Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 December 28

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December 28

nude sports

Where can you get nude sports of boxing, wrestling and other sports in DVDs?

A porn shop?--Codell ^{[ Talk]} 06:29, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

The Internet. ._. --Proficient 12:45, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Try http://images.google.com. Be sure to turn off the content filter. User:Zoe|(talk) 22:05, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

PSP Groups

I recently received a PSP system for Christmas, and the instruction manual notes that music files can be "Grouped" to be played together. It says you have to do this on a computer but makes no mention of how. I'm assuming there's some sort of program I can use, but I don't know which. An answer will be greatly appreciated. Deltacom1515 00:32, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Don't have my manual handy, but it may mean you can put music files in folders within the music directory (Either MUSIC in the root of the Memory Stick, or PSP/MUSIC/ depending on your firmware), and they'll play in a row. I believe you can also use the Sony SonicStage software to manage songs and create playlists on it as well, but I personally don't like it, I preferred to manage the songs manually. On a side note, if you're somewhat tech savvy, id highly recommend if you havent updated to the newest firmware version yet, checking out some of the PSP homebrew forums out there, it really brings out the full potential of the handheld, and there have been huge developments in the scene as of late. Cyraan 04:42, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Yea, I tried putting the tracks in files and lo and behold it worked. "Group" was just a fancy word for it. Sadly I've already upgraded to 3.03 and I have a TA-082 motherboard, so I think that kinda rules out hombrew. While we're on the subject, any tips on cleaning the thing? It attracts fingerprints like crazy. Deltacom1515 01:50, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

I actually bought a Playgear Pocket for it (very glad I did, doesn't have a single scratch or scuff on it), plus the cheap "case" it comes with leaves smudges all over it (and if left for some time, a smudge imprint of the PSP logo on it). I also picked up a stick-on screen protector that wipes off easily, other than that, I just kinda wipe it down with a cloth/paper towel every time it gets real bad. A 1.50 downgrader actually came out for TA-082 boards with 2.71 installed a few days ago that allowed the new custom firmwares to be installed, so you may have been in luck then, but at the rate things have been happening lately, NAND access on 3.03 for a downgrader doesn't seem too far out. Cyraan 03:16, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

I have the Logitech case also. Very sturdy and I thought that it was a good investment. I'll have to make a trip to the store for some screen protectors though. Thanks for the advice. Deltacom1515 03:33, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

military protection area

What is the correct term in english for an object such as an airport, building, road or an area which is under military protection. People are not allowed to enter, take photos or such things. Nuclear power plants are examples of this and air force bases. Anyone know the correct term? Please post the answer on my talk page, I need it for an article here on wikipedia. --Krm500 00:36, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Restricted area ? StuRat 02:20, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

I am also unsure if there is a general term for what you are describing. Definitely Nuclear Power plants and airports would not be under the same legal jurisdiction. Airports are not really under military protection, the Airport security article describes security in more detail. It all depends what country you are in but I'm pretty sure military intervention or 'protection' can be called no matter where you are, if the threat is perceived as serious enough. Vespine 22:42, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Super Scattergories PC game

Does anyone know where i can locate the game super scattergories? I have looked and looked for it and am unable to find it.

There is a good list of Video Games Super Scattegories, more commonly known as Super Categories, at Lists of video games and computer games. Cheers. --Vranak 01:21, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

I assume you mean some spinoff of the game Scattergories? I couldn't find anything either, but you could try asking Hasbro's customer service department. Try looking here. Good luck. Skittle 15:30, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Prilosec

Someone told me that they heard on the news that over time Prilosec and decrease the calcium in your bones, and that you could develope brittle bones. I looked and I didn't see anything about this. Any help?

HERE YOU GO. The article doesn't actually say that the drugs decrease calcium, but the study showing marked increase in fractures leads to the inference that they do. Anchoress 06:41, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

H1-B visa question

hi all, just wondering if any of you wikipedians had experience with this kind of situation...

I am a UK citizen who was recently laid off from a H-1B job in the US. I was told by lawyers that I had 30 days to find a new employer in the US to run a H-1B transfer. If I do not find one, I will be returning to the UK at the end of 30 days. However I need more time to pack up my things and woud also like to visit relatives (brother in law is a US citizen from long-established US citizen family and my sister is a US permanent resident). So I am planning to return to the US a couple of weeks after going back to the UK - just as a tourist visitor. There is a tourist visa waiver program operating between the UK and the US.

Should I apply for a tourist visa or should just go back to the US under the tourist waiver and everything will be ok that way?

(btw I am asking here first rather than the lawyers as I am bit suspicious that they are biased towards selling more of their very expensive services/advice sessions) many thanks for any advice!

Dunno if this'll help or not, a google search pulled up this. It says to get a tourist waiver, you need to be traveling for business, pleasure, or transit, and be staying 90 days or less. It also requires you have a machine readable passport, a return ticket, a completed I-94W form you get from the airline and $6.00 US. Seems easy enough, I don't know whether the H1-B would complicate matters however, the site makes no reference to it. Cyraan 04:27, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

You might try The British Expats US Visa forum. Tanaats 04:39, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

There is a tourist visa waiver scheme for UK citizens. There is no legal reason (that I am aware of) that you could not return to the US on a visa waiver after the expiration of your H1-B visa (as long as you meet the criteria mentioned above). However, you may be subject to some rigorous questioning if there are any suspicions that you may be planning to stay. Rockpocket 07:09, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Thank you to everyone for their kind and helpful answers. Rockpocket - may I please ask are you speaking from personal experience, or from professional knowledge? many thanks again

Hi. I'm sorry, I should have made that more clear. I'm speaking from personal experience (having had 4 separate US visas and having travelled to the US many times in between.) However - as a random internet person - you probably shouldn't take my word for it! Rockpocket 19:10, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Expired Login confirmation Dec. 27 2006

Sorry Wikki;

Unfortunately, -it is 9:48 pm December 27 2006. The expiration were for 05:53, 27 December 2006.

Someone, probably you, from IP address 69.157.65.104, has registered theaccount "H.t morttallees" with this e-mail address on Wikipedia.

User H.t morttallees Arthur J.Cutler

You only need the confirmation code to confirm your email address - you can login fine without it. To reconfirm your email - login, go to "my preferences", delete the email address, save, re-enter the email address and save again. This will make it think it's a new mail address, and generate a new confirmation code. Shimgray | talk | 11:25, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Sending mail

I've two questions regarding sending of mail.
1)Must I use an envelope, or may I simply fold the letter in half, tape it closed, and affix the stamp upon it? Also, may I create my own envelope from a folded blank sheet of paper, or does the postage office require pre-manufactured standard size envelopes?
2)I live in Canada. There is an American(USA) website that gives out free 3-D glasses, and all I have to do is send a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope to them, and they'll send them to me. But will my Canadian stamp on the SASE work in the USA, or must I somehow attain American stamps and use them on my SASE? Thank you very much --Codell ^{[ Talk]} 06:24, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Some jurisdictions are picky about delivering items that are just folded, taped, postmarked paper, but I've never had a problem with it personally. Your SASE will need correct US postage, which you can order online. Anchoress 06:43, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

There is a thing called an international reply coupon which was invented to solve the "need the other country's stamp in order to send an SASE" problem. But the recipient has to take the IRC to a post office to use it, so it doesn't help unless they're prepared to do that. If you can order US stamps online, that's certainly a better approach, and almost certainly cheaper too. Of course, you'll want to be sure to order the correct postage for mailing to Canada. --Anonymous, December 28, 08:32 (UTC).

Don't know about Canada, but international mail from the US must be in an envelope. At least it did when I used to send out newsletters folded as you describe, and all the international ones were returned. Geologyguy 16:28, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

If you're near a major Anglophone city (in other words, Toronto, Calgary (best chance) or Vancouver) look in the Yellow Pages for a stamp seller. They may be able to provide you with modern US stamps. If not, send an addressed envelope and two IRCs. IRCs don't fully reimburse US residents for the full price of international mail, even to Canada. Most US post office workers don't know what an IRC is. --Charlene 02:27, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

I say "best chance" for Calgary because 10-20% of the population is either American or of American descent, so there may be more outlets to obtain American stamps. --Charlene 02:30, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

If by "stamp seller" you mean a person who mainly deals with collectors, note that some of the stamps they sell will have been used. Obviously you need unused ones, so be careful. Fortunately, collectors prefer unused ones too. --Anonymous, December 29, 05:46 (UTC).

Thank you for your suggestions. It seems too much trouble to buy American Stamps or get IRCs. I can live without 3D glasses. But regarding sending of mail without envelopes, i'd only be sending them within the country. (BTW, I live in Hamilon, Ont.)Codell ^{[ Talk]} 05:58, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Wierdness?

In the Rommel article it says "When Major Geoffrey Keyes was killed during a failed British commando raid to capture or assassinate Rommel behind German lines", but when you click on the name and go to Geoffrey Keyes biography it says he died in 1967, how could he die in a commando raid on Rommel then? Joneleth 08:56, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

They are different people bearing the same name. One was a British Major, the other a U.S. Army Lieutenant General. There is no wikilink from the single occurrence of this name in the article on Erwin Rommel to the article on General Geoffrey Keyes, so I'm not sure how you went to the latter biography by clicking it. 09:16, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Postscriptum. I see, however, that we do have an article on the British major: Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes. I've linked this in in the Rommel article.  --Lambiam^Talk 09:21, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

There was a link, it was edited out after I wrote this. Joneleth 17:38, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Looking for a job.

i am a 28 yr old South African male looking for a job in the Autralian film industry.Iwoould like to know if you can help me wiyh some website or e-mail addresses that might be of help.

You can look through the australia film industry listings, for example here is the "Australian Film & TV Industry Message board" which has got a Job section. You can find some production studio listings through google. Have you got a skill or diploma they might be interested in or are you aiming for a particular job? Good luck. Keria 13:59, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Question About Gerald Ford

Is he related to Henry Ford, the dude who created General Motors???

In our article on Gerald Ford you can read that Ford was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. He later changed his name to Gerald Rudolph Ford, after the name of his stepfather, Gerald Rudolff Ford, a paint salesman. Whether the latter was related to Henry Ford I don't know, but I have no reason to suspect it, and as Ford is a rather common surname, any close relationship is unlikely. It is certain that he was not a direct descendant of Henry Ford.  --Lambiam^Talk 12:03, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

And just to pick nits, H. Ford started the Ford Motor Company, not General Motors. Dismas|^(talk) 12:40, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

It is certain (per the University of York) that he's not related (at least within 400 years of ancestors) to Henry Ford, who started Ford Motor Company. His ancestors were rather plebian, just like most of us. --Charlene 02:23, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

You mean the U of York went through that trouble just to find a relation between two unrelated people? | AndonicO ^{Talk | Sign Here} 11:15, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

You'd be surprised at how much trouble people go through to figure out relations between people! V-Man737 20:35, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Swedish post codes

Hi, I tried searching on the web and at posten.se, but couldn't find an answer.

Svärdvägen 11C, Box 625, SE-182 16 Danderyd, Sweden

What would be the

• Street & no.
• Post code & district/town

for the address above? Is the "Street & no." Svärdvägen 11C, 182 16 Danderyd? I see that listed as "Besoks adress".

Thank you in advance. --Kjoonlee 15:04, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

• The street & no. would be "Svärdvägen 11C"
• Post code & district/town would be "SE-182 16 Danderyd"

Actually, the "SE" just stands for Sweden, so in an automated form within Sweden, you might try "18216" as the post code.

Marco polo 17:12, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Besöksadress is Swedish for "Visiting address". If you want to send something by mail, you need the postadress. In this case, it appears to be a P.O.Box (called just "Box" in Sweden, so here it is "Box 625"). For international use, the best post code to use is "SE-182 16". There is an international standard, in which you prefix a national post code (in this case "182 16") with the ISO two-letter country code to get the international post code.

In case you really need the post code for the street address: it would be unusual for this to be identical to the one for the P.O.Box. I suspect it should be "182 33".  --Lambiam^Talk 18:04, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Still, most recipients receiving their mail to a P.O. Box don't really use their visiting address. I'd send to the box address, even though this will mean you technically aren't supplying a street adress. Additionally, Postnummerguiden is useful for finding postal codes within Sweden. TERdON 15:28, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

MSDS

Does anyone know of a good online MSDS database?--74.66.242.190 18:46, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

I'd start at the top of this list and work my way down. Rockpocket 19:05, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Google Answers

Because Google Answers shut down, do you know any other places that are like it. if you ask a question for a fee.

You may want to keep an eye on this page: http://groups-beta.google.com/group/GAalumni/web/research-websites-of-ex-gars --Nelson Ricardo 19:33, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks! Do you know any other places, that you ask questions and recieve answers for a fee?

Ask Metafilter costs $5 to join, but you don't get paid for answering questions and are limited to asking one question per fortnight. You might also want to check out this thread. And, of course, there's always these reference desks for no charge! Natgoo 19:56, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

There's also Yahoo Answers.Once you register,(which is free) you can ask questions and other people signed up can answer you.Serenaacw 20:28, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Be sure to discount a lot of the nonsense that you get there, though. Much like RD.  :) User:Zoe|(talk) 22:08, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Very true,Zoe.Serenaacw 20:05, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Cranberry Sauce ?

Why is cranberry sauce only marketed as a Thanksgiving/Christmas treat, coming only in a can ? I've tried using it as jelly, on toast alone or with peanut butter, and it's rather good. Cranberries are also supposed to be quite healthy. Cranberry sauce would need to come in a reclosable jar and be placed next to the other jellies/jams/preserves/marmalades to sell well, for that purpose. So, my question is, has this ever been tried ? If so, what were the results of the trial ? StuRat 19:45, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Same reason they only sell eggnog at Christmas: Tradition. People think of it as a holiday food, so it isn't really eaten much during the rest of the year. GhostPirate 19:54, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

One simple answer would be to make it your self. I never buy the stuff in cans, it is always full of addatives and a copiois amount of sugar; homemade is a lot nicer. ɪŋglɪʃnɜː(r)d(Suggestion?|wanna chat?) 20:50, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm just fine with the stuff in cans, I just don't want to have to either use it all up at once or scrape it all out of the can into a storage container that I then have to wash, later. Will nobody sell me cranberry sauce in a jar ? StuRat 21:04, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Come to the UK, it's always sold in jars here. --Auximines 21:28, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Cool, is it sold with the other jams/jellies/preserves/marmalades/fruit spreads ? StuRat 14:00, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

It is in my local supermarkets. And I think it's available all year round. Skittle 15:12, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Where are you, StuRat? You can buy whole cranberries throughout the entire year here in California. There are tons of recipes for using them. There are also frozen cranberry relishes you can by, not just canned, and not jellied. User:Zoe|(talk) 22:10, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm in Detroit, USA, and I really just want a jar of cranberry jelly. StuRat 00:07, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

In Australia, anything cranberry, like jam or juice, is usually more expensive then others in the range like orange or apple. Maybe that's why it doesn't do as well. But I agree, I love the cranberries, especially with vodka and lime. :) Vespine 22:23, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Ooh, me, too, with a splash of Cointreau (see Cosmopolitan (cocktail)). User:Zoe|(talk) 22:45, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

I believe cranberries, in the US, cost less than blueberries/blackberries/raspberries and jams/jellies/preserves are made from all of those. StuRat 01:59, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

You have to live in Alberta where it's insane. First of all, you can't find canned cranberries except around Thanksgiving (which is in October, thank you). You can however find real cranberries from September to December, if you can afford them. Cranberry juice is $13.99 a jar (note: cranberry "cocktail" is about 5% cranberry juice - it's really flavoured apple/grape juice). Try to find them in spring. Then again, with hamburger at $0.69 a kilo last week, I guess we have benefits. --Charlene 02:20, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

The companies that market cranberry products are not very creative, it seems. When I buy cranberry juice, it says on the bottle "always serve well-chilled." But cranberry juice is great when it's hot. Just stick a mug in the microwave for about 1:30 or so. Perfect for a cool evening. — Michael J 18:58, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

Why is it that unhealthy food is always dirt cheap & vice-versa

Why is it that unhealthy food is always dirt cheap and healthy food is so darned expensive ? StuRat 14:00, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Because unhealthy food is more common, due to the cheaper ingredients. Usually, the healthy food has fewer ingredients, though more expensive ones. Check the bag of your Doritos, and then a bag of say, Cape Cod chips, and you'll see what I mean. | AndonicO ^{Talk | Sign Here} 14:17, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

But then why are healthy ingredients almost universally more expensive than unhealthy ingredients ? For example, apple juice is dirt cheap, but basically just sugar water, while cranberry juice is quite healthy and quite expensive. Even healthy juices made from dirt cheap things, like carrots, are still far more expensive than apple juice. StuRat 14:29, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Wild, random guess time. Cheap foods are cheap because they are cheap to produce. That means the sources (fruits/vegetables/animals) have been produced in such a way as to produce the highest quantity in the least time with the least input. That is almost guaranteed to produce low nutritional results. If cranberries really took off, people would probably find a way of producing them more cheaply which would result in large, watery cranberries with very few vitamins etc in them. Skittle 15:18, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Read labels. The cheaper the food, the more likely that it contains large amounts of soy. Cheap, heavily subsidized in the US, and no more healthy than any other legume (and in some cases actually unhealthy). Everybody "knows" soy is healthy because a billion dollars worth of research has been put into it. Most legumes are likely just as healthy as soy but their growers don't have a wealthy lobby. It's also annoying because if you have something like breast cancer or uterine cancer (and the doctors warn you against eating large amounts of soy, which they do these days), you have to read every damn ingredient list. It's in everything from cookies to spaghetti sauces to fish sticks to soup to breakfast cereal to potato chips (!) to - (sound of hair being torn out). --Charlene 06:38, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

Interesting theory. They haven't yet found a way to ruin blackberries & raspberries, yet, though, and they are widely used as fruit spreads. StuRat 18:38, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, but again they're expensive. A little container of blackberries, maybe 200 g, is the same cost as a 2 kg bag of apples or pears. A little jar of raspberry jam costs the same as a much larger jar of strawberry jam. Mmmm...strawberries.... --Charlene 06:46, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

Yea, but strawberries have been messed with. Natural ones have one or two lobes, but I've seen some with 3, 4, or more lobes, a real Frankenberry. StuRat 15:46, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, you don't see turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, pumkin pie, pecan pie, eggnog, or beer after all the food-fussy festivities either. Well, maybe not the beer. ;-) | AndonicO ^{Talk | Sign Here} 22:57, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps it depends on where you live. You see ham and turkey here all the time - the local supermarket has at least 15 types of ham available for sale, and it's not a huge megastore. I don't think I've ever seen pecan pie, and sweet potatoes aren't really all that popular. --Charlene 06:46, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

Exactly. Where I live, the bakeries and grocery stores (even the tiny ones) all have pecan and pumpkin pies all year, and pretty much any greengrocer carries sweet potatoes and yams (note that they are not the same bird). Anchoress 16:04, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

Because the cranberry growers decided to market "craisins" instead. -THB 23:51, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Sure, but wouldn't having another product always help their bottom line ? StuRat 00:08, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Strawberry Fields Forever has John Lennon going "Cranberry sauce!" at the end. V-Man737 00:14, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't agree that healthy food is always more expensive than unhealthy; in fact I volunteer teaching people that it isn't. But on the specifics of this discussion; cranberries are a fairly specialised crop compared to many other fruits (I should know, my region is one of the world's biggest producers), while beef production (and to a lesser extent other meats) is subsidised in the US and Canada. So we (the consumers) are paying the real cost of cranberry production, while we (the taxpayers) are paying the balance of the real cost of beef. Anchoress 07:05, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

I can think of a few dirt cheap healthy foods (prices given for my area): bananas and carrots at around US$0.33 per pound (a bit under US$1 per kg), for example. What else can you think of ? StuRat 16:04, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

Almost all produce is very cheap in my neighbourhood. If I want shitake mushrooms, asparagus or certain imported fruits like pomegranates or mangoes I'll pay top dollar, but pretty much everything else is very cheap. For instance, bananas, carrots, oranges, potatoes, onions and apples are all $.29/lb (about 25c US). Beans are very good value (although it depends where you shop). I travel to what we call the 'Punjabi Market', a neighbourhood in Vancouver with a lot of South Asian shops, where beans are a third to half the price I would pay in my neighbourhood, and brown rice is about a fifth the price. Anchoress 16:23, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

Taters are cheap in the US, too, but I don't exactly count them as healthy food, since they have a high glycemic index and few people can stand them without covering them in salt, butter, sour cream, cheese, and/or bacon. Oranges and apples are much more in the US, maybe 4 times as much (unless you buy those year old mush apples they sell in plastic bags). Onions, I agree, are cheap and healthy. Beans may be cheap if you buy them unprepared, but they are a lot of work to cook (don't you need to soak them first ?). StuRat 17:48, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

The reason that many 'healthy' products are more expensive than 'unhealthy' ones could be attributed to economies of scale, cost of productionn, consumer demand and also specifics about the product itself. For instance if you sell 10million Mars Bars per day you can reduce the cost through investing in more efficient production/reduced profit per sale/etc. Healthy food can demand a 'premium' price because of how it is viewed in the marketplace. A 'high quality' product is often more expensive than the standard, this can be because consumers are willing to pay more or because the product costs more to produce (or a bit of both). The protectionism angle (noted above) in the food industry is very interesting and a huge debate continues to rage on about who should be subsidizing what (if at all). ny156uk 12:34, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, if any foods are subsidized, they should be the healthy ones only. Instead, we end up paying tax dollars to subsidize things like beef, and even worse, tobacco. StuRat 15:51, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

Lentils are very cheap and very healthy, as long as you know how to make them tasty once boiled. (I recommend cumin). Vranak

What is the correct size for a piece of coffee cake?

What is the correct size for a piece of coffee cake?

Many packages have the suggested serving size and number of servings per package listed on the package. If they suggest there are 10 servings per package, try cutting it into 10 pieces. StuRat 19:49, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

The correct size? Use your discretion — it depends on who you're serving it to and how interested they are in coffee cake. Usually though, it will be substantially smaller than a regular piece of cake. Vranak

Serving size is usually deceptive, though. The packaging will generally suggest a serving size considerably smaller than anybody would normally eat, just to make it look like there aren't as many calories as there really are. User:Zoe|(talk) 22:11, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Gasp! Omigosh!! The conspiracy theory must be true!!!1 Seriously, though, now that you mention it... V-Man737 23:05, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

You think he's joking. The bag of potato chips I have in front of me is what most people would consider "serving-sized" or even "child's serving sized" but apparently according to US law must be counted as two servings. This is not to "make it look like there aren't as many calories as there really are", but because US serving sizes for certain foods are set out in statute. The serving sizes are set by the US government and companies have no leeway whatsoever in choosing what size a "serving" is. They expect a serving of meat to be 6 oz (twice the normal size), but a serving of junk food to be less than 1 oz (5 oz is likely the normal serving size). Edited. --Charlene 02:15, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

On the other hand, if companies were allowed to set their own serving sizes, they would get smaller and smaller to make the fat/cholesterol/calories/sodium not look so bad per serving. Of course, having the gov decide leads to the question, should they use the recommended serving size or the actual serving size most people eat ? The gov is also subject to lobbying, so, if the potato chip lobby donates more to the right person than the pretzel lobby, they will get a smaller serving size so their products all appear healthier. StuRat 03:23, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

This question is a piece of cake. If you cut the cake in slices having a thickness of ³⁄₄" (2 cm), you can't be far off the mark. If you serve it with a knife on the plate, people on diet can always cut a slice in half and eat two half slices instead of one whole one.  --Lambiam^Talk 00:01, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeah but that would be 1cm of one and 10 mm of the other!--Light current 03:33, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Identify person

This man was a temporal but not quite a historical contemporary of Lincoln. Had he lived in another time and place, he would have headed the Cheka. Julian Barnes said of him, he “…was the prototype of a certain kind of modern politician: a zealot who essentially believed in nothing, and therefore ever powerful and ever dangerous.” Who is he?

I'm coming up with Pyotr Boborykin, who doesn't seem to have an article anywhere on the internet that I can find, but is mentioned in our article about inteligentsia, which seems to be a predecessor to the more successful Cheka. The article on inteligentsia says that Boborykin "proclaimed himself the godfather of the notion" after having popularised the idea in the 1860s. Quite an interesting article! V-Man737 21:15, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

It is beyond me why you consider the class of "people engaged in complex mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture" to be "a predecessor" to the secret Soviet state security police. In what sense was the latter more successful? Producing novels of higher artistic value than the writer Pyotr Dmitriyevich Boborykin (1836-1921), himself a reasonably successful (and harmless) novelist?  --Lambiam^Talk 23:49, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I had my doubts about that as well, seeing that there is no visible link between the Cheka and Inteligentsia; Mostly what I was basing my response on was the combination of 1) an influential Russian (because of the Cheka criteria); 2) the time period being historically contemporary to Abe Lincoln; and 3) having a connection in some way to an organization that is similar to the Cheka but in a different time period. I agree, there are big gaps in the conclusion, mostly because I couldn't find that Julian Barnes quote anywhere. Any other guesses? V-Man737 00:04, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Robert E. Lee? He was in power at about the same time as Lincoln although lived a little longer. Fascinating facts: Lee and Barnes share a birthday and Gerald Ford pardoned both Lee and Nixon. meltBanana 01:36, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Lee was certainly not a zealot who essentially believed in nothing. User:Zoe|(talk) 17:14, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

"Temporal but not quite historical" – is it supposed to be a real person, or could it be a fictional character?--Rallette 18:57, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Forward Lean and High Back Rotation Adjustments on a Snowboard

I recently purchased a new pair of higher-end snowboard bindings that have specially adjustable features for "Forward Lean" and "Highback Rotation" Can someone please explain the significance of these adjustments and how they may affect my snowboarding abilities. I'd also appreciate the physics behind it too.

From snowboarding.about.com — "Forward Lean: An adjustment made to the part of a binding that rests against the back of the rider's calf. The more forward lean you have, the more your leg is angled toward your toes."

and from snowboardermag.com: "The highback is a simple and beautiful thing that serves a complex function. A rider’s ability to put a board on its heel edge is controlled by the highback more than anything else." Googling either of the terms brings up several ads for special variations on them, as well as forums full of people arguing about the best settings. V-Man737 23:18, 28 December 2006 (UTC)