracy theories about anyone from Elvis Presley to Bruce Lee to Andy Kaufmann faking their own deaths so that they can live in peace/return some day, but has anyone actually faked their own death and gone on to live a new life? If so, were any of them particularly notable for any other reason? Sum0 23:34, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Reginald Perrin 8-)--Light current 23:43, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Heheh, that was the first one I thought of, though it did lead me to John Stonehouse... Sum0 23:44, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes I was just going to add him but we had an edit conflict. Anyway you got it now.--Light current 23:46, 20 August 2006 (UTC)