Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2015 July 1

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July 1

Surnames on US Army uniforms

Did US Army uniforms have names over the pockets during the Korean War? I'm referring to the olive drab BDUs, not the Class As. The question occurred to me as I was watching an episode of M*A*S*H and I can't seem to find anything via searches. Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 03:44, 1 July 2015 (UTC)

I had a look around and found this. So it appears as though name tape (which looks to be the correct name for them) was in use at the end of the Korean war. Gunrun (talk) 16:24, 1 July 2015 (UTC)

I'll have to take your word for that since Google won't let me read that without buying it. Dismas|^(talk) 20:13, 1 July 2015 (UTC)

I find that often when a Google Books link produces "You have reached your viewing limit for this book", it actually will let me read it if I just click the − button to change the size. That worked for me in this case. The book is U.S. Army Uniforms of the Cold War, 1948–1973 by Shelby L. Stanton. In the context of field and work uniforms, it says (on pages 126 and 130):

The "U.S. ARMY" distinguishing insignia was authorized on 27 October 1953 and worn above the left pocket on the jacket. The woven label had golden yellow lettering on a black background. A name tape was added by local unit directives above the right pocket and contained the soldier's last name. Early name tapes were often in branch colors but most were made of white engineer tape with black lettering. Effective 14 July 1966 DA directed that both tapes have black lettering on Olive Green shade 107 cloth.

So the book isn't explicit about when the name tape was added, but if it was initially a matter of "local unit directives" then it sounds as if some units would have had them before others. --70.49.171.136 (talk) 06:45, 2 July 2015 (UTC)

But if you do a Google image search for photos of "Mobile army surgical korea", you'll find bunches of pictures of people in real MASH units - (eg http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/HistoryofUSArmyMSC/page238.jpg) and I didn't see name-tags on any of them. SteveBaker (talk) 20:52, 1 July 2015 (UTC)

Thank you for the responses and references. The bit about white tape with black lettering reminds me of something I heard years ago about the white tape being changed to a darker color because enemy soldiers would see the white more easily and aim for it. Thanks again, Dismas|^(talk) 12:35, 2 July 2015 (UTC)

Restaurant incubators

With mobile apps for ordering delivered food I am wondering if anyone has started a sort of incubator for restaurants. By this I mean the incubator is like a cubicle farm of kitchens with each kitchen cubicle essentially being an individual restaurant kitchen. Each of these kitchen restaurants offer menus and take orders from their mobile app page. All of these kitchen restaurants share the same pool of takeout delivery drivers located at the incubator. Muzzleflash (talk) 12:58, 1 July 2015 (UTC)

We have articles Business incubator and Kitchen incubator. The latter seems to have some external links at the bottom that might list some extant examples, not sure if any of them work precisely as you describe. SemanticMantis (talk) 14:57, 1 July 2015 (UTC)

• I have a dim memory of reading, within the past few years, of such a project in New York(?) which was shut down essentially because the model doesn't fit the relevant Procrustean regulatory boxes. —Tamfang (talk) 07:23, 2 July 2015 (UTC)

Your suggested model is rather limiting. What if someone wants to pick up an order? What if someone wants to sit and eat? If you remove those limitations, you end up with something like the Food Court at the Reagan Building in Washington DC. It is a food court. There are multiple little cubbies along the wall, each housing a small restaurant. You can go to one and get food. There are multiple tables to eat at, regardless of which restaurant you get food from. You can get a to-go order. You can also order delivery service from one of many Washington DC delivery services (which costs a fee for delivery and a tip is still expected). My opinion is that stripping away the ability to stop by and pick up an order will make the entire model rather unattractive to a restaurant owner as what you are offering is essentially a food truck that cannot go anywhere and is limited to delivery only. 199.15.144.250 (talk) 16:27, 2 July 2015 (UTC)

I think this business model could work, with a few provisos:

1) Would probably only work in a small community. In a large community, they can already order any kind of take-out they want, so you wouldn't have an advantage. But, in a small community, which can't support full-scale restaurants of every type, you might be able to fill a niche.

2) I agree that allowing people to pick up their orders, and thus eliminate delivery fees, might be a good idea. You could also provide "self serve" tables, soft drink machines, etc., as some people don't want the mess at their house.

3) You should allow in-person, phone, and home computer orders, too. Why limit your business to just mobile apps ?

I agree that you shouldn't offer full table service, as that requires a whole different level of staff and service. StuRat (talk) 03:11, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

Where is a good safe place for a 31 year woman with aspergers in Vancouver Canada to meet a man with the same condition to date?

I don't know where to start. Venustar84 (talk) 19:28, 1 July 2015 (UTC)

If you Google the phrase: "meetup aspergers Vancouver Canada", you'll see that there are at least 4 or 5 Meetup.com groups who support people with Aspergers syndrome who meet in that area. Those groups are great places to meet people in similar situations - and providing you're sure that a reasonable number of people are going to show up, and that the meeting is in a public place, they are very safe places to meet and chat with people.

From my brief history of attending such meetups in Austin, TX (I'm a high-functioning aspie myself) - I feel that I should remind you that Aspergers' is a spectrum condition - meaning that you'll meet people who range from the lucky 'high-functioning' types through to the less fortunate people with rather severe problems holding their lives together.

It's worth remembering that most 'aspies' (even the high-functioning kind) find it hard to form relationships at the best of times - and when two aspies try to make it together in life, it can be doubly hard. That said, the bond of mutual understanding is worth having.

Some of those groups are intended mainly for parents of Asperger children - and you'll probably want to avoid those. Aside from the fact that you're unlikely to meet a man with the same condition at one of those events, the parents tend to be dead set on 'fixing' what they see as 'broken' children rather than trying to understand and support them - and that can get REALLY annoying for those of us who are victims - doubly so for those of us who do not accept the utterly debunked theory that autism & aspergers is caused by vaccinations or diet or...whatever crazy theory it is this time around. <sigh>.

On the plus side, aspergers occurs predominantly in males - so you'll undoubtedly find more men than women in these groups.

Good luck in your hunt!

SteveBaker (talk) 20:44, 1 July 2015 (UTC)

In addition to specific meetups for people with Asperger's, you might also do well just to check out hobby groups and meetings that may attract a certain type of people that you might get along with. For instance, I know some people on the Autism spectrum that are highly involved with various types of Maker_culture clubs. Some are really into role playing games, either pen & paper, or computer-based, or things like Magic The Gathering, etc. Another person I know is really into exotic pets - ferrets specifically. Science also seems to attract many people on the spectrum, but that's just my WP:OR. Anyway, I don't know what you're into and maybe none of those are your cup of tea, but my main point is that you might have just as much luck going to groups that are based around your interests, rather than based around your condition. Indeed, if you have a condition and like a certain activity, others who share your condition may like the same activity. I assume you're aware of online dating, but I'll also point out that you can search sites like OK Cupid for Aspie, Asperger's, etc.; it seems that many people on the site declare their status and interest in seeking same. SemanticMantis (talk) 21:23, 2 July 2015 (UTC)

To add my ObPersonal tuppenceworth: active Science Fiction Fandom includes a noticeably high proportion of people variously positioned on the spectrum, so you could check out any local SF/Fantasy fan clubs, and perhaps try attending a Convention for a day if one happens conveniently near you (I'd recommend going for smaller rather than larger, and fan-organised rather than commercial). I can't guarantee that no-one at all in Fandom that you might meet might be predatory, but the community is increasingly aware of harassment issues and many convention committees are introducing explicit anti-harassment policies (since in the modern world, sadly, courteous behaviour can no longer be taken as read.) {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 212.95.237.92 (talk) 13:01, 3 July 2015 (UTC)