Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 July 10

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July 10

file linking website question

is there a video linking website like Alluc.org for adult content?

You are having trouble finding adult content on the internet!?!?!?!? Jon513 12:51, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps in their search for porn they are deluged with images of cats, facial creams, and building construction ? We really need a filter to prevent non-porn images from being returned to unsuspecting Internet browsers. :-) StuRat 14:05, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

Real or fake Lacoste shirt?

I discovered a Lacoste shirt that I have purchased about 7 or 8 years ago. I have not worn it very frequently and is therefore in quite good shape. I have came across a few online guides that help the reader distinguish between fake Lacostes and real ones. I have compared various parts of my shirt with photos on the websites and I have begun to cast doubt towards the authenticity of my shirt. I would have regarded my shirt as a fake if it wasn't for the fact that I purchased it in a genuine Lacoste retailer in Germany 8 years ago, when Lacoste may have designed their shirts a different way.

Attached are several macro-shots I have made of my shirt:

• Pocket alligator
• Size tag
• Devanlay tag
• Buttons
• Fabric
• Entire shirt
• Stichwork

Please keep in mind that this is not a polo shirt, which is what most online guides are dedicated towards, but rather it's a short-sleeved shirt, that is in need of ironing ;). Also, it was purchased about 8 years ago, so Lacoste may have changed some of their little details. Thanks in advance. Acceptable 01:54, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

So what's your question? Are you asking if your shirt was in fact made by Lacoste? Nevermind, I missed the heading where the question lies. If you bought it from a Lacoste dealer, I would think that would be proof enough. I'm not sure why it matters now though. Dismas|^(talk) 06:14, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Honestly it is difficult to differentiate between a real shirt and a fake one nowadays since the fakes have taken a huge jump up in quality and are almost exactly the same. I actually wouldn't be suprised if it comes off the same assembly line, just the alligator logo and the tags have to be made elsewhere. But in any case, I think that one may be a fake. If you look closely at the alligator logo, the feet have no claws on them and the gator doesn't seem very detailed. Although the shirt is 8 years old, it could have worn out or perhaps they used a different alligator logo back then. On another note, fakes turn up in real stores all the time, since people who work there really would have no idea if it is real or not (unless the store gives them some sort of "fake detector."--GTPoompt(talk) 12:44, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

It's also pretty naive to think that the fake shirt makers didn't check the same website that you checked. SteveBaker 22:01, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Most fakes are made in small towns and villages in China, India, Indonesia, and the like. Most of these areas didn't have Internet service eight years ago. Many don't have it today. --Charlene 19:19, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Black people swimming

This is a question I have on an answer to a question I read earlier on. Please, I do not mean any offensive in this. Is it true that black people cannnot swim as well as non-black people? If so, why? I've read that it is because they have denser bones, is this true? Acceptable 02:26, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

This is a myth promoted by, among others, the late Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, who famously stated black people can't compete in swimming because they "don't have the buyancy." See, for instance, this page for information on black competitive swimmers. -- Mwalcoff 02:36, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

To the extent that black people don't swim as much as whites, I think you'll find the sign at right to be the historical cause. --TotoBaggins 16:44, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

"Thank you for not swimming in our ocean -- The Management"

To be fair (not that the regime particularly deserves a fair crack of the whip) that policy wouldn't really have any great effect on Africans swimming in South Africa. The policy didn't restrict non-whites from all beaches, or even most beaches, but just ones around the areas whites lived in. In practice the majority of South African beaches would contain few white people (though they were not legally restricited from visiting them) and the smaller number of white only beaches would not have any blacks. In practice enforcing the beach issue was somewhat redundant, since the black people were restricted from living (and in some cases travelling) near many of those beaches anyway. In doing so it turned into perhaps the most iconic symbol of Apartheid and a PR disaster for the regime. I appreciate there was an element of dark humour (no pun intented) in your response, but I just thought I would clarify what is a common misconception about the racially segregated beaches. Rockpocket 00:41, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

I'll second that. Being South African, I'll attest that the photo is only relevant to South Africa and maybe a select few African nations, but as for the rest of literally dozens of coastal African nations it simply doesn't apply. Rfwoolf 00:44, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

The reality is that a black person is less likely to be as strong a swimmer as a white person. But that is likely due to socio-economic factors, specifically access to swimming pools, both private and public, at a young age. Here is some very interesting statistics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, In America:

• Black children drown 2.3 times more often than their white peers
• Among 10- to 14-year-olds, black children drown at five times the rate of white children.

In addition, there is some suggestions that cultural factors influence this and that chlorine has a particularly harsh effect on Afican skin and hair types, making pool swimming an uncomfortable experience for some. [1] Rockpocket 00:56, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

Huh, I've never heard that before (about the chlorine). Do you have any further source? That news story you linked to seemed to only contain anecdotal evidence.--Ybbor^Talk 02:47, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

Here is a better source:

Chlorine, a staple in public polls, is also an issue. Dr. Jeanine Downie, a dermatologist in Montclair, N.J., who is Aftrican-American and was a competitive swimmer, said that chlorine can turn a black skin "ashy" and cause processed hair, popular among black women, to break off or discolor. "The hair issue is a big one," Dr. Downier said. "African-American women are always saying: "What am I going to do with my hair? I can't get it wet."

— Lynn Zinser, The New York Times, A Special Section: Health, June 19, 2006

Rockpocket 07:39, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

I'll echo the socio-economic issues. Learning how to swim isn't a trivial process (it took me several years of trial and repeated error, and that's money). And if you want to swim competitively, year-round, it can seriously cost over a thousand dollars a year.

I swam competitively for over ten years across the 1990's, and I think I remember seeing two blacks in my year-round team (granted, in a very predominantly white area of the United States, and very affluent). Obviously, factors such as money and even chlorine (of course in some pools, it doesn't matter who you are, the chlorine will completely suck!) are relevant, but one thing I wonder about is role models. Who are the role models for black children (and their parents to motivate them) when they are at impressionable ages? Not many (Mr. Cullen Jones has recently come on to the stage to kick tail in the short distance freestyle, but how many people know who he is?). And honestly, I don't see that great an effort to remedy this (I'm sure USA Swimming will dispute me on this, so see their website to see their Diversity section to see their position)--more discussion is currently devoted to the issue of gender attrition, as the membership in USA Swimming is approaching 60/40 female. I don't know if any of my answers are on target...but at least the questions are asked. –Pakman044 01:11, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

How much Wood

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

3 gills. Adam Bishop 02:51, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia doesn't have an article, but somebody has answered this question before. --anonymous6494 02:56, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Per the previous responder and Cecil Adams, this would be 700 pounds of wood, which at 7000 BTU per pound per [2] would yield 4.9 million BTU of heat when burned. A cord of wood is 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet (not to be confused with the "face cord" which is only 1/3 of this) and contains 128 cubic feet of wood. which weighs 2 to 3 tons. A ton of green wood, with a 50% moisture content, would give you 1000 pounds of wood and 1000 pounds of water, while a ton of cured dry wood would furnish 1670 pounds of wood and only 330 pounds of water [3]. You should keep this in mind, as woodchucks are indifferent to the heat value of the wood they chuck. Edison 03:51, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

The problem, as I see it, is that all respondents have answered "how much wood could a woodchuck chuck...." That's all well and good, but the stated question is "how much wood would a woodchuck chuck...", and I think that answer is fairly clearly "none" -- unless you allow the woodchuck to unionize and demand overtime. — Lomn 13:33, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Why are iPods so popular?

What is their advantage over other digital media players? -- Mwalcoff 03:03, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Mob mentality, ease of use, iTunes, market presence (everyone knows about them, but not say, a Zune). There are any number of factors that favor the iPod to other MP3 players --L^augh! 03:29, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

It's nothing but an induced epidemic :-) A.Z. 03:41, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Like other Apple products, they offer superior design, innovative technology and an operating system that is very easy to use. ; ) Mhicaoidh 05:49, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

More like nice styling, and ease of use. I don't think Apple has really been that innovative since the Newton. They just take things, and improve them by a lot --L^augh! 05:54, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Reading the iTunes Store article, I see that few non-Apple devices play iTunes downloads. That raises two questions:

• Are there legal alternatives to using iTunes Store and iPod (or actually buying physical CDs, copying them onto my computer and then putting them on an MP3 player)?
• Isn't Apple in jeopardy of violating laws on unfair trade practices?

I ask because I'd like to get a digital music player that also has an AM radio so I can listen to ballgames as well as music. I don't think iPods have radios. -- Mwalcoff 05:56, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

1- uh... of course? How would the other 20% of the market fill up their MP3 players? 2-No. They have about a 70-80% market share of mp3 players, and they're still the number 3 retailer of music. If the government wanted to make having a large market share a crime, they'd have to attack Microsoft Windows long before Apple. As to the radio, not built in, but none of the MP3 players have AM at all. There are however iPod attachments (the biggest advantage of the iPod over other mp3 players imo) that allow it to play FM radio, I'm not sure about AM, but I imagine they exist. You'd be best off going to Best Buy and looking through their accessories shelf --L^augh! 07:00, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

OK, so what legal alternatives exist to iTunes? I'm new at this. -- Mwalcoff 22:41, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Category:Online_music_stores Skittle 16:00, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Napster is now 100% legal and licit and works much like iTunes, but for Napster-capable devices. --Charlene 02:45, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

Recording announcements at JFK Terminal 4

There is a recording announcements at JFK terminal 4 announcing flight arrivals/departures. Who is that person that made those announcements? 24.90.27.179 03:39, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

I honestly don't know, but I'm gonna speculate and say a text-to-speech system? Splintercellguy 06:52, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

I dunno, but "the white zone is for loading and unloading only, there's no stopping in a red zone."

Atlant 12:54, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

The red zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the white zone. 199.172.246.196 16:32, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Well, I have heard Laurie Anderson reciting that. Mhicaoidh 04:33, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

No, the white zone is for loading. Now, there is no stopping in a RED zone.

Atlant 11:01, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

It could well be a proper actor or trained voiceover person. I know that for British railway station and on-train announcements, which are all the rage at the moment (the Southern train operating company goes particularly crazy on its trains, cramming in masses of announcements), actors are used. I think they go and record individual words, sentences and numbers in a recording studio, and software automatically strings these together as appropriate. The article for British Rail Class 334 trains notes that the original announcements on these trains were derided and criticised, with the voice being condemned as "Annoying Annie" (ooh - that needs a citation; I wonder if this site is good enough...?), but that another actress has re-recorded them now. On Southern, the voice sounds very much like the distinctive tones of Joanna Lumley. Sorry, that went totally off-topic... Hassocks5489 11:43, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Are you saying your reply went off the rails???

Atlant 16:37, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

No, it just switched to another train of thought. StuRat 13:53, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

Ottawa A-channel

HElli

Does Ctv really plan to Sell A-channel Ottawa to City tv so Rogers can rebradn it To City tv

According to this story from June 12, no - CTV will be keeping the A-Channel network, but Rogers picked up the CityTV network. The Globe and Mail says CTV may rebrand A-Channel outlets, though. Tony Fox (arf!) review? 16:34, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

weird laws

how do i find old, strange and weird laws that are no longer in effect in Maine?69.21.24.85 10:19, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

This website lists some weird laws, but I have no idea if they are still in effect. In general with these weird laws things, you should always be careful in believing them unless references/citations are given. - Akamad 10:41, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

This is at least the second or third time this question has been asked - I suggest you check the archives (links at the top of this page). SteveBaker 11:02, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

No wearing a Maine Coon Cat on your head and pretending it's a hat, except on Cat as a Hat day ? :-) StuRat 13:49, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

Text on website

Please have a look at the home page of this website (work safe). If you watch it for awhile, it flashes up small text all over the screen - what are the words? I think the text changes from time to time, but it's so small and flashes for such a short time that I can't read it. Many thanks. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 13:43, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Animated GIF flashes "let's art" / "no borders" / "no pintcha". Meh. -- Hyponutremia 13:56, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

The actual background is just a tiled gif. That is one of the most incredibly stupid webpages I have ever seen, to be brutally honest. And I used to frequent fark and 4chan --L^augh! 14:00, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

The words are set to be there for a mere tenth of a second for each phrase - with 5, 4 and 3 second pauses in the cycle. I can't improve on the immortal sentiments of Hyponutremia: "Meh". SteveBaker 21:58, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

I believe it says, "Please Report Me to webpagesthatsuck.com". --Charlene 02:43, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

I've seen the approach of "keep bad visuals well hidden by only flashing them briefly on the screen" used in movies often. For example, in Lord of the Rings 2 (I think that's the right one), the camera was constantly spinning during a battle scene with subpar monsters to disguise the fact that they just looked like lumps of fur. StuRat 05:09, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

911 / 999

1. What would happen if I dialled 9-1-1 in the UK? Would I get through to the emergency services?

2. Similarly, if one were to dial 9-9-9 (or 1-1-2) in the USA, would you get through to the emergency services?

Please don't just ring them and find out, there's a reason I didn't do that myself (it's illegal to misuse the emergency numbers). Neil ╦ 14:22, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Technically, if you just press the wrong numbers, they can't get you on anything, as long as you make it short and clear what happened. I live in area code 913- so our 911 centers actually talk about this kinda stuff --L^augh! 14:27, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

I'm very brave. Indeed. Actually, I'm not. On the basis that I was nearly certain that it doesn't work, I just tried dialling 9-1-1 in the UK. I got the usual response for an unallocated number - three horrendous tones, followed by the gruesome BT 'part-woman-part-computer' voice telling me, "The number you have dialled has not been recognised. Please check and try again." So, the answer to part one is "No." --Dweller 14:34, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

The only two numbers that work in the UK are 999 and 112. This is covered in some detail in our Emergency telephone number article.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 14:57, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

112 is the EU number86.197.46.138 15:32, 10 July 2007 (UTC)petitmichel

Yeah, 112 works in the UK as in the rest of Europe. What about dialling 999 or 112 in the US? Neil ╦ 15:35, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

My money is on "no" -- in my opinion, dialling these numbers would give you a pause for a few seconds (as it's waiting for the rest of the telephone number, thinking that it's "999-****" or 1-12*-****"), then the evil tones and message. -- azumanga 16:00, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

999 in the US: Pause – tones – "We're sorry, your call did not go through. Please try your call again." 112 in the US: Immediate "Your call could not be completed as dialed. Please check your number and dial again." It is pathetic that there isn't a global standard for emergency numbers. 169.230.94.28 17:27, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

• Before there could be a global standard for short emergency numbers, there would have to be a global standard for ordinary numbers. (Which seems most unlikely to ever happen, as every country thinks they're the ones that construct numbers correctly and all the others have it wrong.) If you dial something that isn't a special short number where you live, it'll just be taken as an incomplete phone number. In some area codes in the US and Canada there are ordinary phone numbers starting with 999, although I don't know if any of them are area codes with 7-digit local dialing so that a local call might begin with 999.

• According to the North American Numbering Plan article, Trinidad and Tobago does use 999 as a short emergency number, contrary to the usual NANP rules. --Anonymous, July 11, 2007, 00:43 (UTC).

It is true that it would not be trivial to standardize emergency numbers internationally. However, you are missing the point that the EU is doing exactly that right now. Different EU nations used to have different emergency numbers (UK: 999, Sweden: 90000, etc.), but they are now standardizing on 112. Different countries still have different telephone numbering systems in general, and, yes, there were some obstacles in that some countries had area codes or local numbers that start with 112. So those countries have to change those numbers. Big hairy deal. Countries change peoples area codes all the time, when the old codes fill up. If you want something like this, you just do it. 169.230.94.28 00:58, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

In North America, however, adopting "112" as an emergency would require a complete reworking of the phone system. The number 1 is the access code for long distance, so the system interprets any call beginning with "1" as a long-distance call. -- Mwalcoff 01:14, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

On the other hand, there are no area codes in the North American system that begin with the number 1 (and indeed, there won't be); there's no place where any valid number could be dialled that begins with 1-1-2. In principle, the system could be configured to recognize this as an emergency number and route it accordingly.

I was actually going to ask a similar question myself after finding out I could also dial 08 without a SIM card in my phone. The article Emergency telephone number told me enough.  slυмgυм [ ←→ ] 22:13, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

I've heard that if you call 911 here in Australia you'll get redirected to 000 because of some people panicing and forgetting the emergency service number due to American movies and TV. --Candy-Panda 12:04, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Paris train station announcements

When I was in Paris last year, train station announcements were always preceded by a few delightful chords. I have been trying for days to remember how they went, but they are ever-so elusive. I don't suppose that anyone has a recording of it? Or, equally good, could someone hum it for me? 199.172.246.196 16:38, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

How could someone hum it to you here? PolarWolf 16:58, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Presumably I am not the only person with a microphone 199.172.246.196 11:59, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

You can't really hum chords anyway. SteveBaker 21:50, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

David Hykes et al can. See overtone singing. -- JackofOz 03:49, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

I don't know about Paris, but a fair few European stations use the first few notes of How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?. Laïka 17:33, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

The state with the most classic cars

Hello,

I am wondering if anyone may know what state holds the most classic cars. Thank you204.112.135.218 17:37, 10 July 2007 (UTC)curious classic car

It may be difficult to come up with sources, but generally southern and western states are a good bet- the cars don't rust very fast out there. Friday (talk) 17:42, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

My bet would be California. The weather is basically good year round (no snow, no salt), it is also set up for easy car use (and poor public transportation makes for high car ownership), and it has a lot of people for one state (most populous state in US). I would be very surprised if any other state beat it out. --24.147.86.187 22:34, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Cuba? Oh, you meant "Which state in the United States..."

Atlant 11:05, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Whichever one the conventions are in this week --L^augh! 12:03, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

By state do you mean american states, or state as a country. I wouldn't know about american states, but Malta has a lot of classic cars.

holidays

i would like to make my holidays useful.for that wat should i do.pls help me create a good timetable ______________hiiiiii help________________

It is pretty tough to figure out what you want based on the above. --24.147.86.187 01:08, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

• 7:00 Wake up. Exercise for one hour.
• 8:00 Shower, dress, healthy breakfast.
• 9:00 Read from the religious text or philosopher of your choice.
• 10:00 Practice some useful skill, like knitting, carpentry, or computer programming.
• 12:00 Healthy lunch.
• 1:00 Volunteer or charity work.
• 4:00 Go for a nice walk and think over what you've learned today.
• 5:00 Healthy supper.
• 6:00 Pleasant time with family; have a conversation, play a game, do something together
• 9:00 Read from one of the great works of Western literature.
• 11:00 Go to sleep. -FisherQueen (Talk) 03:32, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Or - if you are actually on holiday:

• 11:30 Wake up. Take hangover medication.
• 11:40 Eat two slices of cold pizza washed down with a nice frost beer from the fridge.
• 12:00 Drive to the pub at 20mph above the prevailing speed limit.
• 12:05 Second beer of the day
• 12:25 Third beer of the day
• 12:45 Fourth beer of the day - with a bag of Pork rinds.
• 1:00 Realise cannot drive home again.
• 1:10 Fifth beer of the day.
• 1:40 Start to stagger home.
• 2:40 Arrive home with terrible headache.
• 2:50 Fall asleep on sofa.
• 5:00 Wake up. Take hangover medication.
• 5:10 Peer into pizza box - eat two leftover Pizza crusts.
• 5:20 Read FisherQueen's list of things to do tomorrow. Belch a few times.
• 5:30 Watch Dr Who rerun.
• 6:30 Peckish - order Pizza.
• 6:31 Watch another Dr Who rerun.
• 7:30 Pizza arrives - eat all but two slices - leaving two crusts inside box.
• 8:00 Decide to go to the pub - notice car is not here.
• 8:01 Walk to pub.
• 8:30 First beer of the day (look we aren't counting the earlier ones - OK?)
• 8:40 Play darts.
• 9:00 Second beer of the day (I'm warning your about this counting obsession!)
• 9:30, 10:00, 10:30 More beer.
• 11:00 Get friend to drive you and your car home.
• 11:05 Play old video games with friend.
• 3:00 Say "Shit! Look at the time"
• 4:30 Actually go to bed.

SteveBaker 04:04, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

What are you, some sort of perv? Where's the time allotted for editing? Clarityfiend 05:42, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

For many folks (not SteveBaker though), that's clearly between 2:40 and 2:50. They can do a lot of damage in just ten minutes.

Atlant 11:10, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

How's this one then:

• 7:00 Wake up
• 7:05 Eat breakfast
• 7:15 Edit Wikipedia
• 11:00 Elevenses
• 11:10 Edit Wikipedia
• 12:30 Eat lunch
• 12:40 Edit Wikipedia
• 5:30 Eat tea
• 5:40 Edit Wikipedia
• 3:45 Fall asleep in front of Wikipedia.

It seems pretty comprehensive for your common or garden Wikiholic, but hardcore editors may find that there is a need to allocate a few hours more Wikipedia editing time. Laïka 15:55, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

We've had breakfast, yes. But what about second breakfast? — Lomn 18:09, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Ten minutes to eat food per meal? You are wasting a total of 40 minutes that could be better used squashing vandalism. You can eat when you're dead (and sleep too).--GTPoompt(talk) 18:37, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

You can eat and edit at the same time. You can also drink and edit at the same time, although I won't vouch for the efficacy of that. --Charlene 18:54, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Eat tea...How in the world do you pull that off? --L^augh! 12:49, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

In this case, "tea" refers to a more than just the steeped beverage.

Atlant 13:15, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

In Kiwispeak, "tea" doesn't even mean the beverage any more, they call that a "cuppa". StuRat 04:45, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

GB Plates

2 questions: If I take my car from Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK) and drive south into the Republic of Ireland, will I need to attach GB (Great Britain) plates or stickers to my car - front and back? 2nd Question: If so, why? Southern Ireland is part of Great Britain (but not part of the UK (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). So, 3rd Question, why are they called GB plates and not UK plates for use when travelling outside the UK? After all, cars travelling outside the Republic bear plates or stickers marked IRL. Confused? Me too.

I don't know about the first. As for the whys, the short answer is that the terminology of the British Isles is confusing and sometimes contradictory. One thing to be clear on, however, is that Ireland and Great Britain are entirely distinct islands; neither is part of the other. As for the "GB" sticker:

While "United Kingdom" is normally abbreviated UK, the official ISO 3166 two-letter country code is GB and the three letter code is GBR (Ukraine has the two letter code UA and the three letter code UKR) (from the article above) — Lomn 22:06, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

If you have the new-style EU plates you do not need a GB sticker to drive anywhere in the EU. DuncanHill 22:09, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

I've driven all over Europe without one. They're as useful as 'Baby on Board' signs.  slυмgυм [ ←→ ] 22:59, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

I've been stopped from driving into Denmark (I think) for lack of one; it follows that they are sufficiently useful to get you past ratty Danish border guards on a rainy Sunday night. This may all have been pre-Schengen; I forget. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Danish border guards? Even pre-Schengen I never managed to find one (only a telephone at the crossing-point, to ring them if you were desperate)> DuncanHill 10:37, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

I guess I was just lucky. --Tagishsimon (talk)

auto windshield installation instructions

I am trying to install a windshield into my 1993 Chevy van and I need instructions.

I doubt if you need instructions specific for that vehicle, as installing windshields is usually done in about the same way. Do you have general instructions for windshield installation at your disposal ? StuRat

New oak

How do I age new oak

...wait? -FisherQueen (Talk) 23:58, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Best answer ever. —Keenan Pepper 08:38, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

For what use? Rmhermen 00:05, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

If it's just for the looks you can stain it and then sand it so the stain is nearly off, mentioned from the Ninja special episode of Mythbusters. --antilived^{T | C | G} 05:35, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Seal it up with new wine until the wine ages? Or if you prefer, whiskey or tequila instead of the wine. Corvus cornix 20:18, 11 July 2007 (UTC)