Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 March 14

Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

March 14

quick-to-discipline

I wonder if somebody could tell me what does "quick-to-discipline" mean. Like in the sentense: She told me about her father's quick-to-discipline attitude.61.60.242.186 15:07, 14 March 2007 (UTC)Jenny

I believe it means that someone is, typically, prone to see discipline (i.e. punishment) as one of the first (if not the first) option available when confronted with conflict. Possible synonymic phrases here might include anything from "shoots first, asks questions later" to "possessed of a short fuse" to "not one to listen to excuses" to "interested in fast results, not an eventual path to truth and clarity" to "a firm and ready believer in corporal punishment", etc. Jfarber 16:01, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Heat Wave

A heat wave may come early this year. 65.173.105.125 02:27, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Is this a question? Jfarber 02:48, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

That's what I am wondering. See Wikipedia:Reference desk/Language#Language without questions − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 04:48, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Martha and the Vandellas? Clarityfiend 03:18, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Maybe in Detroit, where Martha Reeves is a city councillor. --Charlene 07:01, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

I believe the answer is: "Maybe". V-Man - ^T/_C 00:34, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Do you mean in Antartica? Nil Einne 15:30, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

The Matrix Religion

Is there really a religion based on the movie The Matrix? 206.188.61.43 02:52, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Apparently not according to Wikipedia - Matrixism has been deleted and salted. Clarityfiend 03:21, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

See here. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 03:34, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

National Public Radio (ATC, I think) spoke about this the other day, but I wasn't paying close attention; IIRC, for the religion they were discussing, the religion's philosophy resembles the philosophy of The Matrix but isn't based upon it. And the fact that an article in Wikipedia keeps getting deleted of course proves nothing except that the people who vote for deletion haven't heard about it or it offends their world-view.

Christian Science embodies some of these same ideas (that what we perceive as the objective reality isn't).

Atlant 12:19, 14 March 2007 (UTC) (revised 12:54, 14 March 2007 (UTC))

Or consider it not notable... 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 12:52, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

<edit conflict> Tweaking that, the only thing it proves is that it's not been demonstrated to be notable. There are tons of Keep opinions at AFD every day for things people haven't heard of etc If someone finds a reliable source or two that talks about Matrixism, I would expect the article to be unsalted. --Dweller 12:59, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, okay. As I said, that often means a fifteen-year-old hasn't heard of it.

Atlant 12:54, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

That's unfair on AfD. --Dweller 12:59, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Unfair or not, it's often what happens here.

Atlant 16:30, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Doesn't NPR coverage by definition lend substance to an argument for notability? A few more of those, and I'd suggest that article would be much more defensible & worth revisiting. Jfarber 14:29, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

A religion that resembles the matrix is not the same and a religion based on the matrix. For example the view of the mutakallemim mentioned in the Guide for the Perplexed (near the end of part one) is similar to the matrix in that they quantize space and time and believed natural science to be directly dependent on God. Just replace "computer" for "God" and that is the Matrix. Jon513 15:01, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Here are some reliable and verifiable references to the Matrixism religion;

Bouma, Gary (2007). Australian Soul, Cambridge University Press. ISBN-13 978-0521673891

Kohn, Rachael. The Spirit of Things, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio National, August 20, 2006.

Possamai, Adam (2005). In Search of New Age Spiritualities, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN-13 978-0754652137

Morris, Linda. They're All God Movies in Mysterious Ways, The Sydney Morning Herald, May 19, 2005.

Jordison, Sam (2005). The Joy of Sects, Robson Books. ISBN 1861059051 206.124.144.3 08:46, 17 March 2007 (UTC)

Are these references to a religion CALLED "Matrixism" by its adherents? Or to a belief structure that is consistent with that utilized in The Matrix? Because, as noted above, such beliefs certainly exist, both in part and almost entirely in whole, in other viewpoints and belief structures that predate the movie. Unless these sources commodify a religion CALLED "Martixism", and entirely based ON the movie premise, AFAIK it's not going to clear the "notability" baseline for new articles. Jfarber 14:45, 17 March 2007 (UTC)

All of the sources above refer to the same religion (Matrixism) specifically. 206.124.144.3 00:21, 18 March 2007 (UTC)

Fun times, for the usual ref desk addicts

Medical question

I would like to know how to deal with the stress induced by not receiving legal aid (from those "we-don't-offer-legal-advice" Wikipedians) for the lawsuit addressed in the legal question below. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 05:17, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

I recommend Hot stone massage -- my wife swears by it as the ideal stress-reducer, and (as a bonus) recommending it does not break policy standards, as it is non-medical. Jfarber 14:31, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Legal question

I would like some legal advice for suing Wikipedia in the case that (due to untreated stress from those "go-ask-your-doctor" Wikipedians) I am severely incapacitated from the above-mentioned medical problem. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 05:17, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

You should ask someone like Gregory R. Kauffman, M.D., J.D. I hear he specializes in defending/diagnosing smart asses... Rockpocket 05:26, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Well, I never considered my ass that smart… but it could use some defense. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 05:41, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

I'll countersue for this headache I might or might not have. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 05:40, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Those who like this sort of thing will no doubt find this is the sort of thing they like. :) :) JackofOz 05:43, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Falling off a soapbox

TELL ME RIGHT NOW (at nosuchmailbox@lukewarmmail.calm), if I fall off a soapbox while doing homework and sprain some unspecified part of my anatomy, can I sue the doctor who treats me? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Clarityfiend (talk • contribs) 09:42, 14 March 2007 (UTC).

Depending on what type of Doctor you use, this may depend on your soapbox, and how you use it. Jfarber 14:38, 14 March 2007 (UTC) _{(sorry, couldn't resist)}

We cannot give medical advice. Please see a doctor. Also, we cannot give legal advice. Please see a lawyer. Happy? Rfwoolf 11:22, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Why would you want to sue a doctor, sue whoever it was that told you to be on the soapbox :] HS7 13:18, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

If your doctor someone screws up while treating you perhaps altho it depends which country you live. If you live in the US, you can perhaps sue the doctor whether or not he or she screws up but I can't say for sure. Why would you be doing your homework on a soapbox anyway? Are you a politician's child or something? Nil Einne 15:32, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

cannons

I have search up and down the web and can't fin an answer to this question: Cannons, such as those on modern tanks have a buldge about have way on the lenght of the cannon, my question then is: WHAT IS THAT FOR? Thanks John —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 72.130.124.244 (talk) 05:57, 14 March 2007 (UTC).

Such as in this photo? Dismas|^(talk) 07:09, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

• That part of a tank is called a turret and this page suggests it contains a rangefinder for aiming. - Mgm|^(talk) 09:22, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

I know very little about tanks, but I thought that the turret was the whole part on top of the tank that has the barrel attached to it, and might contain rangefinding equipment among other things, either internally or externally as in that link? However, what the John is asking about is a bulge halfway along the barrel, which he says is found on many (if not all) modern tanks, unlike the external rangefinder in the link you gave. My guess is that the bulge has to do with strength, preventing the internal forces from splitting the barrel, but that is a complete guess. Let's hope a tank expert come along... Skittle 22:11, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Hmm, looks like we really do need a tank expert. I've looked in M1 Abrams and can't see anything there, or in the articles it links, but there could be something I've missed. It looks like it's an actually bulge, internally as well as externally, rather than simply an extra layer outside, as I'd initially thought. But that could be an illusion. Looking at other tanks in the past, early pictures don't seem to have a bulge, and some other tanks seem to have a bulge further along, even right at the end of, the barrel of the cannon. Looks like a really good question! Skittle 22:19, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

According to [1](look out for popups) "The turret is also angular in appearance, with the main gun mounted in an exposed mantlet in the center of the turret face. The M68 rifled cannon is equipped with a metal thermal shroud, a bore gas evacuator located two-thirds of the way down on the barrel, and is equipped with a Muzzle Reference System collimator on the muzzle itself." So we may be looking at a bore gas evacuator, if I'm reading this right. And according to Wikipedia, I may be! Enjoy Bore evacuator! (I <3 the internet) :-D Skittle 22:26, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Ladders

Why don't step ladders have steps on both sides of the ladder? All the folding ladders that I've seen have steps on one side and then a couple of crosspieces that look rather flimsy and appear to be just there to keep that side's legs together. Is it some sort of legal issue due to the company not wanting two people climbing at the same time and maxing out the weight limit? Dismas|^(talk) 10:29, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

I believe I have seen some step ladders that have steps on both sides. Also, step-ladders has 2 functions, the one being that it can be 'opened up' anywhere on any flat surface, and the other is that when it's 'closed' you can lean it against a wall or other vertical surface. Having steps on both sides--if they jut out--would maybe make that harder.Rfwoolf 11:24, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Generally speaking, two people can't work together on a single folding stepladder; they'd crash into each other. So given that only one person at a time can work on the ladder, it's a cost- and weight-saving step to only manufacture large steps for one side of the ladder and simply make smaller, lighter bracing rungs for the other side of the ladder. It also allows the simple mounting of the paint tray on the non-climbing side of the ladder. But yes, a few ladder designs do have steps on both sides, especially those ladders that can fold several ways and become a single, straight ladder.

Atlant 12:25, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

you certainly get steps both sides http://www.proladder.com/images/ebay/17fiberglassstep.jpg meltBanana 15:06, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Hmm... Thanks! Dismas|^(talk) 20:12, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Birthdays

How would one go about getting a blowjob on his birthday? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.144.161.223 (talk) 10:45, 14 March 2007 (UTC).

One blow job is to blow out the candles on the cake. Rfwoolf 11:27, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

And that's a really tough blowing job! When you get older, have them just put in one candle per decade! --Zeizmic 12:31, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

thanks but what if you have no cake, no candles, no presents, and all you want is a blowjob?

hire a hooker, you skeeze. Lovablebeautyme 12:37, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

It would be harder if you don't have a significant other... 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 12:57, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

That depends on who their SO is and if they live near a red light district. Maybe their SO is conseratively religious and the only place they can afford to live is next to a brothel. Dismas|^(talk) 13:00, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Okay so option one is out of the question it seems, but no one bothered to say happy birthday. Well thanks alot guys.

If you were interested in learning about how to get such a present on such short notice, you should have said so -- it might have affected which types of options we recommend (for example, flying a legal prostitute in from Holland is now not a likely option, unless you're already there.) _{Oh, and let me be the first to say: Happy Birthday, but I really don't like you in that way, and I don't see our relationship growing in that direction any time soon...} Jfarber 15:56, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Oh, well, hope you can have a birthday as happy it's possible, bj or not... 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 18:00, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

How old are you now? I don't mean to be rude, but you may find as you get older that most people answer the questions that are asked rather then trying to infer potential meanings and motives from questions amd that people don't tend to wish happy birthday to you if they don't know you. BTW, if you're very flexible you may be able to give a blowjob to yourself Nil Einne 15:37, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Not trying to be rude, that was... =S Anyway, autofellatio is rather difficult to acchieve (although not as difficult as autocunnilingus)... 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 19:08, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Bg.Wikipedia

on the Bulgarian Wikipedia there is something weird going on in the logo! what's up with that? what is this... thing intended to represent? are there any other wikipedias with special logos? (i'm asking here since my question is neither about the editing of wikipedia nor technical problems, but if this is the wrong place then feel free to redirect me.) Thanks --Lovablebeautyme 12:29, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

It's some kind of "yarn doll". Don't know the English name. Apparently there is or have been several examples of special logos, found several searching the Commons, earlier.

Edit: Found some links googling "yarn doll": [2] [3], [4] (for better looks on the basic design). The doll also seems to have a tuft connected with some string, possibly for putting it up in the window for decoration or similar. (Used to have one myself, though it's a rather untangled mess by now...) 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 12:56, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Pizho and Penda meltBanana 15:00, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Whoopsie, hopefully Penda won't be offended by me calling her a "tuft". Anyway, it's a symbol of the coming spring, that explains it... 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 18:03, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

cell phone advertising

AHello,

A service justcame out that allows you to pay your cell phone bill by watich ing advertising. Does anyone know the name o f iths serviec? I can't remamber it for the life of mea. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 128.61.53.21 (talk) 13:08, 14 March 2007 (UTC).

I heard about one example where you were paid for listening to advertisements before you received or made a phone call. Sounded extremely frustrating to me... 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 14:33, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

I can understand having to listen to an advert before making a call - but before you RECEIVE one?!? That's gonna be an enormous pain to people who are calling you! ...Escpecially because they are the ones paying for it! SteveBaker 06:13, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Hmmm, I might be wrong, though... 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 11:14, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Secretary vs. Admin Asst

What is the difference between a secretary and admin. asst? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.195.47.38 (talk) 14:35, 14 March 2007 (UTC).

The former is an older term, now supplanted by the latter. The fact that Administrative Assistant redirects TO the entry for Secretary -- suggests that there is little-to-no difference in current usage of the terms; the article itself implies that the change in name/usage over time from S to AA reflects both a gender association with the term "Secretary" and an acknowledgement that the responsibilities of the position have evolved as well. Jfarber 14:52, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

AA may redirect to secretary, but they are not completely synonymous. At least in my working life, the word Admin Asst. is the umbrella description for a variety of positions including secretary, office clerk, filing clerk, sometimes data entry clerk, sometimes document manager, general office assistant, and others. Anchoress 15:02, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

No argument here; that sounds both right and consistent with (though clearer than) the hedging language I tried to use in my original comment.

One MAJOR caveat, however: in all work environments I've encountered through the US, even in cases where one's work today is the same as what would traditionally have been called Secretary, this term is often heard by office managers, administrative assistants, and other types of modern workers as offensive, while terms like document manager and office manager do not hold such bias (and often exist as discrete job titles in institutions which have Administrative Assistants as well). The word clerk, of course, is a long-time anachronism in most of US culture, with the exception of legal and governmental organizations. For these reasons and more, despite the fact that some organizations may or may not still use the term, I would avoid use of the term Secretary (in the US, at least) unless invited specifically to do otherwise. Jfarber 15:51, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

But in the British Civil Service, the Grade of AA or Administration Assistant is the first rung on the ladder, followed by, in seniority, Administration Officer, Executive Officer, Higher Executive Officer, Senior Executive Officer, Principal (Grade 7), Senior Principal (Grade 6), Assistant Secretary (Grade 5), Grade 4, Under Secretary of State (Grade 3), Deputy Secretary (Grade 2), and Permanent Secretary (Grade 1). I once had a friend who was the personal secretary to the private secretary of the permanent secretary and she was assisted by several Administration Assistants, so I guess once again, we in the UK do things differently than our US cousins over the water. CasualWikiUser 16:05, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

AdministratION Assistant and AdministraTIVE assistant do not seem to be the same thing, then -- but then, they're spelled differently, and their abbreviations seem different (I've always been taught to use the abbreviated term Admin Asst. for the latter, as vs. AA, since in the US, AA means Alcoholics Anonymous.)

Still, I don't mean to dismiss CasualWU's response, here. UK/US watchers and wikiheads, please respond: Are the terms nonetheless close enough to need a disambig page, perhaps even instead of the current redirect from Administrative Assistant to Secretary? Jfarber 17:07, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

No, they're quite different these days. A secretary (= admin assistant, typist etc) used to be at or near the bottom of the ladder in terms of prestige and pay. The word is now used mainly to refer to people at the very top of the ladder, eg. Secretary of State in the US, or the Secretary (= head) of a civil/public service agency/department in places like the UK and Australia. I think redirecting Administrative Assistant to Secretary is a tad misleading. JackofOz 03:11, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

That wasn't exactly what I was asking -- the goal was to allow people looking for administraTION assistant not to get accidentally directed to AadministaTIVE assistant -- but I note that CURRENTLY Administrative Assistant DOES redirect to Secretary. If we think it's misleading, should we fix it? Jfarber 14:17, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Article

What is the longest article in Wikipedia? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 199.197.123.198 (talk) 15:20, 14 March 2007 (UTC).

See Special:Longpages for a full list. Lovablebeautyme 16:22, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Damn it! Beat me to it! --Ouro (blah blah) 16:23, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

What a totally nifty list! How oddly diverse! How fascinating which subjects seem to successfully accrue content without needing to be broken down into subtopics... Thanks, folks! Jfarber 17:09, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Yeah - but you have to get an awful long way down that list before you get to an article that's more than just a mindless enumeration of basic facts...nearly all of them are "List of..." - or things that are lists that just don't say that they are. NUmber 35 (Race and intelligence (explanations)) is probably the longest that isn't purely a list - but even that one has a BIG block of list-like stuff at the end. I'd give the prize for longest actual prose article to World War II (54th on the list) - and at 169kbytes it truly ought to be split up. One weird one on that list is Rapid KL buses - which is 159k bytes - but when you bring it up, it looks like a couple of screenfuls?!? But towards the bottom there is a small grey table with a bunch of [show] tags. If you open these up you see that some maniac has typed in every single bus route in the Klang Valley in Malaysia! Quite who they think will go to Wikipedia to look up bus routes in Malaysia is unclear. SteveBaker 02:24, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Then has anyone made a graph of longpages yet? bibliomaniac15 02:51, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

You can't divide WWII up, there's already articles on everything it could be divided into :) And if you want to draw lots of random graphs, noone is going to stop you :] HS7 13:13, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Yeah - we had that problem with Automobile - but in that case, you have to take a deep breath and do some DRASTIC pruning. I tossed out about 60% of the really good content from Automobile - on the grounds that (as you say) there are {{seealso|...}} and {{main|...}} links that the user can follow to get more detail. It was painful though - deleting relevent, referenced, well written, true facts from an article is an emotionally draining thing! You also have to carefully check that whatever you are taking out is actually in the daughter article (and that it's referenced, well written, etc). Also, other editors get very upset when you do that - you don't make many friends! But from the perspective of a reader who just wants an overview of a broad topic, presenting them with a 150kbyte-plus monster article isn't doing them any good. Putting the article on a severe diet is a good plan. WWII needs at least two thirds of it's content to be axed IMHO. SteveBaker 15:19, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Could we create another artice on WWII that is much shorter as well as the existing one, or would that be too confusing

home health care in ohio

I would like to open a home health care agency in columbus ohio. I cannot find what steps I need to take to open up a business69.95.186.8 15:54, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

We cannot give legal advice, and there would be no articles on this topic. (I love that sign!) --Zeizmic 16:10, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

I doubt this appropriate here.. surely basic first steps to setting up a small business is a general enough topic to fall under the caveat at Wikipedia:Legal disclaimer. Seems like it should almost be in article space~ --froth^t 17:43, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Except that home health care agencies have legal requirements that are different from those of other small businesses. Do the requirements differ from city to city? County to county? State to state? If the OP plies his trade in more than one city (and the suburbs of Columbus may very well be separate cities), does that matter? Is a health care agency required to register as a corporation, or can the OP register as a sole proprietor? What kind of licences does he need from the various governmental agencies? Does he need to be bonded? Does he need to register with any other entities (Medicare, Medicaid, the local social services agency), and will any of them inspect him on a regular basis? Etc., etc. --Charlene 13:17, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

However, if you want advice, you might try the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio. Marco polo 16:11, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

number game

i was given 3500_35 or is it 3500_350 what am i looking at,am not sure if its written backwards or sumthin but am told its a code or puzzle or sumthing like a brain yteaser and its pretty obvious,ahat is it —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 212.49.89.150 (talk) 16:29, 14 March 2007 (UTC).

Hi All,

Well urban dictionary has nothing and I can't see anything in google either, so it must be pretty obscure I think. Vespine 23:57, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Those numbers are made of digits that are all of the kind that read as letters when you put them into a calculator and turn it upside down. So for example, if you enter 53507.345, it comes out as "SHE LOSES"...But when you do that with 3500_35 or 3500_350, it reads SE~OOSE or OSE~OOSE - which doesn't make much sense. If you missed out a letter or two then maybe...Dunno - it's hard to do puzzles when you don't have the entire puzzle written out exactly as it originally was. Who knows what sneaky clues were in the description?! SteveBaker 00:25, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

• After much though I've come up with "es oo es" i.e. SOS.Hope that's it.hotclaws**== 09:01, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Finding an adhesive

I am in the UK and am trying to trace the sticky stuff that sticks items to magazines, I dont really know how to explain it other than its like a sticky rubber that you can peel off the magazine or items stuck to it.

I have got as far as covermount glue or covermount adheisive but cannot find any for sale on the internet...

Can sombody help me with a link to a stationers or crafts shop that might have some.

THanks,

David.S

I'm not sure, but I think that you may be looking for hot-melt glue. If so, you can find it here or perhaps here. Marco polo 17:29, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

I dont think its hot melt glue as that hardens when it cools. The stuff you seem to be talking about looks a bit like snot when rolled up yes? I would try to contact the magazine printers or the people who actuall stick the items to the magazines. Just a quick look on google entering 'snot glue' reveals this [5] Also you could look at Rubber cement--SlipperyHippo 17:55, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

You can google 'low tack glue' and come up with something like this [6] I'm sure those glue dots are very snotty! --Zeizmic 00:34, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Yeah but thats just nowhere near snotty enough to do the job IMO

It is a clear 'poly'something, that is used around baths etc. wherever you don't want water ingress. It never really dries and stays plastic (elastic). Your local hardware shop will stock it in tubes.--88.109.116.185 08:21, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Get me outa California!

Heres the situation. i love California. I really do. it is beatiful and the weather is awesome and the people are pretty friendly. the problem is expenses. my family can nolonger live here anymore as we are unable to pay any of our bills. unfortunatley such a beautiful place can not go without a price. I would really love to move to Georgia and my family is set on it. My mother has become so depressed with living wth these prices and we think the whole family stands a better chance ot there. We may be able to make more of ourselves as it is not as expensive as southern Cali. Heres where the problem lies. For the move across contry it will be about 12 thousand dollars. We cant even come up with rent though. Does anyone have any idea how we might be able to survive California or better yet find the money (no loans) to mve there? Please. this is SO important. i just want the best for my family and this is our chance.i know no legal adive is suggested but this s my last hope. I ama high schooler just wanting everything for my family.--Kittycat rox 17:21, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Moving out of California should not be so expensive. I have moved across country for less than $2000. Admittedly I was single at the time, but still there are ways to do it cheaply. About the most expensive way is to rent a U-Haul and fill it with all of your belongings. The most important thing is to sell all of your used furniture to a used furniture dealer. You can buy replacement used furniture at your destination for less than it costs to ship the furniture across country. Then get rid of everything that you do not absolutely need to take with you. If you haven't touched it in over a year, get rid of it unless it has great intrinsic value. Then, when you have narrowed it down to what absolutely must be shipped, use a cheap freight forwarder. I googled Amtrak freight, because Amtrak used to have the lowest shipping rates, and here is what I found. Then, assuming you have a car, drive everybody together in the car across country and wait for your belongings to arrive. If you bring a tent (you can get one fairly cheap from Dick's Sporting Goods) and you do this in summer, you can camp out at night. Your biggest expense would be for your security deposit and first month's rent in Georgia. The fact is that you will probably need to pull together around $4000 for this. You just need to cut all unnecessary expenses and have someone take an extra part-time job for a few months to raise that. Marco polo 17:38, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

It surely is a pain that housing in CA is so expensive. I live in Texas and am currently looking for a new job - a vast majority of jobs that I want are in LA - and it's just insane. Houses are about five times more expensive! Rent must be similarly high - but salaries are not much higher than in Texas. In a way you are lucky. To be able to travel out of the high prices into something cheaper. If you have a job to go to, the cost of moving will be lost in your first few months rent/mortgage. For me, there might as well be a gigantic stone wall and moat around the outskirts of CA because there is simply no way I'm going to be able to buy a house there. It's truly amazing that any businesses still want to be situated there. There are other places just as beautiful as California (although Texas isn't one of them!) - people are pretty friendly everywhere - it's just down to the weather. Personally, I like a bit more variety than California offers - but then in the middle of a 110 degree Texas summer, there is a lot to be said for 70 degree weather all year round! As for relocating - I agree with Marco polo. Get rid of what you think you don't need - then get rid of the things you think you could just barely do without - then chuck out some more stuff. When you are down to the bare essentials, stick it into a U-haul and take a long, leisurely road trip. SteveBaker 00:17, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

As MarcoPolo pointed out, many people have the misconception that U-Haul saves you money. It doesn't, not on long hauls anyway, because on top of the rental, the gas, the mileage, etc., you also have to stay in hotels and eat junk food all along the way. Better to ship it by professional movers and take a plane; it will save you thousands.

Also, you do know, I assume, that there are places in California that are cheaper to live in than LA? Parts of the Central Valley are loads cheaper for the most part, and the weather is just as sunny in the summer, spring, and fall. (And nowhere as humid as Georgia). Just pointing that out. --24.147.86.187 11:50, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Certainly there are places that are quite a bit cheaper than LA - but even the cheapest places in CA are many times more costly than Texas (for example) - unless they are so far from civilisation that getting a job would be a major problem for most people. Sadly, all the places where there were relevent jobs (for me) were in LA and SanFran. Bah! SteveBaker 15:09, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

I agree with Steve Baker that it is cheapest to fly. You can probably save money by selling the family car to a used car dealer, flying to Georgia, then buying a used car of similar price to your old one once you get there. The cost of the plane tickets would be less than the cost of gas, maintenance, and food (especially if you don't camp and also pay for lodging) on a cross-country drive. Another option would be to take the train. When I moved across country, I took the train partly to take advantage of their substantial free baggage allowance, which cut my shipping cost. I also agree with Steve that there are cheap places to live that are closer to California than Georgia. Have you considered New Mexico? Depending on what kind of work your parents do, there are jobs in Albuquerque. It also has a dryer and generally pleasanter climate than Georgia. Marco polo 17:03, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Saint Isidore

We have a client who sent us a link to your site with an image on it and has asked us to print this image on holy cards for them? Who owns the copyrights to the images you have?

Thanks!

Carol Bell —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 12.110.97.193 (talk) 18:06, 14 March 2007 (UTC).

As far as I can tell, it should say under the picture, and I think you are allowed to copy most of them, but I could be wrong :) HS7 19:24, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes, click on the image and scroll down a bit and it should tell you. I think most of them are public domain or GPL.Shui9 19:27, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

The three images on Isidore of Seville are all in the public domain, and so you can use them without let or hindrance. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Pull over by the side of the information highway and help me out

I was on a large road through surry, (I have no idea exactly which one), and there was this half van half cafe thing parked by the side of the road. We stopped to get some coffee, and on the way we passed a row of bins outside, under a sign saying 'Please Take Your Litter Home'. On the sides of the bins people had painted complaints such as 'Ten years of my life have been taken away' And 'Thirty years I've been here. Help.' (Both of these examples were on the same bin so I assume it refers to the people that painted them). Then we got to the cafe thing and the man there gave us the coffee free, and offered us some free oranges too. Whilst there a lorry stopped next to us and it's driver 'bought' a free cup of coffee too.

So what the **** is up with this?

HS7 19:51, 1 March 2760 (UTC)

And Happy new year :) HS7 21:29, 1 March 2760 (UTC)

I don't know what the **** you are talking about, but it sure is a heart-warming story... ^_; *crying from emotional overjoy* ... 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 21:31, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

You're in England. That explains everything JS 21:32, 36 Maytober 30E4 (UTC)

Sounds like a possible employer/employee dispute, or maybe just that something really good had happened and people were celebrating. Skittle 22:01, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps you entered the Twilight Zone, or an Adam Sandler movie. -Wooty Woot? contribs 01:24, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

There was nothing else there, just the bins and the cafe, and a man giving away free stuff :) HS7 13:05, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Is my mobile/cell triband?

I understand that I need a triband mobile/cell phone if I'm going to use one in the US. I've got a Sony Ericsson K500i that works fine throughout Europe. I've searched on-line for manuals, but nowhere can I find the information I need. Can my phone be used in the US? — Gareth Hughes 22:50, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

This UK site lists it as having Triband (GSM 1800, GSM 900, GSM 1900). --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 23:19, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Thank you, that was exactly what I was looking for. I've also just read GSM frequencies#Multi-band and multi-mode phones, which lets me know that I should partial coverage, at 1900 MHz, in the US. — Gareth Hughes 23:40, 14 March 2007 (UTC)