Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2012 June 5

= June 5 =

A website to send certificates ?
Hi, I'm a synsop in Arabic Wikipedia. To encourage users to become much more active, I'd like to send a king of encouragement certificate on behalf of the Arabic wikipedia community (and not Wikimedia) to users that reach a number of edits and/or a level of quality. I haven't found a website that offers to send all over the world created professional certificates or at least send me the certificates in Canada then I send them to the active user by mail. I just need a list of sites that may offer that kind of service. Thank you a lot. It's the first time that I don't find google usefull ! --Helmoony (talk) 01:27, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

Best version to make a game
Hi, i plan to do a text-based game for educational purposes in Python and Pygame but I don´t know which version of them are best for such project. Could you guys help me? Thank you! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.214.116.35 (talk) 05:19, 5 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Pygame is simply an extension of Python, so you would have to learn Python either way. As I understand it, Pygame deals mainly with graphics, so it would probably not be very useful for a text-based game. Looie496 (talk) 05:48, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

But i want to download it anyways, but i need to know which versiona work best, because some seem incompatible, i can´t use Python 2.7.3 with pygame 1.9 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.214.116.35 (talk) 09:45, 5 June 2012 (UTC)


 * If you are using Windows, you can try some of the links at . But before downloading pygame, run python and this code:


 * If the result is "64bit", then you should use one of the links that contain "amd64". → Σ τ  c . 20:59, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

I´m using windows Xp professional — Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.214.116.35 (talk) 21:27, 5 June 2012 (UTC)


 * From the pygame website, it looks as though the current version of the library is compatible with all recent versions of python, from 2.4.x to 3.2.x - though the website doesn't exactly give a lot of detail. If you are expecting to use any other libraries, check those as well - just about everything is compatible with recent 2.x releases like 2.6 and 2.7, but some major libraries haven't been ported to 3.x yet.  If that isn't an issue, I would go with the latest release (3.2 for now).  There were a few fairly fundamental changes to the language in 3.0, and it probably isn't worth learning an older version unless you have a good reason. 81.98.43.107 (talk) 21:06, 7 June 2012 (UTC)

CPU overloading
I've been having a problem with my PC for a while now. It's cnfiguration is thus- 2 GB memory, 2.8 GHz Core 2 duo prcessor and a 1 GB NVIDIA graphics card. The problem is that when I'm playing games like FIFA 12 and CoD6, they terminate abruptly resulting in a blue screen which complaints about overloading. I work on Windows7 and have Ubuntu installed on the system as well. What coud be the problem and how can I fix it myself ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.204.4.104 (talk) 08:47, 5 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Hi, not got an immediate answer - but a couple of questions/ideas:


 * When you say a blue screen, do you mean a Blue Screen of Death? What is the exact wording of the error message
 * Do your BIOS setup screens include a screen which shows various system temperatures? If so, try restarting as soon as you get the blue-screen, enter BIOS setup and take a note of these temperatures
 * You could try running Memtest86 and let us know how you get on.
 * Cheers, d avid p rior  t/c 09:16, 5 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Hi, my computer has 4GB memory (3GB usable coz its 32-bit), 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 Processor and a 1GB NVIDIA G105M. I also have Windows 7 and Ubuntu installed. So I suppose we have two very similar computers! I never played COD6 on my computer, but I did play Fifa 12 in the past. After playing for around 10-20 minutes, however, my computer would shut down by itself as a precaution against overheating. I managed to extend the time to 50-60 minutes after I sent my computer to have its fan cleaned (after all, the fan in my model cannot be cleaned by the user and I have not sent it for cleaning for... 3 years?). So I would suggest you either clean out the fan in your computer yourself or send it to your dealer for cleaning. However, to tell you the truth, I never encountered a CPU overloading error in my life. Hope this helps. &#9733; Oliverlyc &#9733;  ✈✈✈  Pop me a message!  04:41, 6 June 2012 (UTC)

CPU overloading? You should close all other programs running on your computer before run a performance-consuming software like games. If it does not, try a high-end laptop. Actually, I am answering this on a laptop too...117.5.13.6 (talk) 08:59, 6 June 2012 (UTC)

Quel peut être l'impact des ondes wifi sur le cerveau des jeunes enfants ?
Bonjour, Je suis un peu inquiète à propos de tout ce qu'on entend aujourd'hui à propos des ondes émises par les bornes wifi et leurs effets sur la santé, notamment des enfants. Je suis maman de 2 petites filles de 10 et 7 ans, et que j'emmène à la bibliothèque au minimum 1 heure par semaine, bibliothèque qui fournit un accès Internet wifi aux lecteurs qui le souhaitent. Je suis donc à la recherche d'informations sur les impacts réels de ces ondes sur mes filles. Quels sont les risques pour les consommatrices "passives" d'ondes qu'elles sont en allant à la bibliothèque? Je vous remercie par avance de votre réponse. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.214.201.98 (talk • contribs) 12:42, 5 June 2012‎


 * Google translate output: What might the impact of wireless waves on the brain of young children?


 * Hello, I'm a little worried about all the talk today about the waves emitted by wireless terminals and their health effects, including children. I am a mother of two girls 10 and 7 years, and I took him to the library at least one hour per week library that provides wireless Internet access to readers who wish. I am looking for information about the real impact of these waves on my daughters. What are the risks for consumers "passive" wave they are going to the library? Thank you in advance for your response.


 * 88.8.76.5 (talk) 14:12, 5 June 2012 (UTC)


 * As far as I can tell scientific consensus is that wireless radiation has no health effects at the levels emitted by household electronics. The type of radiation used for wireless communication is only dangerous at very high powers (industrial equipment, leaking microwave ovens) because it can heat up tissue (especially the eye). The talk about the dangers of wireless terminals is just ill-informed talk. Staticd (talk) 14:49, 5 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Yes, dangerous at high power, but harmless at the power of home or library equipment. I can remember being allowed to play with microwave transmitters at school (transmitting music across the classroom).  They are probably much less harmful than mobile phones (similar power but much closer range), and most parents allow their children to use those.  When radio waves were first transmitted, there was fear over their effects on the brain, but none have been discovered so far at the usual power levels.  It would not be wise to spend a long time directly in front of a commercial long-distance wireless transmitter, or a mobile phone mast.    D b f i r s   16:05, 5 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Il y a beaucoup d'information disponible sur ce sujet. Voici une page qui inclut un vidéo de 16:9 (TV series), une émission canadienne de télévision.  Le vidéo est principalement en anglais, avec une durée de 14:31.  En bref, la réponse est que le danger est réel, avec risques des maux de tête, la nausée, est le cancer.
 * There is much information available on this subject. Here is a page which includes a video by 16:9 (TV series), a Canadian television program.  The video is mainly in English, with a duration of 14:31.  Briefly, the answer is that the danger is real, with risks of headaches, nausea, and cancer.
 * Children Vulnerable to WiFi Health Risks - Optimum Health Tips
 * —Wavelength (talk) 17:35, 5 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Voici un lien externe vers une page en français.  Here is an external link to a page in French.
 * Wifi : dangers, risques et effets pour la Santé
 * —Wavelength (talk) 17:42, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

The UK Health Protection Agency(HPA) has a page on Wi-Fi |here, which says "There is no consistent evidence to date that exposure to radio signals from Wi-Fi and WLANs adversely affects the health of the general population." Another HPA page on Wireless Local Area Networks is here, which says "On the basis of current evidence, the HPA does not consider there to be a problem with the safety of WLAN." Relevant WP pages are Wireless electronic devices and health, Mobile phone radiation and health and Electromagnetic radiation and health which basically agree with the views expressed above by User:Static and User:Dbfirs, but  User:Wavelength has a source that is less optimistic. - 220  of  Borg 17:59, 5 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Voir aussi ces articles de Wikipédia en français.  See also these French Wikipedia articles.
 * fr:Risques sanitaires des télécommunications, fr:Pollution électromagnétique.
 * —Wavelength (talk) 18:33, 5 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Vous pouvez poser votre question à fr:Wikipédia:Oracle.
 * You can pose your question at fr:Wikipédia:Oracle.
 * —Wavelength (talk) 18:38, 5 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I agree that Wavelength, as usual, does not know what he or she is talking about and has no apparent ability to critically evaluate external websites for their veracity. If there are any health effects they are indistinguishable from the baseline. --Mr.98 (talk) 00:39, 8 June 2012 (UTC)

How to show all blog posts in Firefox?
If I navigate with Firefox to a blog like this blog from the NYTimes, it shows me the last 7 posts. How can I pass a parameter to show the posts from x to y or the last 50? It would be the equivalent to anyblog.blogspot.com/atom.xml?redirect=false&start-index=30&max-results=70, that shows from 30 to 70. OsmanRF34 (talk) 13:30, 5 June 2012 (UTC)


 * There isn't, as far as I'm aware at least, of a standard for requesting RSS or ATOM content beyond just getting the feed from the link. Some servers do support query strings to specify the kind of things you're interested in, but I can't see any documentation on NYT's website about what, if any, theirs does. They do offer an API. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 14:16, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

Spotify troubles
Hello all! I'm an avid Spotify user, and I was wondering why on earth I periodically can't listen due to very loud and annoying "scratchy" sounds. I've been assuming that this is due to my crappy internet connection. Is this correct, and is there anything I can do to remedy it? Thanks! Keilana | Parlez ici 17:34, 5 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I haven't used Spotify, but that sounds like radio static, which is associated with analog audio transmission. It sounds like, in those places and times, at least part of the transmission path is still analog.  (Note that digital also has problems, but they manifest differently, as cutting out when signal is weak, rather than static).  StuRat (talk) 18:19, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

Getty Images Program
Can someone explain in simple terms that even an airhead blond could understand: What would be the advantages of having your images licensed under the Getty Images Program I have noticed in Flickr? Can one make money this way? How lucrative? --Christie the puppy lover (talk) 20:07, 5 June 2012 (UTC)


 * If they accept your picture, they put it on their website and in their index (with various tags that describe its content, much like on Commons). And there's an additional "Licence me" tag added on Flikr. Magazine editors, graphic designers, newspaper picture editors, and the people who do graphics or set-design for movies or tv programmes might then chance upon it (via the themed search engines on either site).  If they like it, they pay Getty for permission to use it in their thing, and Getty pays you some of that. If your pictures are good you can make money like this. But if they're not exceptional, probably not much. Getty also owns iStockPhoto, which supplies cheaper stock photos.  In general this business is described in the stock photography article, and the Getty/Flickr thing specifically at Flikr's page.  Many of the kinds of images that people want for commercial stock photography (generic smiling attractive people in business meetings, signing contracts, reading documents, looking at plans, carrying purchases, holding tools) are probably not the kind of photo you'd normally take, so a lot of photos on these sites are taken by people who are specifically creating stuff for the stock photo market. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 21:00, 5 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I'm guessing most stock photography involving identifable people requires a model release too. At least it seems to be the case if iStockPhoto but I would assume it's the norm considering even in countries where it isn't a legal requirement, no company is going to want the controversy when someone makes a fuss after they come across their photo used to illustrate a library website or some political parties brochure  or whatever or becomes the next everywhere girl. Nil Einne (talk) 14:10, 6 June 2012 (UTC)
 * It's very common for stock photography licences to exclude either political uses or uses that might suggest the model or photographer endorses or supports something. Getty's terms and iStock's terms both prohibit use like that (e.g. "in a manner that implies endorsement, use of or a connection to a product or service by that model"). This didn't stop the British National Party, as reported here, in a deliciously ironic manner. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 15:17, 6 June 2012 (UTC)