Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010 January 24

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January 24

Scam Jobs

A friend of mine sent her resume to a bunch of Craigslist job opening. The result is that she’s gotten three scam job offers in three days. The scams usually ask her to fill out a standard looking application. However the “companies” don’t list any address or phone number, and they usually offer high paying administrative jobs sight unseen. Some even have mock websites: This for instance: [1]

My question: How do these companies scam their unwary victim? At what point do they ask for the credit card number? Do they deal in identity theft? Kidnapping? --S.dedalus (talk) 00:11, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Some want your friend to be a money mule; others just want your friend's details so they can, as you thought, steal her identity (in particular, so they can obtain credit in her name). -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:14, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

As the money mule article isn't clear enough, many (most, perhaps) money mules are unwitting dupes, and they're the ones (not their internet gangster employers) who end up getting arrested. See http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs25a-JobSeekerPriv2.htm -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:16, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

More here and here. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:18, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Indeed I knew someone back in 2004 who got a 'job' offer via a reputable NZ job website which was as a money mule. I believe they claimed the job was to accept payments for their business. They called the police so obviously didn't get arrested. Nil Einne (talk) 05:46, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

A standard technique for scam jobs is to require payment for training. You are promised that you will more than get your money back afterwards and then don't (either they just run away or they claim your work is sub-standard and refuse to pay you). --Tango (talk) 03:11, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

"Flash" in Australia?

Flash Gordon says: In Australia, the character and strip were retitled "Speed Gordon" to avoid the negative connotation of the word "Flash". What does "flash" connote in Australia? Staecker (talk) 00:55, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm no Australian - but in British-English and New Zealand-English slang, "Flash" can mean "Flashy" - someone who shows off their wealth in an extravagant or inappropriate way. A "flasher" is someone who exposes themselves in public. Neither are particularly appropriate for that nice Mr Gordon...but he's well known as "Flash Gordon" in the UK - so that's not it. Maybe there is a worse connotation in Australia but there is no mention of that in Wiktionary. But I'm pretty sure Australians have already heard him called "Flash" from the 1936, 1954, 1979, 1980 and 2007 versions - not to mention comic books, etc, etc. SteveBaker (talk) 02:44, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I've certainly heard of Flash Gordon. But I can also attest to having heard him referred to as "Speed Gordon" here, by my father. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 03:41, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

[2] says it's because of the flashy connotation. You may be able to find some more useful stuff by searching for '"speed gordon" -Pfeufer', which I used to find this. The -Pfeufer is to try and exclude the ubiqitious wikipedia mirrors, including those GFDL er CC I mean, violators. Of course the book/source may also provide clues, you may want to consider asking whoever added that if they still have the source. Nil Einne (talk) 05:42, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I googled [flash slang australia negative] and one of the sites that came up had an explanation [3] that reinforces what others are saying here. Even though "flashy" in the U.S. means someone who's a bit of a show-off, "Flash" by itself in the U.S. refers more to "speed", as in "quick as a flash [of lightning or a flashbulb or whatever]". So it wouldn't have been seen as a negative in the U.S. (which also produced a Hall-of-Fame ballplayer, Joe Gordon, who was nicknamed "Flash", and there was also a comic book hero called "The Flash".) But it seems like Australia uses "flash" as an adjective, as in "flash as a rat with a gold tooth". That description is apparently not considered complimentary. In the U.S. it would have been "flashy" rather than "flash", if that were a well-known saying. In Australia "Flash Gordon" would imply, or would have implied in those days at least, someone who's a little bit full of himself, rather than being a selfless hero. It seems that "Speed Gordon" would capture the idea better for the Aussie audience. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:10, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Um, an australian here, "to flash" is to expose oneself. The stereotypical scene being a man in an overcoat and nothing else "flashing" an unsuspecting woman. In contrast when one runs naked across a sporting field (usually at a major sporting event) it's a "streak". --121.127.208.196 (talk) 11:10, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Steve Baker already covered that. Seems all the un-Australians know more about us than we do ourselves. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 11:27, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! Staecker (talk) 13:33, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

"To flash" means the same thing in the U.S. That's understood in the specific context of a "flasher". But the root term "flash" is not considered extraordinary in the U.S. For example, there's a "Flashlight", which Brits (at least) call a "torch". There's "Flashing (weatherproofing)" which is used in construction. The word is used in many diverse ways in the U.S. but is apparently largely a negative in Australia. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:41, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Now, that's where you assume wrong. I'd never have said that "flash" has a primarily negative meaning here. We have flashlights too; and all the other non-exhibitionistic varieties of flashing. I think there's more to this Speed Gordon thing than the answers so far elicited. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 19:52, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

You didn't say it, the Flash Gordon article did, or so the OP stated. Also, that was the 1930s. Maybe the term had a different connotation then. That can happen. Terms like "jerk" and "sucks" were considered fairly much obscene at that time, but they've become mainstream. Groucho Marx once told about a Broadway play in the early 1900s that was forced to close because it contained the line "You're a nice-looking broad." That term is now out of fashion because it's considered condescending, but it's no longer considered vulgar. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:00, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The article did not say that the word "flash" was "largely a negative in Australia". It said that the word was changed "to avoid the negative connotation", which is not the same thing at all. You're the one who assumed the word "largely", and Jack (who is not only Australian but a student of language, so I believe him) was correcting you in that assumption. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 14:32, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Presumably Speed Gordon predated amphetamines. O what a fickle thing is slang. DJ Clayworth (talk) 00:51, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

A lot of words have some degree of negative connotation. I don't see why they would change it unless it was primarily a negative connotation in Australia, vs. in the U.S. where its negative connotation was rather small. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:06, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Yeah well like I said that's your assumption – one which Jack, who ought to know, has debunked. They could have changed it for any number of reasons which neither you nor I can possibly be aware of. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 17:56, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Well, if you doubt the veracity of the article's theory on the matter, feel free to correct it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:27, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Interesting discussion. I wonder where Flash Jack from Gundagai fits in? The ballad describes him as a wanderer ("I've been whalin' up the Lachlan"), which I suppose has some negative connotations. He is also boasts he is a crack shearer ("I can do a respectable tally meself whenever I like to try"), so the "Flash" could mean quick. I'm an ex-pat Aussie and I use flash to mean quick, a show-off, to expose one's self and as the thingo on a camera that you use to take photos in the dark, depending on context. --80.195.117.33 (talk) 17:01, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Show-off? Hmm, I don't really get that. If an Australian appears dressed noticeably better than they normally do, they're likely to be told something like, "Wow, you're looking rather flash today". That's not any sort of criticism for showing off; rather, it's a compliment. Someone who is always sartorially resplendent, whose dress always stands out, might be said to be "a flashy dresser"; but again, it's not usually said as a pejorative. I suppose it could be in some contexts, but that wouldn't be its default interpretation. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 22:52, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

"Speed,Speed, I love you, but we only have fourteen hours to save the earth!" doesn't quite cut it. DuncanHill (talk) 01:23, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Googling [flash gordon speed gordon] I get endless references, many of which parrot the wikipedia wording. It might be interesting to track down whoever noted that and find out what his source was. However, I did run across this Aussie site[4] that states that "Flash" had negative connotations in the 1930s and 1940s. I'd like for Jack to read that entry and see if it has the ring of truth to it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:36, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Actually, that page is already linked in the article, along with a reference to a hard-copy book. I'm not seeing where Jack has directly commented on it, though. But it's written by Australians, so it might have more veracity. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:40, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Let me give you the exact quote, as someone griped about my extrapolation that it was "largely" negative: "In the 1930s and 40s the predominant meaning of flash in Australian English was 'lairy', 'showy', and so Flash Gordon had to be renamed, otherwise it'd sound like he was a mug lair." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:42, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

I can only assume that was the way it was back then. (It's certainly not the case anymore, but I guess that's irrelevant ....) Australia was rather and sometimes excessively prim and proper in those days, at least in public. Not that we were alone there. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 10:24, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

For clarification, the OP added the ref here [5] I presume since he/she read my post above (that you replied to) where I linked to the same page, and also explained how to find it and cut out a lot of the chaff of copyright violating (and non copyright violating) wikipedia mirrors. (Incidentally, I did also suggest looking at the print and at that time only source may be useful, perhaps asking whoever added it if they still had it.) Nil Einne (talk)

Combined Statistical Areas by County

Thank you for our work in describing individual Combined Statistical Areas. I am attempting to match counties to CSAs and need a complete single list of all counties matched to CSAs. Otherwise, I must open and examine each of the over 100 CSAs. Can you show me where such a list might exist?

Thank you.

You could try the U.S. Census Bureau's own website, www.census.gov. If you take some time to get to know the site, they have a wealth of information and if you get familiar with their database management on the site, you may be able to find what you are looking for. --Jayron32 04:34, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't remember how I found it (I downloaded it in 2008), but some time ago I discovered http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/bulletins/fy2008/b08-01.pdf, which provides a complete list of all Core Based Statistical Areas (metropolitan and micropolitan areas) and a complete list of all CSAs as well. Be aware that it's somewhat more than two years old, so it's quite possible that some CSAs may have had counties added or subtracted since then. Nyttend (talk) 02:09, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

computer chairs and butt skin conditons

In humid climates people who do sedentary jobs develop some sort of sore on their buttocks. What do you call it? Prickly heat? Chairs that allow aeration reduces the risk of having those sores. But the computer chairs with soft paddings don't allow aeration. What steps could reduce the risk of sores for those who sit on such chairs? Are these chairs suited to un-airconditioned office conditions in humid climates?--117.204.85.212 (talk) 08:28, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't know what the sore's called, but it could be prevented by showering every morning, use of medicated talcum powder on the nether regions and - if you've got a sore bit, nappy cream (in the UK it's called Sudocrem) clears it up. (which all sounds like medical advice which we're not allowed to give. Never mind eh.)Chairs with fabric covers are better at preventing sweaty bits in general. --TammyMoet (talk) 15:29, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I have a sedentary job, and my hind parts seem fine, apart from the fact that I sweat a bit more over there. And I love, love Sudocrem, because it oh-so-much reminds me of sudo (nerdy, I know). --Ouro (blah blah) 20:45, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd think it was a pressure sore of some kind,..hotclaws 03:57, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

An Aeron chair is strongly recommended. It has a very loose weave allowing air to flow through - they are also adjustable in every conceivable way which is good ergonomics. We have them where I work - and I wouldn't go back to the old kind. They aren't cheap though $650 versus less than $100 for a regular office chair. SteveBaker (talk) 05:51, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

So THOSE are the chairs I keep hearing about on NPR!! I keep forgetting to look them up and now I see what they are! Thanks, Steve. By the way, I hate those chairs! Dismas|^(talk) 09:09, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Who says that people in humid climates get this condition? Where is the evidence? Some sweaty discomfort maybe - but sores? come on guys (generic use). Richard Avery (talk) 08:43, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Even just a soft towel folded over a few times, as a cushion and moisture absorbant, might help. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:57, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Thank all of you for your help, have hired a lawyer & now the roofer is going to pay for all the replacement work of the drywall, insulation, painting, run cleaning, etc. even paying for the repair of the painting that fell off the wet drywall. Thank you, little old lady

wet drywall

Had a new roof installed... Roof leaked........... Walls & ceiling in living room, bed room are wet Big driers were brought in to dry walls, ceiling & insulation. Most of walls, ceiling are now dry. Was told that sheetrock is now stronger because it was wet. Is this the truth??? I thought that the wet sheetrock should be taken down along with the insulation so no mold could form. After drying wood reinstall insulation and put up new sheetrock. Please I need to know what should be done. I am 76 yrs old. Do not know if they are running a scam on me.

Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.176.188.231 (talk) 08:53, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm not familiar with the word 'Sheetrock', but if it has any wood content, even if impregnated with a resin, I would get rid of it. Anyway it's essential to get a second opinion from another contractor, and even a third contractor to confirm the facts and get competative quotations. Good luck.--85.210.90.232 (talk) 12:25, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

"Sheetrock" is a commonly-used synonym for "Drywall". I wouldn't think that getting it wet is a good thing, but I'm not a house-builder. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:24, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

As is mentioned in the Drywall article, Sheetrock is a trademark of USG Corporation. --LarryMac | Talk 16:05, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I googled "replace wet drywall" and got a variety of hits. The consensus seems to be that drywall is damaged by water; minor staining can be repaired but seriously soaked drywall should be replaced because the plaster has been weakened and softened. I tried various search combinations to find confirmation that water strengthens drywall, but nothing came up. Like Bugs I am not a builder, but if it was my roof and walls, those search results would send me looking for more information. In the UK I might approach the local Trading Standards department, Citizens' Advice Bureau or, at the age of 76, I could probably get assistance from advisors at my local Age Concern branch. Depending on where you live, you may have a local equivalent of one of these that could help determine whether you are getting the right remedy for your problem. Karenjc 16:52, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I would be a bit concerned about mold if drywall or any insulation above it got wet. I cannot see any way that having been wet would make it stronger. Edison (talk) 02:34, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Somebody might have it confused with concrete, which supposedly strengthens as it absorbs water (and I could be totally wrong about that). But drywall is basically plaster between sheets of cardboard. Hard to figure how water could help it in any way. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:38, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm 100% certain that drywall/sheetrock (it's the same stuff) is virtually useless once it gets wet. Google for "wet drywall" and you'll find dozens and dozens of pages like this: www.ehow.com/how_5557299_fix-wet-drywall.html - it says to cut out all of the drywall from within 2' of the wet parts and replace it. Also make sure that whatever is behind the sheetrock is wiped down with a strong anti-fungal preparation before the new stuff is put up. Wet sheetrock certainly doesn't get stronger - it gets dramatically weaker. In some cases, the plaster layer balloons up and contaminates the grey paper on either side - which creates pressure that eventually cracks any plaster/skim layer on top. Mold starts growing on it very soon after it gets wet. I think the roof installers are trying very hard to avoid the horrific cost of replacing all of the sheetrock - but it needs to be done because it'll become a health hazard within just a few weeks. If it's their fault then you must stand up for your rights because it'll cost a fortune to get it done yourself and your health will most definitely suffer if it doesn't get fixed ASAP. Tell them that their explanation is B.S - they know it, you know it, who the heck do they think they are kidding? Demand that they make good by replacing every square inch of wet sheetrock (and for 2' around those wet areas) and making good afterwards - and 100% at their expense. Please don't stand for this kind of nonsense. SteveBaker (talk) 05:43, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Concur with Steve, wet will irreversibly ruin sheetrock (or 'plaster board' in the UK). The problems will be splitting and warping of the sheets and mould growth. Looks like some cowboys got on the patch! Richard Avery (talk) 15:39, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Methinks you need a professional advocate on your side ASAP - a civil engineer or chartered surveyor, or whatever the USian terms for those professions are. Clearly you cannot trust the company which stands to pick up the bill for the bodged work, since they will seek to minimise the requirements. Good luck. --Tagishsimon (talk) 15:53, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

In the US, this is called a lawyer, and because the contractor has already tried to defraud you (by lying about the sheetrock getting stronger), you need a lawyer now, and the lawyer needs to send them a formal letter demanding that they repair all the damage as SteveBaker said, at their expense. Actually they need to pay some reputable contractor to repair all the damage. I'll stop now and say: Your lawyer is the one who will provide you with legal advice. Comet Tuttle (talk) 23:51, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, indeed. Here on the Wikipedia ref desk, we can give you advice about sheetrock - but we're not allowed to dispense legal advice. If you don't get immediate satisfaction from the aforementioned cowboys - you should seek legal advice from a qualified professional. SteveBaker (talk) 02:30, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

Comic strip

Hello. Do you know the author of this image (unreadable signature)? Thanks. Michael Laurent (talk) 11:51, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Note — assless-spandex-clad cartoon character. May not be suitable for all workplaces. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:51, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The user, 85.169.247.106 (talk · contribs), has already asked this question on the Humanities page[6] and they're not certain either. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:12, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I was not sure of what was the good place to post (and I wrote it). No good answer for now. Michael Laurent (talk) 15:51, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I fed the image into tineye.com, and came up with a Polish fantasy art site. Apparently the author is a guy called Joseph Linsner. --TomorrowTime (talk) 16:00, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I didn't know this website: great! But it is not Linsner. Michael Laurent —Preceding unsigned comment added by Michael Laurent (talk) 16:13, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The website claims it is. Why do you think otherwise? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:25, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The circled part on the original post is not a signature. It's the copyright symbol ("c" in a circle) with a "19" under it and a "97" under that. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:28, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Actually, it's a good guess that the glyph beside the copyright notification is a signature. Just not one one can read without knowing what it is already. PhGustaf (talk) 17:02, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Which doesn't square with the artist's usual signature, which I suppose is why the OP is questioning it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:18, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I think that it is not Linsner because the signature of Linsner is "LINSNER" (see the others pictures of the website) and his favorite babe is redhead. Maybe the circled part on the original post is not a signature. Maybe it is. I think so. Michael Laurent (talk) 18:08, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Since Linsner has his own website, it might make sense to ask him directly. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:13, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Good idea. Thanks. Michael Laurent (talk) 18:31, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

And of course you'll report your findings here, right? 0:) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:36, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Of course. You can rely on me. I've posted a message on a specialized forum about comics and I was told that it is NOT Linsner (but nobody knows the author for now...). I also asked the french Wikipedia and there is several answers but not the good one. :( Michael Laurent (talk) 20:26, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The plot thickens. Things that make you go "HMMMM..." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:37, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The eye makeup marks her as Linsner's chacter Dawn, but the art is frankly not as good as his. Looks like fan art to me. PhGustaf (talk) 20:41, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Agreed... it is fairly sub-par by comparison. I don't go for this kind of stuff, but the real Linsner stuff (as made apparent by the gallery) is lightyears beyond in terms of coloring, anatomy (however ridiculous), staging, etc. The fan-fic one is amateur-hour (the pose itself is anatomically somewhat impossible). --Mr.98 (talk) 20:44, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Given that chest, her standing erect without falling on her face is physically somewhat impossible. PhGustaf (talk) 21:50, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Much less on one leg that somehow also manages to point its butt crack at the viewer. Somebody could use a little more time studying the basic human form... --Mr.98 (talk) 22:13, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Amazing! An answer of the comics forum is "it is very inspired of Linsner but less well". And I think I was right about the signature: look at this small last image from a CS Michael Laurent (talk) 20:50, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

I just wonder how the artist himself feels about a website presenting that picture as his when apparently it is not? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:01, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Eh, such are the perils of fan fiction... --Mr.98 (talk) 22:13, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Or the perils of the electronic age in general. E-piracy is so rampant that it's almost like what W.C. Fields said about drunkenness in the Middle Ages: "So common, it's unnoticed." Not quite, but close. Still, it would be interesting to hear the painter's reaction, and maybe he even has a clue who did the painting. The concern I have (albeit a small one on the cosmic scale) is that that one website has that illustration posted as if it were the artist's. But being based in Germany or whatever, it's probably a little hard to make a legal claim against them. Or is it? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:39, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

It's pretty hard to mistake that cartoon for a real Linsner. Never heard of him before, but I do like his work (NSFW) at [7] -- check out the symbols on the bookshelf. Cartoonists in general don't mind fan art. They figure the fan artists are good customers. How the fan art got mixed up with his own is anybody's guess. PhGustaf (talk) 01:01, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

It's pretty well been established here that it's a knockoff. Unfortunately, the name of the actual artist, which was the OP's question, remains unknown. :( ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:35, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

No new answers from WP and no e-mail from Linsner. But I know now. The author is...

no idea?

really?

hmmm...

The author is Kevin J. Taylor (find by a member of a french comix forum). Thanks for your tries. Michael Laurent (talk) 19:07, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Once again, the ref desk zooms to the rescue and goads the questioner into doing most of the work. :) I googled [Kevin J. Taylor] and a number of sites and illustrations come up. The illustration in question looks like his style, and that unique signature with the elongated "J" is the same. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:54, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

I have received an e-mail from Joe Linsner a few minuts ago: That is my character Dawn. The drawing is by my friend Kevin J. Taylor. Michael Lauren (talk) 19:25, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

And now we know the rrrrrrest of the story. All's swell. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:13, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Causes of Error

Is the Opus Majus by Roger Bacon available translated anywhere online, specifically "Causes of Error"? 149.169.59.94 (talk) 18:55, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Its translation by Robert Belle Burke is available on Google Books. Although it is a "limited preview" the entirety of the "Causes of Error" section is there to read. The full Latin text is public domain and available elsewhere on the Internet. Xenon54 / talk / 19:05, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Question for dog/cat lovers who don't like to look like muppets

I have just one dog (and one cat). He's a border terrier and my clothing is just covered in fur. It's very difficult to get off. All my clothing is affected. It's driving me a bit nuts. I vacuum all the furniture and all the rugs, and I also groom the dog and brush out the cat but all my clothing is still covered mostly in dog fur, and a small amount of cat fur as well. I use the lint rollers and it's such a pain, and I swear it's like the dog fur migrates inside my clothing and comes out later. I leave for work, fur free, and then later in the day I notice some fur again. It's almost spooky. I though that it might be my car, but it's not, I've checked. Does anyone have any suggestions, any tips? Any better lint rollers? better methods of having the fur come out in the wash and in the dryer? Anything else you can think of. I will be monitoring for responses. Thank you.--70.23.81.136 (talk) 19:25, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Some people claim fabric conditioner helps loosen the fur from clothes, so more ends up in the dryer basket. For entrenched fur on clothing you might find that wrapping packing tape around your hand (sticky side outwards) and dabbing at the furred area may be more effective than the roller (but really still lots of work). -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 19:30, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The tape on hand is exactly the same mechanism as the roller thing, I think. Anyway, about the fur everywhere - you've got furry animals, live with it. I have always, always had a pet at home, either a cat or a dog; right now my parents have two dogs and a kitten, so the issue of pet hair was and is always present. To top that, I mostly wear black, which is somehow more appealing to all kinds of hair and fur. Actually, about ten years ago, when their currently-older dog was our only dog we used to have so much of his hair everywhere that we actually needed to wash the carpet every week (wet rags and things) because the vacuum cleaner would just overload quickly (the dog is a crossover between a German Shepherd and a Caucasian Shepherd Dog). It's a question of wanting to have the little guys around on the one hand, and being patient enough to clean up and just get over it on the other hand. Something for something.

My neighbour (dog owner) once said: with time, you reach a point when you just don't bother to pick their hair out of your meals any more ;) cheers, Ouro (blah blah) 20:41, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The Border Terrier has a double coat consisting of a short, dense, soft undercoat and harsh, wiry weather and dirt resistant, close-lying outer coat with no curl or wave. This coat usually requires hand stripping twice a year to remove dead hair. It then takes about eight weeks for the top coat to come back in. For some dogs, weekly brushing will suffice. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 21:59, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

A month ago I went to the local pet superstore and found several ways to spend my money in the pursuit of dog hair removal. One device looked like a wide rubber squeegee or ice scraper, with a rubber blade, and it works great at getting the fur off the car's carpets — but it scrapes the hell out of the surface, so I don't think it's appropriate for couches or clothes. There were a couple of gloves you could put on with a couple of types of surfaces that purported to get the fur off. There was a device from 3M looking like a miniature iron with a "refillable" Velcro sheet that covers the flat part. You scrape it over your clothing or furniture, hair tends to stick to it, and it gets less useful, hence the need for the refills (to the joy of the marketing guys at 3M). It seemed to work OK. Comet Tuttle (talk) 00:25, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Oh, and I don't know whether it is suitable for terriers, but the Furminator is a gourmet expensive dog brush with a single row of closely set metal spikes for the brush. It is supposed to get more fur out of the dog's hide than any other brush. It certainly seems to, based on my experience, but it's hard to discern whether the amount of hair around our house has actually decreased. I think it has. Comet Tuttle (talk) 00:27, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

We have a heavy-shedding dog and regular use of the Furminator does help. There is of course still hair to clean up but it does not accumulate nearly as much as quickly. It is a very noticeable effect with our dog. (And she doesn't mind it, either.) --Mr.98 (talk) 01:28, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I've got 4 long-haired cats, all white. No matter how much my wife and I brush them, they still find ways to deposit hair all about the house. I can vacuum the entire house in the morning and we'll have cathair tumbleweeds hiding in corners in the evening. Having realized that we cannot eliminate the hair, we altered our own behavior: nice clothes that are to be kept hair-free are in a special closet which is always kept closed. When going out, one says goodbye to the kitties, then changes into the hair-free clothes and heads directly out (do not sit on or touch anything!). When coming home, one proceeds directly to that closet, returns the clothes, and changes into comfortable (and hairy) at-home clothing, then greets the 4 abominable snowkitties. It works for us. I'm wearing a very nice suit today without a hair on it. 218.25.32.210 (talk) 01:49, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Sphynx (cat)

Do we have an article on "The Remington Fuzzaway! Safely removes pils [? Always wondered what that was] and fuzz". Seen on my telly about every 10 minutes for much of the 70s, as I recall it. Although that might not be an exactly accurate recollection. --Dweller (talk) 16:24, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

My goodness. It still exists --Dweller (talk) 16:28, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

See Pill (textile) — Wikipedia has an article about everything. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:07, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

How are Hong Kong and Switzerland so good at not polluting?

List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions

Hong Kong and Switzerland stand out. They have 1/4 of the emissions per capita of the US. And 1/2 of even Japan and Germany.

Why are they the stand outs of the developed world?

Shoresand (talk) 23:43, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Energy in Switzerland indicates that there are virtually no combustion-based power generation in Switzerland. Its almost all Hydroelectric and Nuclear. That could be a huge reason. However, I am not sure what to say about Hong Kong, since the article Air pollution in Hong Kong would seem to disagree with the assessment in that list... --Jayron32 23:58, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

(ec) Energy in Switzerland says 56% of their electricity comes from hydroelectric power plants (and most of the rest is nuclear) - it helps to have lots of mountains. I can't find anything about Hong Kong, though... chances are they have some non-fossil fuel way of generating most of their electricity as well. --Tango (talk) 23:59, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

For Hong Kong, I imagine a big factor is their scarcity of cars[8] (and places to drive them). Clarityfiend (talk) 00:00, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Hong Kong has the advantage that it is very densely populated, which makes walking and public transport viable options for travel; that should lower the carbon emissions from travel quite a bit. Secondly a lot of the manufacturing capacity of Hong Kong has moved over the border to Guangdong, so the carbon emissions count on China's number. If you counted the per-capita emissions of the greater Hong Kong/Guangzhou area, I don't think you'd get a rosy number at all. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:09, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Also Hong Kong has only one power station, Lamma Power Station (well, plus windfarm). According to the CIA world factbook uses 44.6 billion kWh of power, of which it imports 11 billion kWh (again from Guangdong). So a quarter of HK's carbon emissions due to electricity generation goes onto China's totals, which again makes HK look much more efficient than it really is. This is a major problem in general when trying to compare carbon-emissions for different countries- onto whose total should such things go? There are many cases where carbon is emitted in one place to do work elsewhere. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:27, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Oh, but the power import thing is huge for Switzerland. It uses 58.77 billion kW of which a massive 48.4 billion kWh (82%) is imported (mostly from French nuclear production). Again that makes them look much more efficient than they really are. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:36, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

On looking at the numbers for Switzerland more closely, they're a bit more complicated. The country imports 48.4 billion kWh from France and exports 32 billion kWh to Italy (mostly they buy cheap French nuclear energy at night and use it to backfill pumped storage systems in alpine lakes; then they resell it at a nice premium to Italy during the day). So that's a net import of 16 billion kWh, which means about a quarter of their electricity is imported. This PDF has a lot about the swiss power market. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:56, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps the fact that both regions feature great natural beauty would inspire the people to keep things clean. Or perhaps they lack the raw materials for heavy manufacturing that so often creates significant pollution. Vranak (talk) 00:33, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. HK's emissions may be low, but their harbor is a cesspool so abysmally dirty that a planned scene in the Batman movie had to be scrapped because they didn't want their stuntman to even stick a toe in the water after they tested it. Also, the air quality (particulates, NOx, SOx) is so bad that many companies with HQs there are seriously considering moving elsewhere, and other companies are no longer so eager to setup shop. HK is an environmental disaster by any meaningful index. 218.25.32.210 (talk) 01:53, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

With only one power station (according to Hongkong Electric, the other three were closed in 1989), I suspect much of the electricity consumed by Hong Kong is not actually generated in Hong Kong. The emissions per capita would therfore be lower than you might expect. Astronaut (talk) 04:10, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

In Hong Kong, less than 3% of the economy is in manufacturing, which greatly reduces pollution. Mass transit is among the best in the world (and, petrol is the equivalent of US$8/gal.). Electric power (about 20% nuclear, the only part not produced in HK itself) and vehicles are the key polluters, including ships (but, all taxis and some buses are LPG-powered). What has become the key point of contention in recent years is pollution generated by (often, HK-owned) factories across the boundary, in the Pearl River Delta. Particularly in the winter, the smog comes rolling south and just sits on Hong Kong. While Finlay McWalter got many things right, above, the statement that Hong Kong only has one power station is not correct. Castle Peak, Black Point, Penny Bay and Tsing Yi are also in Hong Kong SAR. 218.25.32.210 also overstates the case, while ignoring the fact that Hong Kong is the cleanest city of any significant size in China. DOR (HK) (talk) 06:50, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I ignored nothing. The OP asked about the developed world. With such criteria, you cannot compare HK to Mainland China. I assure you, my rant would have been even longer. But let's stick to the question at hand. I was alarmed at the characterization of HK as being so good at not polluting when it clearly is a fantastic polluter! 218.25.32.210 (talk) 08:29, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Very good sir! I took the OPs question at face value and assumed HK was relatively clean, but I did not know. And I would say that in pictures it does look quite clean. But then the water is a different story of course. Vranak (talk) 12:35, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

It looks to me then, that HK has a good emission rate because it externalized most of its emissions "costs" to mainland China. Googlemeister (talk) 15:15, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

That's a fair assessment. 218.25.32.210 (talk) 05:17, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

To Anyone who Knows about the French ship: Escorteur d'Escadre; ``DUPETIT THOUARS``

Found an seal or emblem of the French Navy Ship, Escorteur d' Escadre DUPETIT-THOUARS in San Diego California, USA don't know how to put a picture of the mentioned item. I'll describe it, the best I can.

is rounded made out of coper; weights about 2 pounds; 3 inches diameter; 1/4 of un inch wide. In the back says: Escorteur d'Escadra and DUPETIT THOUARS. On front has a a coat of arms and behind crossed by two "roman" hatches? and inside the coat of arms above left and below right two iron coats. Also below the left iron coat there is two swords (sarracene,[arab} kind) crossed each other.and top of the right iron coat, there is same two arab swords crossing each other. On top and bottom of the arab swords there is like a bunch of straws. I have read part of the story of this famous DUPETIT THOUARS Ship. Have no Idea on which part of the ship this emblem belongs to I don't Know how this item ended in San Diego California. I found it in a swapmeet.... an open market)! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Vascodeama (talk • contribs) 23:59, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

It may be one of the emblems you can see here and here. — Xavier, 01:07, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

It may well be a tampion - a plug that stops sea water going into the end of a gun barrel. They are often decorated with the ship's crest - the linked page shows some French Navy examples. The man the ship is named after; Aristide Aubert Du Petit Thouars died at the Battle of the Nile which may explain the Arab swords. Could the "Roman hatches" be Fasces? - if so, they are symbols of republicanism. Rather a gruesome story about him continuing the battle despite his arm and both legs being blown off, by being propped up in a bucket of grain. This may relate to the bundles of straw? Alternatively, this could be his family's Coat of Arms. As he was born in a castle, he probably came from the nobility. Alansplodge (talk) 18:49, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Well done! Here is a tampion of the Dupetit-Thouars. The wooden part was not mentioned by Vascodeama but the metal part matches his/her description. It is similar to this one found on one of the sites I had previously cited. The bundles of straw may very well be an allusion to the bran that was in the bucket, that makes sense to me. As for the hatches, those actually look more like the Tartar missiles which were added to this destroyer in 1963. — Xavier, 00:01, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

And 3 inches is about 75mm - a common anti-aircraft calibre in the French fleet I believe. Alansplodge (talk) 16:32, 26 January 2010 (UTC)