Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous: Difference between revisions

May 27

Beaver confusion

I searched for Canadian beaver and I was redirected to American beaver. That was okay until I read the opening paragraph where they called this animal the North American beaver. The species name is Castor canadensis which leaves me confused, which is the right name for this animal? Is American beaver a shortened version of North American beaver? --The Dark Side 01:51, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

It seems that Castor canadensis is the only species of beaver currently native to the Americas, and that the common name is the "American beaver," rather than "North American beaver. See this site, which lists common names. Carom 03:02, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

I see the talk page has a heated discussion on this question that unfortunately sheds no light on the matter. [1] implies one species Castor canadensis is called both Canadian and North American, but there are 24 subspecies. [2] has more detailed info and shows the regional distribution across the continent of castor c. Most scientific papers on google seem to imply its North American Beaver and that would be more accurate, sorry as I am to deprive Canada of a national symbol. But I'm not certain, I guess this is why we use scientific rather than common names. Even among flowers and trees the same species can have several common names. You could try the Science desk but my guess is multiple common names are valid. Mhicaoidh 03:13, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

There are lots of bald eagles in Canada, too, so we will share our birds with you Canucks if you will share your beavers with us. StuRat 06:56, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

And beware the Mountain Beaver which is neither a beaver nor inhabits mountains Mhicaoidh 03:16, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Does anyone know of any good sources for Australian horse racing records?

I was editing the article on "Arwon" the winner of the 1978 Melbourne Cup. It contains a claim of his overall record which I cannot find any sources to verify. Can anyone suggest any good sources either online or in print where I could check?Capitalistroadster 05:08, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps a major library will have them. --Proficient 05:10, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

This article from the Brisbane Times gives his record as 16 wins, 13 seconds and 5 thirds in 67 races, although they don't give a source for this. Carom 05:28, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Name of song

What is the song thats being played in the background of this video [3], --Coasttocoast 05:39, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Thinking about it I think it is Eminem, forget the name of the track. I think it is the one with Dr Dre and in the video they dress as batman/robin or something strange like that. ny156uk 09:31, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Yes, it's "Without Me" by Eminem. Laïka 09:49, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

No. It's My Band by D-Twizzy.  Sʟυмgυм • т • c  10:55, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Slumgum is correct, it is indeed My Band.Jamesino 16:24, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Starter Pokemon

I need some advice - in Pokemon Diamond - what is the best starter pokemon in the long run (i.e., for competitive battling) - Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup? Ali ^(t)_(c) 07:29, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

This is not an advice website. Sorry, but you are unlikely to get many answers here.

I would recommend instead that you make a list of all your options, then find out everything you can about them and compare to see which is best. A weighted average would be useful, as some things are more important than others.

Also, you have to define what is best and important to you. It may be that you actually prefer a weaker pokemon, so the game is harder to play and it is more rewarding to finish it. I used to play Dune II, and, at the beginning, you have to choose which out of three Houses to play with. Ordos was clearly weaker than the other two, so it felt better to go to the next level when I was playing with Ordos. subsequent fallout 13:19, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Chimchar. Jamesino 16:23, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm more interested in how they will fare in multiplayer battles. I decided to go with Piplup because penguins are awesome, and so is water/steel! Ali ^(t)_(c) 20:35, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

I've been considering this... I've decided that if I do get a copy, I'm getting Piplup, and naming it Tux. -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 21:00, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Coincidentally, I just started playing diamond yesterday, and chose Piplup as well. Steel / Water is a very strong combination. It also has good stats, and good special attacks and special defense, according to the pokedex. Tortwig is extremely slow but has extremely good physical defenses. Chimchar... I never liked fire type Pokemon because they're not that useful. It's strong against grass, but so is flying (Piplup). It's strong against ice, but so is Steel (evolved Piplup). It's strong against bug, so is flying (Piplup). But Chimchar does have one good thing going for him. He gets his second elemental type after the first evolution, instead of after the second, like the other two. However, just because you choose one at the beginning doesn't mean you have to put it in your line-up in multiplayer battles. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 22:06, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Those are their English names? God they're awful... --Candy-Panda 03:42, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Why disc brakes are better than drum brakes ?

Look at drum brake and disc brake for a more full explanation of the relative advantages/reasons for each. Disc brakes, as I understand it, give greater stopping power and can reduce your speed faster. Also I think Disc-brakes can have abs technology and i'm not sure if drum brakes can have that. ny156uk 09:24, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Discs are easier to change the brake pads. Also, when off roading, they clean out easier when rocks and such get caught in them. Dismas|^(talk) 12:56, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

ABS is definitely possible with drum brakes; many trucks have ABS. Meanwhile, disc brakes also have the distinct advantage that there's no brake fade as they get hot.

Atlant 21:59, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Disc brakes are generally lighter than drum brakes, and for better handling and performance one wants to have less unsprung weight. Also, on those lines, making a disc brake disc larger will increase the swept area for only a small increase in weight. A larger drum brake will have a proportionally much larger increase in weight. Drum brakes (at least in the old days) were also prone to self-servoing. As you applied the brake, the rotating drum would pull the leading edge of the shoes in, and the braking action would increase on its own.

Disc brakes will most definitely fade when hot, I've experienced it myself many times on my motorcycle. Granted, I was on racetracks when it happened, but by the end of a session with top speeds nearing 180 MPH my brakes would certainly be fading. Brake fade is more a factor of small air bubbles in the brakelines than the type of brake itself. As the brake fluid heats up, it can boil, causing gas bubbles in the hoses. Those bubbles are compressible where the fluid is not, resulting in brake fade. 71.113.114.231 23:23, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

But long before you boil the brake fluid, you will have rendered drum brakes completely ineffective by virtue of the drum having expanded past the point where the shoes can apply enough pressure. If your brake fluid is boiling, you either need a different brake fluid or your current brake fluid is contaminated with stuff (such as water) that is boiling out.

Atlant 18:04, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Ah, I hadn't thought of that. So all else being equal, when a disc brake and a drum brake heat up, the drum of the drum brake will be expanding and moving away from the brake shoes, rendering it less effective (or "fading"). When the disc of a disc brake heats up it expands too, but unlike the drum, does not move away from the brake shoes. To the original poster: Another couple advantages of disc brakes are that the discs can be drilled, and the discs can be floating. For a discussion of what those terms mean see this page, and scroll down to the "brake myths" section about halfway down, where drilled rotors and floating rotors are discussed. 71.113.117.115 19:14, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

How many calories / 100g in bakkwa?

As title - wondering if anyone knows where I can find nutritional information for bakkwa - thanks! 131.111.229.57 09:33, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

According to THIS site, it's 228 calories in a 57g serving, which would be 400 calories per 100g. Anchoress 00:17, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Just what I was looking for. Thanks! 131.111.229.57 17:15, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Exercise bike problem

I turned the "difficulty" knob on my exercise bike to a higher level one day, and got on and started pedalling in a normal way, and there was a loud click kind of noise and since then all the difficulty levels feel the same, loose, easy way. I guess something broke? Is this common and/or simple? How do I fix this? thanks for any suggestions...

Sounds like some gears/chain disconnected. Can't really say without looking at it how hard it will be to fix -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 15:05, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm going to agree with the statement above. It sounds like while you were shifting the setting, the chain or whatever material slipped off the gear and is stuck somewhere possibly not connected to anything. So you're effectively just moving the pedals and not turning everything. Might want to check the bikes manufacturer to see if you have some sort of warrantly, or you can probably open it up and fix it yourself (opening the bike, re-attaching the chain, and closing it)--GTPoompt 13:58, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm looking for a superhero chat...

I'm looking for a web site where I can chat about superheroes. I came to one but it was a forum instead of a chatroom. Can you tell me choices for a site, which is a chatroom, not a forum?

What's the difference? If you're looking for realtime messaging, I'd think a website is the wrong medium. —Tamfang 21:38, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Maybe be more specific about superheroes? Maybe you want a Marvel IRC chat channel or something? But your best bet should be IRC. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 21:48, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

if you ask on the superheor forum that you mentined, they might know about some chat rooms.-Czmtzc 15:09, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Pigeons on cricket grounds

I well recall watching English cricket in the 1970s and 1980s and a regular feature was flocks of pigeons being disturbed from the outfield when the ball was played in their direction. Indeed, I believe that the Lord's museum has a macabre exhibit of a pigeon that was killed by a cricket ball. It is my perception that flocks of pigeons no longer gather at the Test grounds in England. Is my perception inaccurate? If not, what's caused this? Pigeon mortality or a deliberate (successful) attempt to deter the "flying rats"? --Dweller 21:50, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

According to Lord's groundsman Mick Hunt (no, seriously) in 2006:

We see a lot of wildlife here: kestrels and sparrowhawks, plus the odd racing pigeon. We found a peacock strutting about here a few years ago – I’ve no idea where it came from! We also have a lot of foxes. They’ve become a real nuisance... We trap them in a cage in the winter months – we can’t do it in summer because there are people on the grounds – and they get released in a wood down in Sussex. Over the past the past two winters we must have caught in the region of fifty foxes per winter. [4]

So perhaps the combination of foxes, kestrels and sparrowhawks are enough to scare off the wild pigeons. Rockpocket 03:18, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

There were plenty on show during this winter's Ashes, but I've not noticed any so far this summer. Blowers still gets excited as the odd one flies by, but the flocks are sadly missing. It's not so long ago that pigeons were a common sight - I seem to recall Simon Hughes gained the nickname of 'Pigeon' when working as The Analyst for Channel 4. Perhaps the pigeons now just prefer county cricket - here is a picture I took of some pigeons being conspicuously indifferent to cricket at Trent Bridge. Slightly mores seriously, I don't think that pigeons themselves are on the decline - in fact there seems to be more of them than ever, and they seem less averse to humans too - so they must be being deterred somehow. →Ollie (talk • contribs) 03:23, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

They've all flown north to shit on my car. Bloody pigeons. Neil (►) 11:51, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

News Agencies

What news agency (CNN, CTV, BBC, etc...) is the world's best? Best= covers a wide variety of issues, goes in-depth in many issues and is un-biased. Thanks. 64.230.43.114 23:20, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Best is very much a matter of opinion. Historically the BBC was widely considered to be "the best", partly due to its funding situation promoting impartiality, and its global reach (The BBC World Service). This appears to have taken a bit of a hit recently (see Hutton Inquiry and Criticism of the BBC), but is still often described as being "the best" when you sample people, awards, pundits etc. [5][6] [7] [8] [9] Reuters and Associated Press are pretty well respected globally, also, but less well known to the man-on-the-street.

Although technically not news agencies, if you ask people in the Midwest of America, they are more likely to tell you FOX or CNN, and if you ask in the Middle East, they may tell you Al Jazeera. In otherwords, bias, or lack thereof, is very much in the eye of the beholder. Rockpocket 01:33, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

I think it depends on the subject area. But if I had to pick one, it would be the BBC. They have one huge theoretical advantage over the others - they have an utterly independent source of funding. They aren't funded by big corporations via advertising - they don't have to attract a big audience in order to pull in cable TV fees - they more-or-less aren't funded by government either. They get their money from a tax that's collected from the British people in the form of a Television License Fee. The money goes straight from the license fee into the BBC's coffers - nobody can refuse to pay it (well, not without winding up in jail or getting rid of their TV's) - the government can't get their hands on the cash so the BBC don't have to suck up to the British government in order to get the funding they need. This pretty much allows the BBC to "do the right thing" - they have no incentive to do otherwise. Well, that's the theory at least. I'm biassed - because I'm British - but I see the BBC as a shining highlight of what the British people give to the world. It's not perfect - but it's a lot better than the alternatives. The BBC world service radio is still the place people all around the world turn to when there is trouble in their part of the world and they want the truth. You see! User:Rockpocket was right - bias is in the eye of the beholder! SteveBaker 04:16, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Well, the ARD is independent in the same way the BBC is, its funding model was copied from the BBC. I would say that the BBC provides slightly better new coverage than the ARD, although the Tagesschau was really incredibly good until it started to decline a little about 15 years ago. American news channels are completely laughable in comparison, so I think that the funding model is really a factor for a good news service.

Before lauding the BBC, you might want to red the article Criticism of the BBC. The BBC's "independence" may not be such a virtue. Because British people have to pay license fees to the BBC, the corporation may lack accountability. You assume that with no monetary pressure to satisfy advertisers or keep viewership numbers up, the BBC will "do the right thing." But what is to stop them from not doing the right thing?

It's said, for example, that the corporation's Middle East bureaus have a long-running institutional culture hostile to Israel, and that those who do not share that viewpoint do not get positions in the Middle East. A commercial network facing competition might feel forced to address concerns about biased reporting because of pressures from viewers. Fewer viewers, less money.

In my opinion, the best news agency is, bar none, the Associated Press. AP articles run in thousands of newspapers of all different stripes, so they have to be straight-down-the-middle completely unbiased -- and they almost always are. If you live in the United States, most of the international content in your local newspaper probably comes from the AP. -- Mwalcoff 05:11, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

The trouble is that accountability means bias towards the opinions of those to whom you must be accountable. There is nothing stopping the BBC from doing the wrong thing - but there is no institutional reason why they should. If you are held accountable to your advertisers - it's hard to say something bad about them. If you are held accountable to your viewers then you can't say things that are unpopular - no matter how important they are or how much what is said happens to be true. If you are accountable to politicians - well, it's self-evident that that isn't going to work. Newspapers that are held accountable by their owners suffer biasses that way. So what do you do? There is no group to whom you could be accountable without that very accountability resulting in bias. So, dispense with accountability - instill a culture of non-bias - and hope it works out. I'm open to hearing other suggestions - but the BBC's model has historically worked out pretty well (although nothing is ever perfect). SteveBaker 14:05, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

The idea is to have a pluralistic press and media in which you have different outlets that are accountable to different people. In my opinion, no one should be forced to promote opinions he or she disagrees with, as is the case in the UK with people opposed to the BBC's agenda. -- Mwalcoff 00:58, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Apparitions/ghosts in televisions?

I have two questions, both I've searched tirelessly for, for the last couple of hours on google and wikipedia and have found nothing. The first is, is there a "scientific" name for the effect of having pictures display apparitions/ghosts in television screens? Also there used to be a very popular shockwave flash-based video displaying examples of such pictures with discussions about them, it also showed a few other "ghost" pictures -- i've tried to find this but cannot, does anyone know where I can? -Anthonysenn 23:24, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

There is a formal meaning for the term "ghost" and "ghosting" in TV images - it happens when a TV signal is reflected by a nearby building or something - your receiver gets two versions of the signal - one via the direct path and another from the reflection. Because the distance the signal has travelled is different, the signals arrive at slightly different times and a second 'ghost' image is formed on the screen - generally a little to the right of the real image. Another cause of ghost-like effects is "co-channel interference". This happens when the radio reception is unusually good for some freak weather-related reason and there is some TV station that is on the same frequency as the one you are watching but which is supposed to be too far away to pick up. Under the right circumstances, you get a faint ghostly image from the other TV channel superimposed on the one you are watching. Sometimes this is very obvious - but on other occasions it can be downright creepy. However, this 'ghosting' is nothing whatever to do with any supernatural nonsense. SteveBaker 00:28, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

There are two other possibilities.

• Local cable companies which carry local stations may not carry them on the same channels as they're broadcast, and a ghost of the broadcast signal can appear behind the cable signal. For example, CICT broadcasts on channel 2 in Calgary but is carried on cable channel 7. If you have cable (like 90-some percent of Calgarians) and you tune to channel 2, you'll get the current TV listings, but behind it you might see ghosts of whatever's being broadcast on CICT.
• You may see a ghost if your TV tuner malfunctions. This is more common with older sets (which is why many of these stories come from 20 or more years ago). --Charlene 01:51, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Or occasionally there could be real ghosts there :] HS7 15:29, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

"They're here..."

Atlant 18:12, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

See also Multipath. Also, expanding on Charlene's point, you may also see ghosting on cable systems when they transmit a local channel on the same cable channel; if the broadcast signal "leaks in" to your cable drop, it will probably produce a ghost that leads (is to the left of) the main cable image. The reverse can happen if you're watching the television channel via an antenna, but your neighbor's cable connection is leaking the cable signal outwards; you'll see the cable system's ghost to the right of your broadcast signal. For either of these faults, the cable company will probably want to know about it.

Atlant 18:10, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

May 28

Answer this question pleese. (chicken or egg first ?)

What came first the chicken or the egg? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ninjawolf (talk • contribs)

The chicken or the egg. On another note, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Anchoress 02:26, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

The egg as a biological tool came long before chickens, but the chicken egg obviously came from a chicken. So the Chicken came before the chicken egg, but the egg came before the chicken -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 03:08, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Chicken and Egg are laying in bed. Chicken is smoking a cigarette and staring off into space. Disgruntled, Egg says, “Well, I guess we know the answer to that question, now.”

This is an evolutionary matter: Consider the very first creature who was sufficiently genetically different from it's parent that the offspring would qualify as "A Chicken" (under whatever biological classification scheme you'd accept) - and yet the parent bird - whilst very similar to a chicken - would fail that test and not be classified as a chicken for whatever subtle reason. That first chicken definitely hatched from an egg - so the egg came first. QED. I certainly agree that if you change the question to say "Which came first: The Chicken or the Chicken-egg" then we have more of a problem. However, that's emphatically NOT what the question said - so we don't have to worry ourselves about that. SteveBaker 03:58, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Maybe we should get someone fluent in Ido Lojban to help us with this -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION!

• The Easter Bunny. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 05:37, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Clearly the egg came first. "Chicken" is just a human created classification. 07:22, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

I am surprised by the amount of people that say this question cannot be answered. When the universe began, there were a few hot particles, but certainly neither chicken nor eggs. Now there are both, chicken and eggs. So at some time between there was the first egg, and at some time there was the first chicken. Why should it be difficult to order the two times once they are known? The answer is off course the egg, as steve explained already.

But is a chicken egg a chicken egg because it was layed by a chicken, or because there is/was one in it :? And it is obviously the egg first: 'ab ovo usque ad mala', the egg is the very first thing :] HS7 10:04, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

According to this article [10] "a team made up of a geneticist, philosopher and chicken farmer claim to have found an answer. It was the egg. Put simply, the reason is down to the fact that genetic material does not change during an animal's life. Therefore the first bird that evolved into what we would call a chicken, probably in prehistoric times, must have first existed as an embryo inside an egg" Mhicaoidh 10:39, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

But that egg was laid by a bird that wasn't a chicken, and was therefore a [whatever that bird was] egg :) HS7 15:26, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

No, the mutation that occurs to form a new species, chicken, happens in the embryo which is in the egg. A proto-chicken can't genetically change during its life to become a chicken, therefore the first chicken was the egg which hatched to be a chicken even though the parents were non-chicken. For instance, the first liger was the embryo produced by the mating of lion and tiger Mhicaoidh 10:05, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

(Whilst utterly irrelevent to the original question - the answer to which is unambiguously "Egg")...What Mhicaoidh says is not really true: Suppose the parent ('pre-chicken') bird normally lays eggs that have pink shells with blue spots. The mother bird forms the shell - her body is a pre-chicken, not an actual chicken - so her genes would compel her to make a pink and blue egg. Only the genetic content of the egg would be that of a true chicken, the egg would certainly not be described as a chicken egg because those are white or brown without blue spots. Similarly, the non-genetic material in the egg sac would also be characteristic of the pre-chicken. Gradually, as the embryo develops, more and more of the internals of the egg would be true-chicken and less and less would be the nutrients placed into the egg by the momma pre-chicken. So in that sense, the egg from which the first chicken emerged was not necessarily something we'd describe as a chicken egg.

However, it's quite unlikely that the key feature that distinguishes our pre-chicken from a true-chicken is the colour of the eggshell...or indeed that the key genetic difference has anything whatever to do with egg production. So it's quite likely that pre-chicken eggs are actually 100% indistinguishable from a true-chicken egg and that the only thing that distinguishes pre-chickens and chickens is something completely different. If that is indeed the case and pre-chickens lay white or brown eggs with the exact same chemical composition to a true-chicken egg - then we may say that the first chicken hatched from a chicken egg.

Then you can layer on some 'nature versus nurture' arguments here - since that first true genetic chicken may have developed in a non-chicken egg - and in the first weeks of life was nurtured by a non-chicken, it may well have grown up looking like a pre-chicken and behaving like one too. Since it would be the only true-chicken on the planet, it would have had to breed with pre-chickens - so not all of it's offspring would necessarily be true-chickens. It would take many generations before you'd something that was both genetically and in truth a true chicken. Evolution happens in very small steps - and in reality it would probably be impossible to point to one individual and say "That was the first true chicken" - unless you were pointing to one very specific genetic marker in the chicken's DNA. SteveBaker 11:39, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Totally agree with you Steve on the small steps nature of evolution. In addition populations will contain a variety of mutations/variations so again I agree that in reality you can't point to one individual as the first chicken. The first chicken would still have to mate with a proto-chicken and lay eggs with embryos of varying degrees of chickeness so evolution can also be a dance, a small step forward and another one back.... Mhicaoidh 10:15, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Ask Nick. Unless you ask Fetcher. Atlant 18:14, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

The egg came first: [11], [12] --Phydaux 21:19, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Sea level

Not looking for exact numbers, but which is higher above sea level-the city of New York (US) or Melbourne (Australia). Thank you very much. Cuban Cigar 09:04, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Both are seaports. Are you looking for the highest point within city limits? —Tamfang 09:30, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Cuban Cigar 09:32, 28 May 2007 (UTC) Yes please.

the highest point in New York is much higher that anywhere in Melbourne.

Todt Hill (formerly Yserberg or "Iron Hill") in Staten Island is New York city's highest point at 410 feet. Fort Washington/Bennett Park (Long Hill) is Manhattan's highest point at 284 Feet. Flagstaff Hill is Melbournes highest point but I cant find how high....yet Mhicaoidh 11:14, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

That's interesting. I could believe that Flagstaff Hill is the highest point in the City of Melbourne (= CBD), but the urban area known as "Melbourne" includes a number of different city councils and is far bigger than the CBD. There would be many places in "Melbourne" that are higher than Flagstaff Hill. What's the source of your info, Mhicaoidh? JackofOz 12:54, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

When in Melbourne (my favourite aussie city) I do as my colleagues do and my perambulations are pretty much confined to the CBD: the high points for me are located in a triangle between the art galleries, Fed Square and RMIT, centred particularly on a little bar in Swanston St called Cookie. I remember the museum is an uphill trek and I was thirsty at the top, but the Flagstaff info I got from here [13] , confirmed by a few other sites: "Flagstaff Gardens are Melbourne's oldest gardens. They take their name from a flagstaff erected in 1840 at the settlement's highest point, in order to communicate between the harbour and town". However there may well be a higher point in wider metropolitan Melbourne. Mhicaoidh 08:45, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm absolutely convinced of it, but I can't identify such a place right now. I'll do some research and get back to you. Thanks. -- JackofOz 12:48, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

But if you are going to consider the urban agglomeration of Melbourne (outside of municipal limits of Melbourne proper), then you would need to compare it to the urban agglomeration of New York, which covers an extensive area outside of New York City, including some hills more than 400 meters above sea level. Marco polo 16:46, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Fair enough. I'd be surprised if the questioner was interested only in the CBDs, rather than in the total areas generally referred to as "New York" and "Melbourne". JackofOz 01:59, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

According to this and this, Mt Cooper is the tallest point in metropolitan Melbourne. According to this, it's 137.3 metres tall (451.5 feet). I guess the questioner is interested in naturally occurring land elevations. If you add skyscrapers into the mix, it might be rather different. Melbourne has the Eureka Tower, the second tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere at 322.5 metres above ground level (1,058 feet), but NY has many very tall ones that would make it seem a bit puny. JackofOz 04:30, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

May I just say Auckland, city of volcanoes, has Mt Eden at 198m, approx 650 feet, just out side the CBD, and the western edge of metropolitan Auckland runs up against the Waitakere Ranges at 1555 feet. Hooray for us! Mind you in every other aspect I have to admit to the utter inferiority of Auckland to Melbourne and New York. Except for the beaches. And the harbours. And the number of boats. And the ethnic diversity. And the climate. And...  : ) Mhicaoidh 10:45, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

...sheep?

LEWIS SURNAME

Hello from the USA! Can anyone tell me if the surname of "Lewis" originally came from Wales??? PLEASE this is very important!! Thanks, Robert E. Lewis Sr. [email address removed]

I would guess that it has several origins, including the Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides, but that most of them are from the English form of Louis. —Tamfang 09:31, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Lewis (surname). Dr_Dima.

sdrowkcab

Sorry, this is a bit of an odd question, but are there any words I can write backwords that mean the opposite of what they mean written forwards. They don't have to be spelt particulatly well, if that helps.

"On" and "No" could be considered exact opposites in some senses, such as Boolean logic, but they are a bit short. Laïka 15:49, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Semordnilap is palindromes spelled backwards, and it could be considered its opposite, since a palindrome spells the same word backwards and forwards, while a semordnilap spells a different word backwards and forwards. 83.79.160.105 18:02, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

This is a tricky question. The best I can come up with is tip, which is a protrusion or a mound, and a pit is an indent or a hollow.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 19:56, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

There are many anagrams, but I would think relatively few anagrams are precisely the reverse spelling of each other. (Golf/flog is one that comes to mind, but they're not opposite in meaning.) There must be a list somewhere of the subset of anagrams that are reverse spellings. It would be a simple matter to check such a list for words that are opposite in meaning. -- JackofOz 21:59, 28 May 2007 (UTC) Or, to approach it another way, very few anagrams at all are antonyms (unite/untie is one I know), and even fewer of these are reverse spellings of each other. JackofOz 22:39, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Perl tells me these are the words in my dictionary whose reverse is also in the dictionary (first direction only, no palindromes, 2+ letters). --TotoBaggins 00:25, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

abut, agar, ah, ajar, am, are, ares, ate, avid, ay, bad, bag, ban, bard, bat, bats, bed, bin, bog, brag, bud, bun, buns, bur, burg, bus, but, buts, cod, dam, debut, decaf, decal, deep, deeps, deer, defer, deliver, denier, denim, deres, desserts, devil, dew, dial, diaper, dim, dog, don, doom, door, dos, draw, drawer, draws, dray, dual, edit, eel, eh, em, emir, emit, ergo, evil, eviler, fer, flog, flow, gal, gals, gas, gel, gem, girt, gnat, gnus, got, gulp, gum, gums, guns, gut, hahs, ho, hoop, it, keel, keels, keep, knits, lager, lap, leer, leper, lever, liar, loop, loops, loot, looter, loots, lop, mar, mart, mat, maws, may, meet, mils, moor, mu, nap, naps, net, new, nip, nips, nit, no, not, now, nut, nuts, pals, pans, par, part, parts, pas, pat, paws, pay, peels, pees, per, perts, pets, pins, pis, pit, pols, pools, ports, pot, pots, pus, raps, rat, rats, raw, rebut, redraw, remit, rot, saps, saw, sleets, sloops, smart, snaps, snips, snit, snoops, snot, spat, spay, spit, sports, spot, spots, sprat, stew, straw, sway, tort, tow, way

I don't see any opposites in that list. It's beginning to look like there isn't a word for something like this because (at least in English) there aren't any. SteveBaker 04:35, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Interestingly, SteveBaker's list has turned up words which which have the same (or very similar) meaning: yaws and sway. Laïka 10:08, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Even more interestingly, "yaws" is also the name for a tropical disease that affects, among other things, the bones, and which can actually make one sway. --Charlene 04:01, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

(I can't take credit for the list - TotoBaggins was the one with the kick-ass Perl skills.) SteveBaker 11:16, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I think "tip" and "pit" would count. Neil (►) 11:48, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Well, the Bard is certainly not drab, but that's stretching things a bit. If I really had kickass Perl skills (or else more devotion to this question), I'd read in a dictionary of antonyms, and print out the ones where the edit distance for reversals is low, to broaden the search to allow minor misspellings, as the OP specified. --TotoBaggins 13:44, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I rather liked leper - repel. (Being a kind of social leper myself) -- JackofOz 01:56, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

I believe Solresol has some word-pairs that qualify. —Tamfang 06:24, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

Gelato / gourmet ice cream

I'm interested in the following:

What is the size of the U.S. gelato market? And/or, what is the size of the gourmet ice cream market? (if possible, it would be great to get both of these numbers in grocery versus retail store bought).

Also, I would be highly interested in any reports on the growth of this market.

Thank you so much for any help you can offer!

Best, Robyn

I'm not sure how you define "gourmet ice cream". Just about any ice cream could qualify, depending on the def you use. Without a precise def, any figures we find could have Ben Jerryrigged. Perhaps how they are packaged could be one criteria. The rectangular cartons that leak out the corners could be considered "non-premium", with the cylindrical containers that are properly sealed being called premium. We can call this the Sealtest. StuRat 06:35, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Three-way phone calls

Are three-way phone calls possible in the UK, and, if so, how is it possible to connect one? Thank you, 81.151.242.82 16:05, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

BT offer conference call packages which allow up to 20 people to take part - the organiser has to have a "BT MeetMe" account to set up the "meeting room". Other people can then ring the number in order to join the party call. You can find out more info at BT Conference Call MeetMe. Other phone providers probably have similar services. Laïka 16:32, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

BT.com has a page about using 3 Way Calling. Briefly: While on a call, press Recall to get a dial tone and call the second party. When ready to join both parties, press Recall to get a dial tone and press 3. --Bavi H 06:00, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

am looking

am looking for a famous american pair who used to be famous.they are both dead.the guy was a recluse.when he died he had beards and long nails.he married a judges daughter.its not howard hughes but the celebrity has a full article on him in wikipedia.

The article Recluse contains a list of more-or-less famous recluses, though many were only out of the public eye for a year or two. I don't see anyone in the list who jumps out in answer to your description. Perhaps you, or another editor, will have better luck. Bielle 16:51, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

When you say "pair" do you mean a married couple, or could you be referring to brothers? That sounds a bit like the Collyer brothers. If not them, then you may want to peruse a page I came across in my search: User:Clapaucius/List of people widely considered to be eccentric. 152.16.188.111 10:19, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Author musicians

I'm looking for names of people who are or were equally accomplished both as musicians or composers and as literary fiction authors. The only one I can think of is Kinky Friedman. Thank you for helping out. 83.79.160.105 18:08, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Seems Bob Dylan shows up as a musician/writer, though I can't say i'd ever heard of him being a writer. I think Madonna has written some children's books. Also Ricky Gervais has written a children's book, performed as an actor and, well, at some point sings in the hit series The Office. This (http://www.43people.com/tag/musician,author) shows a list of people tagged on 43people.com that have both musician/author tags (not heard of half of them!) ny156uk 18:20, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Ricky was also the lead singer in Seona Dancing, atlhough they only hit 70 in the charts. Confusing Manifestation 02:50, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

How about Jimmy Buffett? "Tales from Margritaville" was a New York Times" best seller. His bio was also a best seller.

Leonard Cohen, Minou Drouet. --Allen 20:04, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Some googling (site:en.wikipedia.org "was * writer * composer" and similar) returns many matches, among whom I have heard of Anthony Burgess, Léo Ferré, John Cage, Arnold Bax, Spike Milligan, Ezra Pound, Steve Allen (comedian), Thomas Moore, Serge Gainsbourg, Labi Siffre, Boris Vian, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Dwayne Wayans. I also discovered Jára Cimrman. jnestorius^(talk) 23:40, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps its stretching the definition of accomplished, but Madonna wrote The English Roses, and Stephen King, Amy Tan, Barbara Kingsolver and Matt Groening are among the authors who moonlight among The Rock Bottom Remainders. [14] One member of the group who is, perhaps, equally accomplished as both a writer and composer is James McBride. Rockpocket 00:53, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Also Shel Silverstein, Steve Martin. --Allen 02:08, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

John Lennon is an acclompished musician, as well he wrote his own biography. As to my knowledge all of the The Beatles members have written the biography about The Beatles.

Racing

If all motor racing were outlawed, how much gas and oil could potentially be saved?

Do you really mean "How much gas/oil is used in motor racing?" Because outlawing it does not mean it does not happen. And even if it does not happen, the people who would be racing would have time to do something else, which might involve using gas and/or oil. --Tugbug 20:25, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

I recently read that the amounts of petrol, diesel etc used by spectators driving to watch other sports (football, soccer etc.) is in the same ballpark. Can't find the reference right now, but I'm looking for it /85.194.44.18 20:49, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

There would be no significant or practically measurable savings. It's simply a matter of scale. — Lomn 21:10, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

I agree - it's got to be utterly negligable. The gas used by the crowd getting to the event would dwarf the amount used in actual racing - which means that you'd save more gas by banning (say) baseball than motor racing since there are more spectators going those sports. Granted that race cars are generally none too fuel efficient - and they'll rebuild the engine between races - so you know the oil isn't going to last more than one race. But 50 cars driving for a few hours in a race is just negligable compared to several thousand people driving an hour to get to see the race. It's not worth worrying about. The way to cut the amount of gas consumed is to require typical daily-drivers to be more fuel efficient - there isn't another way. There are plenty of nice cars that get 40, 50 or 60 miles per gallon - so how come the average US car gets 22 miles per gallon (in theory, using EPA numbers) and closer to 15 mpg in practice? We know how to do this - it's just a matter of having the political will to make it happen. Personally - I'd bet that the research that goes into automotive technology because of racing does vastly more to improve the world's gas consumption than the gas they consume in actually racing them. SteveBaker 22:39, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Consider also that Ethanol was used this year to power Indianapolis 500 race cars. Edison 17:50, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Which previously used methanol. Dragsters often use methanol, also; especially if they're using nitromethane. Gzuckier 19:37, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

visa for usa.

I am due to travel to florida next easter on holiday. I have a conviction for a.b.h dating from 1987. will i need to get a visa to travel?

First of all, you don't say what country you're coming from, secondly, I have no idea what "ABH" is, and third, we cannot give you legal advice -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 19:57, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Probably "ABH" = "Actual bodily harm". --Tugbug

Their IP is from the United Kingdom. [15] A.Z. 21:16, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Your best bet is to contact the US Embassy in your country and enquire, they should be able to help you figure out whether or not a travel-visa will be granted. If, as is suggested, you are from the uk their website is...http://london.usembassy.gov/ ny156uk 21:19, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

(EC) The IP resolves to the UK. If you hold a British Passport then this page would suggest you will probably not be able to travel under the US Visa Waiver Programme and therefore may require a visa. I would suggest you contact the US Embassy in London for clarification,

• US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London W1A 1AE. The Visa Information line is 0904 245 0100 (calls are charged at £1.20 per minute). Rockpocket 21:19, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Apart from that rip-off £1.20 a minute phone line, the actual visa costs $100, and you will have to go to the expense of travelling to the US Embassy in London (or the consulate in Belfast) to be interviewed for the visa, and they require people with convictions to schedule their interviews for 9 a.m., so you'll probably have hotel expenses too. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (by which your 1987 ABH conviction would likely be regarded as "spent" by the UK authorities) does not apply to the US authorities. The US is NOT a very welcoming country to people who have any blemish on their criminal record, since just being arrested - even if you weren't convicted - makes you ineligible for the Visa Waiver Program. Have you considered going to Disneyland Paris instead? :) -- Arwel (talk) 22:13, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Printing a flag

I'm trying to print a picture (specifically a flag) at a size of 11.5" x 8.5". Sure it's distorted, but that's beside the point. The size of the paper is 11.5" x 8.5", and the printer can't print outside a narrow margin. Is there any way I could still get a 11.5" x 8.5" flag printed, like through the use of poster printing?--the ninth bright shiner ^talk 20:20, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

You'll need to use the borderless mode to print it if your printer supports it. --antilived^{T | C | G} 21:12, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

It probably doesn't. Could you please explain a bit further?--the ninth bright shiner ^talk 21:27, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

I've used Proposter before. I think there is a trial for it. --Proficient 22:22, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

May 29

24 clock sound

Anyone know where I can find it? I'm looking for the one that plays for the digital clock that appears before commercials and such. --The Dark Side 00:19, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

You mean the clock sound on the TV series '24'? You might ask this one on the Entertainment Desk. SteveBaker 04:24, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

What country/channel/station? The BBC has 'beeps' at the top of the hours. Mdwyer 21:40, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I meant 24 the show. It stars Keifer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, CTU super agent. --The Dark Side 02:43, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Similar song

Anyone know a song similar to the drumbeat in "Tetsujin" by Juno Reactor & Don Davis off of the The Matrix Revolutions: Music from the Motion Picture? --The Dark Side 00:26, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

That would be similar to any Taiko drumming. Although Juno Reactor and Don Davis are Electronica artists, the drumming on that track was done by GOCOO. 72.153.208.46 04:52, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Hooky

Hypothetically, what would be the best way to avoid going to school or to get out of school? 71.31.148.79 02:51, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Of course this is hypothetical. Seriously, just don't show up. It's not like they're going to send out a search and rescue team -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 03:03, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Graduate. That's the only method that is guaranteed to work, in every jurisidction, with no negative repercussions to you. Every other option depends upon where you live and how your area views truancy. There are areas that do a type of "search and rescue", especially for younger children who don't show up at school. Bielle 03:15, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

They could easily send a truancy officer after you, so they very well could do a search and rescue. (I hope they would, actually. It'd give me a little more faith in the governmental system.) To graduate is good advice; you're probably most of the way there anyway. zafiroblue05 | Talk 05:54, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I would try an illness, the Plague or Smallpox perhaps? The isolation and risk of death aside, I'm sure you will get a few days off school. Xarr☎ 08:22, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

If you die, you'll get more than a few days off. Alternatively, there's home schooling. -88.109.98.20

Smallpox is extinct in the wild, so contracting it might both be difficult and attract more attention than you really want. Algebraist 08:31, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

• I found that going to school and remaining in my own dream world throughout the day the most effective way to avoid the whole unpleasantness while still actually being present.hotclaws 10:43, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I recommend you watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off. --Dweller 10:47, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

A serious answer to your question: Education is not only legally required but also essential to having any kind of reasonably pleasant adult life. If you just don't get an education, you'll find it nearly impossible to get interesting work or a livable income, as well as lacking critical knowledge and skills. So what you need is a way to get your education without attending school. Unschooling or Homeschooling, then, are your best bets, but they will only be effective if you have the cooperation of your parents and if you are strongly self-motivated to learn. -FisherQueen (Talk) 10:57, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Interesting... I misread your question (possibly because of the question title) and thought you were asking about playing hooky on a single occasion. However, re-reading the question, it seems that you're asking about getting out of going to school at all. I have no idea how old you are, or which country you live in. The potential answers would vary with these pieces of data. However, home schooling is a viable option in many countries, but it requires quite a bit of buy-in from adults. In many countries, there are also parallel structures to schools for those who don't like school. Further education colleges etc are worth considering if you're old enough. One more thing - the reason why you don't want to go to school may be useful to know. If you're being bullied by other students or staff or are unhappy for other reasons specific to your school, it's probably possible for you to move schools. Try discussing the problem with a parent or a sympathetic teacher you trust. Finally, if you've just not done your homework or prepared for an examination properly, treating the situation in an honest and adult way will pay dividends - teachers are often happy to listen sympathetically to a student who says they've messed up and are prepared to a) 'fess up and b) put it right. Hope that helps. --Dweller 11:15, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

It depends where you live. Around here if I really hadn't wanted to go to school, I would have gone to the Marlow academy, since not even the staff bother turning up there.

It also depends on what type of school you are trying to get out of. For Universities, just drop all your classes and get a withdrawl slip from your registrar or dean or whatever. For High School/Middle school... Too many absences that are unapproved I believe can lead to you failing out and forcing a retake of classes, which would be worse in the long run. --GTPoompt 14:17, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Depending on the location, compulsary attendance laws allow students to drop out upon reaching some age like 16. Then they can be slackers and live in their parents basement or get a low paying job. In the U.S. you can take an exam called the "high school equivalency" and then stop going to school or start college. Your IP address indicates you are from somewhere around Little Rock, Arkansas. You might take a look at [http://www.homeedonline.com/popcompare.html} which tells about an online program called "Arkansas Virtual School." Edison 18:01, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

most title winner

It is known that football in England has a long history. According to history the league of english football has started in 1888(the premier league in 1992). I want to know which player, coach, and club wins the most title in overall english football league (1888-2007).

As explained at English football champions, Liverpool have been champions 18 times, more than any other team. The manager/player information you want will not be so easy to find, I fear. Algebraist 08:35, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Check out Herbert Chapman --Dweller 10:49, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

The player is Ryan Giggs - 9 leagues, 4 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 1 Champions League, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 5 Charity/Community Shields (23 in total). No other player has 9 league titles.

The most succesful manager is Alex Ferguson, who has now won 25 major titles with Manchester United (overtaking Bob Paisley, who won 19). Fergie also won 8 major titles with Aberdeen. Chapman won 6 titles in his managerial career (4 leagues, 2 FA Cups). Full list:

• Ferguson - 9 leagues, 5 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 5 Charity/Community Shields, 1 Champions League, 1 Cup Winner's Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 1 UEFA Supercup (25). No other manager has won 9 league titles.
• Paisley - 6 leagues, 3 League Cups, 5 Charity Shields, 1 UEFA Cup, 3 European Cups, 1 UEFA Super Cup (19)

Hope that helps. Neil (►) 11:42, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

If you have a few minutes/hours/days spare you should peruse www.rsssf.com. The site is filled with amazingly detailed information about football from virtually all nations. It has some very obscure stats in there and they often turn-up in them pub-question/work emails that I adore so much. ny156uk 17:01, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Emirates Stadium

Further to the above, I noticed a reference in the Herbert Chapman article to the "marble halls" of the Emirates. Famously, Arsenal's old stadium, Highbury had marble halls - were these moved wholesale to the Emirates, or has someone just replaced Highbury with the Emirate's name in the article? There's no reference in our article on the Emirates to the "marble halls". --Dweller 10:53, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I've changed iot to "halls", which should cover it (the marble halls were at Highbury). Neil (►) 11:27, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

words, again

returning to my backwards words question above, I have decided that a word that means the opposite backwards doesn't exist. So I am now looking for any phrases that mean something each way, not necessarily the opposite. can anyone tell me where I can find this information.

Palindrome. My favourites are "Madam, I'm Adam" and "A man, a plan, a canal... Panama!" --Dweller 11:36, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

And one word ones, such as "racecar". JoshHolloway 12:22, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

It doesn't mean much, but I've always liked the one my friend invented: "Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas." Hmmm... just googled it, and maybe she didn't invent it lolz. Anchoress 15:02, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm not just looking for pallindromes. I want a phrase that can mean something else when whriten the other way. Are there any?

There is a truly amazing palindomic story in 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' - several pages long - I don't have the book with me right now, but my recollection is that the story is subtly different when read in the two directions. SteveBaker 13:54, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Do you mean like "man bites dog" and "dog bites man"? Neil (►) 14:55, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Or with different grammar? Such as "i helped my uncle jack off the horse" and "I helped my uncle, Jack, off the horse". JoshHolloway 15:22, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I once read a wonderful letter from a girl to her boyfriend which, when punctuated one way was very sweet and adoring, and when punctuated another way, was a bitter breakup letter. It was very cleverly done; I wish I could find it online. --TotoBaggins 15:47, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

What a fine example of "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" Toto, if you do find it, leave a link on my talk page, would you? -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 15:48, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Matt Eason found it. --TotoBaggins 21:56, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Ohm is a unit of resistance and mho is a unit of conductance. Will that do?--Tugjob 16:12, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

It doesn't count for much when one word was invented by reversing the other one. Incidentally, under the SI, the mho is now called the siemens --Anonymous, May 29, 2007, 23:11 (UTC).

I'm making a super-duper list of words that mean something backwards based on Webster's Second International (from the "miscfiles" Ubuntu package). It should be done by the time I get back from lunch. —Keenan Pepper 16:25, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

User:Keenan Pepper/Words that form other words when reversed —Keenan Pepper 17:50, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

"A santa lived as a devil at nasa" is a good palindrome.

I have no idea if this is what he's refering to, but how about racecar? spelled backwards, it's the same thing.

Just to keep the palindrome theme going (even though it's evident you don't want a palindrome so much as a word that spelt 1 way means one thing and another another...like dog is god backwards or vice-versa). Anyway Demetri Martin the somewhat genius stand-up comic regularly does quite long-winded palindromes, you can see some of them on his website...I'll leave it to you to guess what it is. Anyway other words with multiple meanings forwards/backwards are:

edam/made, madam/madam, rats/star, trap/part, time/emit, refer/refer - i'm pretty stuck now. ny156uk 16:56, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

The backwards and opposite thing exists in polish, admittedly in a very simple example: The word od means "from" and the word do means "to", so "from a to z" in Polish is "od a do z". Vespine 02:33, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

To "ban" something is to get rid of it, but to "nab" something is to take it for yourself. Rastas love to smoke "bud" and listen to "dub". You can either go over a bridge on a "bus", or under the water in a "sub". —Keenan Pepper 05:26, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Ooh, found a good one: a "darter" is fast, but a "retard" is slow. —Keenan Pepper 05:40, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

A "drawer" could contain a "reward". If something you're knitting turns out bad, you can either use what you have and "tinker" with it, or start over and "re-knit". Okay, I'll stop now. =P —Keenan Pepper 06:07, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Moving offtopic slightly,how about words that are spelt the same but have opposite meanings? For example,'cleave' can be to split or join together,'resign' can be to leave or to rejoin... Lemon martini 13:03, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Enigma

I recently attended a training in which the trainer used what he called an enigma as a tool for questioning techniques. I am keen on understanding more about enigmas and their use in such case and examples such enigmas.

Thanks.

Rono R. K.

The word enigma doesn't have a very specific meaning. It just means "puzzle" or "mystery". Maybe you're curious about riddles? —Keenan Pepper 16:22, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Well, there was the Enigma Machine, but I doubt if he was using one of those. StuRat 18:49, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

And there is also The Enigma, but I doubt if he was using one of those either;) . Vespine 22:52, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I've just been listening to the Enigma Variations, and I know what the solution is. -- JackofOz 01:50, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

The Publius Enigma isn't really a tool for questioning techniques, it's pretty much just full of questions. Dismas|^(talk) 04:48, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Interesting Supreme Court Decisions

For a school project, I need to research an interesting United States Supreme court case. Does anyone know of any interesting topics for me to use?

There's a disclaimer at the top of the page that quite clearly says we will not do your homework for you. -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 16:48, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

The poster is just asking for a little guidance, not that we do the work. Please do not bite the newcomers. Clarityfiend 16:59, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps the case that has generated the most debate historically is Roe v. Wade, but a more recent case that had huge political implication is Bush v. Gore. If you are looking for something a bit risque, you could go for United States v. Playboy Entertainment Group. See Category:United States Supreme Court cases for a full list. Rockpocket 17:13, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

(ec) List of United States Supreme Court cases has the same list, but with brief summaries which should make it easier to find the interesting ones. Algebraist 17:20, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Great! Now I know the source of the term Miranda rights. Rockpocket 17:39, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Miranda Warning: "You have the right to wear a silly hat with fruit on it. However, if you choose to do so, this may be held against you in a court of law". StuRat 18:44, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I find the most interesting cases to be the ones where the court got it *wrong*. It's fascinating to see the legal contortions intelligent people must make to end up at profoundly unconstitutional conclusions like Plessy, Dred Scott, and Schenck v. United States. --TotoBaggins 18:23, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

My favorites are Marbury v. Madison and McCulloch v. Maryland, both occurring early in US history. →EdGl 20:23, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I have always liked Brown v. Board of Education. Dismas|^(talk) 21:30, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I like United States v. Nixon, if only because it used to be a tradition in Canadian law firms to get the articling clerks to go off and write an opinion of US v. Nixon as it pertains to, say, native fishing rights or the Divorce Act (1985), generally after one of the partners has hidden the firm's copy of the book of reports the case is filed in. Wikipedia has spoiled this. --Charlene 03:32, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Nix v. Hedden the Supreme Court decided a tomato was a vegetable. 128.54.77.37 05:17, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Bluetooth Classes

Is the bluetooth of Nokia 6630 and Nokia 7610 cellphones considered from class 1, class 2 or class 3 ? thanks in advance Ahmad510 20:57, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

A quick scan of the articles didn't give me anything worthwhile but maybe the external links will. See Nokia 6630 and Nokia 7610. Dismas|^(talk) 21:28, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Movie Film

What happens to the film of a movie after they stop showing it at a movie theatre?M.A.D.M.D. 21:45, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Most of the copies are destroyed. A few end up in archives. Skarioffszky 22:04, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Help finding download

Hi on youtube or google video theres a video called "frustration with super mario bros" or something like that that shows a guy playing super-hard mario levels, presumably on an emulator. Where can I get those specific levels.

Form of the word seek

Whats the noun form of seek? I want to say "The seeking of..." but is it seeking or something else?

"Search", as in "the search for"? Bielle 00:28, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Nuclear weapons

How are nuclear weapons made? Assuming somebody has all of the raw materials necessary, what would they do to make it?

You may find The Nuclear Weapon Archive a useful resource, particularly the Nuclear Weapon FAQ. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 00:05, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

May 30

Teacher's edition

Hi there, I am a high school teacher I wanted to know if there is teacher's edition of all high school subjects from gr.9-12 in online such as Gr.10 Addison-Wesley Ontario Principles of Mathematics and Gr.11 Nelson University Chemistry? Thanks.

Why do I get the feeling this is just a student looking for an answer key? Probably because that's what it is, huh? -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 01:43, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Addison-Wesley seem to have a number of materials online at their website. I doubt any of them are free to access though. And yes, I agree with Phoeba Wright in that this looks like a student looking for free answers due to the minimal use of punctuation and the run-on sentence. Dismas|^(talk) 02:18, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

If you really are a school teacher, the head of your department should have given you all the information to access necessary materials, and print copies as well. If there for some reason was an online site that had teacher's editions in PDF, they would surely be leaked all over the internet by now.--GTPoompt 12:22, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

May I warn you against using online cheat sites? A fair number of my students have discovered a cheat site with all the answers to their vocabulary textbook; the problem is that many of the answers on the cheat site are incorrect. In the long run, you'll find it more useful to master the material, anyway. -FisherQueen (Talk) 13:02, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Energy efficient vacuum cleaners

I purchased a secondhand vacuum cleaner recently. Apparently it was made at a time when environmentalism was popular, because it's plastered with claims about how energy efficient it is. Among other statements is a rather prominent one of "Cleaning effectiveness = 17.5 per amp". It's clearly an incomplete statement (17.5 whats per amp?), but what I want to know is is there an actual standard for measuring cleaning effectiveness, or is this just an empty marketing claim? --67.185.172.158 02:59, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

This may help: [16]. Rmhermen 05:01, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Who is on the wrong side of the road

Hello and good day. I'm E, I had people at work who try to get me. It starts some months ago when I asked a co-worker out and got rejected. Not too soon after that she and her friend start to make complants about me been stalking and following her. For I have been explant to the boss what had happened. The boss tell me keep my mouth shut and stay away from her when she around. But the shits keep come back at me, such as takling to in the lift, ask her qustions, ask how she doing,etc. Slways she make a move, and I step back. For poeple like me are victom or not? I feel been bully at workplace and harass by my co-works and my boss!

We cannot answer legal questions, and we cannot give you advice on a matter like this. Her side of the story might be completely different from yours, and she may see herself as the victim here. I'd suggest you talk to someone you know (female, preferably - a relative perhaps?) and ask them if your body language, way of communicating, how close you stand to people, etc. could make someone nervous. --Charlene 06:42, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Combo Lock on Luggage

For anyone who has a eurolite hardside luggage set can the combo locks on those things be disabled so they do not lock.--logger 08:33, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Name of the Game?

I remember in the early 90's playing a computer animated game - it involved a grubby looking bank robber in a mask covering the eyes and a gun in the hand. He traveled from country to country, sometimes disguised. Several clues were given which helped the player identify the country. Once the country was identifyed, you were asked a question to which you had to answer before you could qualify to the next level. The countries involved were Japan - Tokyo, Singapore, India - New Delhi, Belize, etc. etc. This was a game I played during the time of windows 3.1!

Does anyone remember this game? How do I get hold of this to play on my computer? I am keeping my fingars crossed!!!

Thanks in advance for helping me.

Dru.

That reminds me of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?. 152.16.188.111 09:46, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

That was my first thought too - especially with countries the OP mentioned. Icthyos 10:52, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

word question III

Sorry about all the trouble I have caused, but I have decided not to bother with a word that means something both ways. However I do still need to know one thing. If I were to write a word so that placing a mirror across the last letter, it formed another word in the mirror, and I wanted to be able to read this word without it appearing backwards, is there any way of writing an e so it looks right both ways? If it helps, the way I am writing it means there will probably have to be a line under the e, that can be incorporated into it.

So can anyone suggest ways of doing this, or point me to a website, or give me any advice. Or tell me it is impossible if it is.

Try the external links in our article Ambigram. Making mirror ambigrams with the letter "e" is pretty hard - a rotational one is often easier, because an upside down "e" looks just like an "a". Laïka 10:10, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

So it can't be done then? I don't want it to be an a. Anyone else got any advice? Anything?

Sorry, the problem is that I want it to be a differnt word when looked at the other way. I considered rotational ambigrams, but then there were even more letters that I couldn't get to work.

What I have are two words, one of which is the other spelt backwards. And I want to arrange them one after the other, so the first letter of one is the same as the last letter of the other, and so they look like a mirror reflection. But then some lwtters would be the wrong way around. Are there any ways of writing letters so they look the same both ways?

With somewhat standard block letters, there are only a handful that appear the same in mirror images, e.g. W, T, Y, U, I, O, etc. A creative talent such as Scott Kim can probably create an ambigram out of many words containing other letters; you might want to lok at the sites linked from the article about Kim to see if you get any ideas. --LarryMac | Talk 15:03, 30 May 2007 (UTC)