Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2019 July 16

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July 16

German wifi

Four questions:

1) What happened to the Wikipedia travel reference desk? I know there is a wikivoyage reference desk, but not a Wikipedia one.

2)Is free wifi now widespread in Germany? I heard that free wifi was scarce there three years years ago because of a law that is no longer in effect. Basically, not a lot of places provided free wifi because wifi providers were liable if people used their network to download pirated material. Wondering this because I am trying to decide if I can get by just using WhatsApp on my phone at wifi spots if I need to make phone calls. I'm trying to avoid roaming fees, which are high for my plan. I would rather do that instead of purchasing an sim card or a disposable cell phone.

Is free wifi widespread in the Netherlands outside of Amsterdam, say in Rotterdam or Utrecht? What about Switzerland? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.167.226.152 (talk) 04:08, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

In answer to your first question, there has never been a Wikipedia travel reference desk. Questions on travel go in misc. --Viennese Waltz 07:14, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

The page Wikipedia:Reference desk lists the reference desks, and one in the list is "Travel", with the description "Desk administered by sister project Wikivoyage (External Link)" IIRC, "Travel" used to also have a link in the upper right of each desk. Loraof (talk) 16:00, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

Free wifi is fairly widespread over most of Europe. But generally you will need to gain the password. In most establishments in Europe, the password will be either written on a wall, on the menu; near the cash register or on the menu or on the table. Wifi is generally available free of charge is most public establishments like restaurants and coffee shops, but it is rarely any good. The connection is often slow and unreliable. Anton 81.131.40.58 (talk) 08:21, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

Yes, free wi-fi is now the rule rather than the exception in cafés in Europe, but I disagree that it is "rarely any good". I hardly ever experience a bad connection in a café or bar. That issue you had with liability is no longer an issue (if indeed it ever was) because you always have to tick a box to accept their terms and conditions before you can go online. You can also sometimes find hotspots in public places like parks, but that kind of provision is not particularly widespread or reliable. As for making phone calls, despite what I said above, I would still be tempted to buy a local SIM card rather than rely on Whatsapp and wi-fi. Although I note that you are in the US so check whether your phone is compatible with European sim cards, you might have to buy a cheap disposable phone as you suggest. --Viennese Waltz 08:34, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

Agree with most things. Free WiFi is also available in fast long-distance train (ICE), and on many local light-rail networks now. That said, a local prepaid card is as little as EUR 7,99 for one month including a decent data plan, and you can buy extra data contingents rather cheaply. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 03:55, 17 July 2019 (UTC)

Destinations of a defunct Swiss national airline

I'm trying to find a list of destinations where Swissair flew before they ceased operations in 2002. Where's a good place to start?142.255.69.73 (talk) 11:57, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

Here is an archived page from the old Swissair website, dating from January 2002. Does that help? --Viennese Waltz 13:00, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

Thank you so much.2604:2000:7104:2F00:2C7B:C50E:77FE:EECC (talk) 19:36, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

Thomas Tobias (Tobiaszoon)

A draft article

Thomas Tobias (Tobiaszoon) (born(1630s?)Ireland), was a famous Irish Roman Catholic sea captain of the mid 17th century who served as an officer in both the English Navy and Dutch Confederate Navy before and during the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars. Tobias is first mentioned as being an officer under Admiral Edward Spraage (also an Irishman) https://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Edward_Spragge (1) Tobias is later mentioned prominently during the Four Days Battle of 1666 https://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Four_Days%27_Battle as leading the action against the 60gun English "greatship" Swiftsure https://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/HMS_Swiftsure_(1621) , taking her a prize and given subsequent command of her and the prize crew responsible for repairing her and conveying her back to Amsterdam where she was upgraded to 70 guns and renamed the Oudshoorn.(2) Tobias was the "flag captain" of the 80 gun Dutch flagship Hollandia under Lieutenant Admiral Van Ghent from 1666-1667. (4) Tobias is noted for his valor during the famous Dutch Attack up the Thames River estuary (Raid on the Medway) https://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Raid_on_the_Medway in June 1667. During the battle he was aboard Lieutenant-Admiral Baron Willem Joseph van Ghent's https://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Willem_Joseph_van_Ghent frigate Agatha and charged with the reduction of the intentionally sunken English warships as an obstacle preventing the Dutch from continuing upriver.(1) Subsequently he was ordered to lead the attack on the 80gun English flagship Royal Charles https://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/HMS_Royal_Charles_(1655) . After the ship was taken as a prize, Tobias was charged to take command of the ship and prize crew in order to prepare it for the sea passage to the Netherlands. Tobias was required to further reduce the obstacles of sunken ships to allow the deep draft English capital ship to proceed out of the estuary. He then sailed the ship to Amsterdam where it became a great spectacle.(1) During the Third Anglo-Dutch War, Tobias was captain of the 50gun Dutch man-o-war Beschermer (built 1665). He also served as Admiral Cornelis Tromp's "flag captain" in several actions. His son Jan Thomas Tobiaszoon was also registered as an able seaman aboard Tromp's flagship. (3) Tobias is last mentioned in 1673/4 as the captain of the 58gun Dutch frigate Geloof during Admiral DeRuyter's second punitive expedition to the Caribbean and his attack on French Martinique.(2) The Geloof was noted to have taken several prizes during the expedition. https://media.vam.ac.uk/media/thira/collection_images/2018LH/2018LH4246_jpg_l.jpg 58gun Dutch frigate "Geloof" (from V&A collection: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1020085/hull-of-the-dutch-ship-drawing-van-de-velde/ ) The Dutch historian Dr. Japp R. Bruijn also mentions that Thomas Tobias and Michel DeRuyter were close neighbors and friends. Early in DeRuyter's career he had been a merchant captain often trading in Ireland and was noted to be fluent in Irish. Bruijn estimates that eight percent of seamen serving in the Dutch Navy during the 17th century Anglo-Dutch wars were from the British Isles with a majority of those from Ireland. (1) References 1. DeRuyter: Dutch Admiral, Edited by Japp R. Bruijn, Ronald Prud'homme van Reine and Rolof van Hovell tot Westerflier 2. Dutch Warships in the Age of Sail 1600-1714 by James Bender 3. The Dutch Navy of the Seventeeth and Eighteenth Centuries by Jaap R. Bruijn 4. Wikipedia: https://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Willem_Joseph_van_Ghent

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Aaron R Shields (talk • contribs) 17:40, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

What's your question? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:59, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

Hi Aaron R Shields, this is a good start at your draft. Take a look at the edit I made to the line about Edward Spragge - it shows you how to link to other wikipedia articles and how to format references. You can do this for the rest of the links and references in your draft.

Is there anything you feel is unsourced and that you need help finding sources for? That is what this place is for. If you let us know what you need to find out we can help you. 70.67.193.176 (talk) 19:17, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

And be sure to check your user talk page (User talk:Aaron R Shields) -- there's some helpful advice and useful links. —107.15.157.44 (talk) 22:59, 16 July 2019 (UTC)