Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/February 2004 I

Riddle
I am working on solving a riddle based on Jewish history. Not all the info might be on the site. I am looking for people to help me.

If anyone could answer any of the questions below, that would be very helpful.

1.Thanks to my looks, I was famous in the palace of the Persian King. Who am I?

2. Years later, I am well known in the city that was conquered by Avshalom's father. a. Who is Avshalom's father? b. What is the name of the city?

3. In the city, I am known only by my Hebrew name. Look for me at www.jnf-canada.org/jnf/openingpage/jnfopen.html In your search go sightseeing, follow the red dot to get to the ancient gates. The "places" is where you'll find me. What institution carries my name?

4. I am a youth movement active in the DC area. I'll never get old since I purified the temple. a. What's my name? I have a special connection to part A of the riddle. b. What is it?

5. If you click ISRAEL on my website you'll find on the right of the ____ three programs. Enter the first one. What is the program?

If anyone could help that would be great. Kramer 21:39, 1 Mar 2004 (UTC)
 * Is this for a class or something? Here's my only thoughts--Avshalom is almost certainly a modern transliteration of the Old Testament name Absalom, the son of David, King of Israel. David conquered the city now known as Jerusalem.  The temple of Jerusalem was consecrated by Solomon, David's son, and Jesus is thought by some to have "purified" it when he drove out the moneychangers, etc.  I suspect that the above is an elaborate riddle designed to get you to the answer "Jesus" but cannot be certain. Jwrosenzweig 21:49, 1 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Thanks for that, but I'll bet money it's not Jesus, unless they teach about hime in conservative afternoon hebrew school Kramer

Oh, and I think that it was Ezra that is found in the Persian King's Palace
 * Hey, if you had said "Hebrew school" above, maybe that would have helped. :-) Ezra would be another possible choice...didn't he lead the people back to Jerusalem (hence associated with it)?  Nehemiah another possibility?  From here, I think you're on your own. Jwrosenzweig 23:32, 1 Mar 2004 (UTC)

how tall
Did the tallest candidate always win the presidential race? Can you e-mail a list and the match-ups in order of year. I am usding this information for a college class.

thank you ray ruddles UTHRILLME007@YAHOO.COM


 * I'm sure the answer is no, but as a general trend, the taller candidate has usually won. Take a look at List of U.S. Presidents by height order, which is still very much a work in progress. --Minesweeper 03:59, Jan 26, 2004 (UTC)


 * I did a web search and found this claim, although at least once this was claimed true only since the introduction of television, and most resources use the ubiquitous "most" (for instance, see ). I failed to find any substantiation. Generally speaking, I cannot recall any gnome ever being elected President of the United States. If you like, this is the sort of question The Straight Dope enjoys taking apart, although the answer, know in advance, is "no". -Itai 22:23, 14 Feb 2004 (UTC)

linear interpolation
Good day.

I would like to ask how should I interpolate linearly to find for the seven values between two points given?

Please e-mail me at lheslhiee@yahoo.com

Thank you very much.


 * +I'll send you an excel sheet that makes it very simple. Good luck. ike9898 14:40, Feb 3, 2004 (UTC)

Ethnic Group
(moved from Village pump)

I wonder if you could help me.I am trying to fill a form out and it is asking my ethnic group,I am struggling with the answer as my grandad was apparantly jamacan and my grandmother english, and my mother was quite dark half cast and my father english.I was adopted you see so I am a bit stuck with my ethnic group I wonder if you can help Thanks Tracey.
 * If there's a space for it, you could write in mulatto. &rarr;Raul654 10:45, Feb 3, 2004 (UTC)
 * Mixed-race is more commonly used in the UK. Mulatto is seen as derogatory. Secretlondon 21:44, Feb 8, 2004 (UTC)
 * I usually select "Other" or write in "American" (although that might get some people thinking "native american"--which I am, too, but not in the sense usually meant. I was born here.). Elf 00:05, 14 Feb 2004 (UTC)

quaternized protein
What exactly is the meaning of 'quaternized' protein? I am very familiar with protein, so don't bother explaining any of the basics. A google search mostly just turns up company's 'quaterized protein' products for use as ingredients in personal care products. ike9898 14:27, Feb 3, 2004 (UTC)


 * I've never heard of a "quaternized" protein, but I have heard of 'quaternary conformation,' aka 'quaternary structure.' It refers to the way multiple polypeptide chains join together to form a protein.  For instance, hemoglobin is composed of four separate (IIRC identical) polypeptides.  My conclusion, FWIW, is that certain companies' use of the term is intended as a deceptive tactic. --Smack 07:56, 8 Feb 2004 (UTC)

--Bazmeow 19:29, 31 January 2007 (UTC)Proteins naturally carry a negative charge. In order for them to be substantive to surfaces particularly skin and hair they need to carry a positive charge. The material is chemically modified using hydroxypropyltrimonium or some other quaternary material in order to make them cationic.

A Kiss Before Dying
(moved from the above article)

Hi!

I´ve a problem! I´m a austrian student and i have to make a book report about "A KISS BEFORE DYING" But I have not enough time to study this book! If you could send me a summery of this book, i would be very pleased!! (camel_hasi@hotmail.com)

I hope you could read my worse english!

Greetings


 * Ok, it goes something like this:


 * There's three robots, Zork, Spork, and Fnork. Spork and Fnork are in love with each other. All three are on a spaceship, but it crashes on a desolate planet. They survive, but Spork's powerpack is damaged in the crash. It will take weeks for rescue to come, and Spork will be dead by then. All three robots have interchangable powerpacks. All three are programmed not to cause injury to another, so Spork and Fnork can't kill Zork and take its powerpack. Fnork offers Spork its powerpack, but Spork says that losing Fnork would make it too sad, and that it would kill itself. Fnork feels the same way. So it looks like when rescue arrives only Zork will be alive, as Spork will have run out of power and Fnork will have killed itself with grief. But the dying Spork has a plan.  At night, when the other two are sleeping, Spork opens Fnork's casing, and rewires Fnork to be in love with Zork (rather than Spork). Similarly, Spork makes Zork love Fnork. This way Fnork won't be so griefstricken when Spork dies, and so two of the three will survive to be rescued.  Its selfless rewiring done, Spork kisses its beloved Fnork goodbye, and then dies.


 * Good luck! -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 01:58, 5 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * The factual accuracy of this summary is disputed &#9786; &rarr;Raul654 02:11, Feb 5, 2004 (UTC)


 * &lt;sob&gt; Nothing like the classics. -Itai 15:21, 27 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Accuracy
Hi, I have been a frequent visitor of this site for some weeks now after stumbling across it on a popular search engine dogpile.com. I have today however found out that anyone can edit this site anywhere in any article - now this worries me slightly. How accurate is this information? How can you tell the sources of this information are honest and true? Is there some sort of testing process to ensure this 'new donated' info is 100% truth. This is quite important for me as I am about to set upon my dissertation and can't afford incorrect information. Thanks Alex Bird - Leeds, UK


 * That's a good question, Alex. Surprisingly, quite a lot of it is accurate, particularly in the "important" areas. Gross inaccuracies do tend to get removed fairly quickly (I just fixed some comedian who altered Tony Blair to show his successor as Michael Howard, something that hasn't entirely happened yet).  But some stuff is nonsense, and there's any number of places where eternal controversy rages (religion, abortion, terrorism, israel etc.).  Wikipedia has been cited on news reports, and even in a court case. In most places it seems to be genuinely more neutral (a neutrality often born of fire) and more comprehensive than most professional sources. But there's no such thing as 100% truth (depending on what kind of philosopher you ask, there's no such thing as truth at all). I wouldn't cite wikipedia, or anthing else, without corroboration. -- Finlay McWalter |  Talk 16:29, 4 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * For my take on it - I've noticed that when articles do contain errors, they are often very minor in scope. This morning I fixed an error over at the Foundation Series article - it had said the series was written over the course of 42 years, when it was actually 44. Like I said, a very trivial error. And I don't really see blatant errors (not counting vandalism) very often at all. &rarr;Raul654 16:47, Feb 4, 2004 (UTC)


 * I would suggest that the answers at Replies to common objections would be a more extensive explanation of our take on this issue, but Raul and Finlay have given excellent short replies, I think. The community is able to police itself remarkably well on almost every issue, and errors of fact are becoming hard to find (though I still seek them out, of course...have to get it perfect! :) Jwrosenzweig 18:13, 4 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * Personally, I think Wikipedia is nothing short of a miracle, and would have founded a dedicated religion (very much like a dedicated server and twice as reliable), were it not for the fact that I have already traded away my twelve first children-to-be to various religious order and causes in exchange for lollypops. -Itai 16:25, 15 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Title sequence, help needed
Hi everyone my names Tony im doing a HND in graphic design. We have just been set a brief to create a typographically (type) based title sequence for either blockbusters, 15 to 1 or family fortunes. Any ideas as to where i can find the existing or the old title sequences for these shows or any ideas on an approach or concept. Tried researching in all the search engines without any luck.

Thanks in advance.

Tony

stonylaw@yahoo.co.uk


 * You might try looking over at http://tv.cream.org which is about "classic" British TV. They occasionally have clips of some title sequences, etc., or might link to them. -- DrBob


 * The UK game show page has pictures of the logos of these shows, and some other graphics from each show. I think they have contact details for the production companies, who may or may not, be of some help. The page is here: http://www.ukgameshows.com/ Silverfish 15:54, 28 Feb 2004 (UTC)

St. Antoine's
My daughter has a report to do on St.Antoine's in Paris, France. We have spent days searching for any information. Unfortunately, all we have discovered is that it was a church in Paris in the 1500's. We would like to know where we can get more information. Unfortunately, her report is due on Thursday (UGH!), so if possible, any info would be greatly appreciated as soon as possible. I can be reached at octoberbabee@aol.com. Thank you.
 * This church seems very obscure...my only suggestion is that the St. Antoine district was involved with the Fronde....perhaps the church was involved as well? Another option would be to try the French wikipedia (fr.wikipedia.org), but of course it's a french language site, so I don't know how receptive they are to questions in English.  Might be worth a try.  I also sent a reply to the email address above. Jwrosenzweig 18:11, 4 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * Hmm. Are you sure that your daughter's assignment wasn't supposed to be about Saint-Antoine des Quinze-Vingts? See, for example http://www.discoverparis.net/parisinsights/July03_churches.html. -- Jmabel 05:10, 5 Feb 2004 (UTC)

February
How often does February occur with 5 Sundays? -- arno1576@bellsouth.net


 * The short answer is that it happens every 28 years. The longer answer is that, on average, it occurs every 28.866 years (think about century leap years). Stewart Adcock 00:40, 5 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Does the fact that there are 5 Sundays in this February (Leap Year) have any significance or does it drum up any superstitions? -- Larry / Anchorage

family
I WAS WONDERING IF THERE HAS BEEN A FAMILY GENEALOGY DONE ON MR. CLARK. AND IF SO CAN IT BE SEEN ON THE INTERNET OR OBTAINED/ THANKS   CAROLYN CLARK
 * Hit the third key from the bottom on the left side of your keyboard once, please. It's labelled 'Caps Lock' and may hold a LED. Jor 23:25, 4 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * Firstly, Clark is a very common name, so you would have to be more specific in order to find any meaningful information. Secondly, this is an encyclopedia, not a general information repository, so the best we can do is offer you information about genealogy. - IMSoP 01:24, 5 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * Because you haven't given Mr. Clark's full name or particulars, I'm going to assume you mean the U.S. presidential candidate. If so, you can find the Ancestry of Gen. Wesley K. Clark compiled by William Addams Reitwiesner here. Since he was born Wesley Kanne, the son of Benjamin Jacob Kanne and Veneta Updegraff, and took the name Clark when Veneta married her third husband Victor Clark, I wouldn't assume that you're related on the basis of having the same last name. - Nunh-huh 21:09, 5 Feb 2004 (UTC)

which medicines are safe to use after "expiry date" has elapsed?
does anybody know whether the expiry dates on supermarket medicines (e.g. non-prescription medicines like multivitamins or Pepto-Bismol etc) mean that the medicine is actually unsafe if you use them after that date, or does it usually simply mean that the efficacy or efficiency is only guaranteed until that date? are there various classes of medicines which are safe to consume after the stated date (albeit having less of an effect) versus ones that aren't? i would imagine that because medicines available in the supermarket are more likely to be misused than those available on prescription that manufacturers of multi-vitamins and aspirin for example would unlikely stock medicines that would not be safe if consumed after their expiry date simply because of fear of litigation. but i'd like to know for sure. --Clarkk 08:36, 5 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * Please see the Medical disclaimer. You'd be best off asking your pharmacist. Angela. 08:55, Feb 6, 2004 (UTC)


 * Though it's probably worth knowing that in most instances the expiration date is there because the drug becomes ineffective with age, rather than becoming noxious. The ineffectiveness is a danger in itself: you don't want to reach for the nitroglycerine when you're having your heart attack and have it not work. That's why the expiration dates are there: if you find you don't use a whole bottle before they expire, throw out the expired bottle and buy a smaller quantity next time. 0 Nunh-huh 10:53, 6 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * Good information on this is hard to get, and often does not exist. The Wall Street Journal did a story or two on it a few years ago, basing most of its treatment on a study by the U.S. Department of Defense, which doesn't want to waste money buying drugs and throwing them out (no sarcastic comments, please). The general conclusion was that expiration dates tend to be arbitrary, backed by little or no actual testing. The economic incentives, a matter to which the Journal tends to pay close attention, are against the manufacturer's specifying an excessively long shelf life, to put it mildly. Naturally, many things really do have a brief life; a prescription for an infection, marked with a short lifetime, clearly needs to be used and thrown out, not kept for another time. Dandrake 21:22, Feb 6, 2004 (UTC)

Milo (drink)
Does anyone know the history of Milo the chocolate drink? Thanks! PMA 11:41, Feb 5, 2004 (UTC)


 * The Milo section on Nestl&eacute; Australia's web site is very child-friendly (ie. loud, bright, and not very informative), but has the basic details. &mdash;Paul A 02:18, 6 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Wesley Clark Question
Could you please tell me if Mr. Wesley Clark could possibly be the same person who gave a 'talk' at the Naval Air Station, Memphis, TN. in the 70's? Not sure of year but after 1973, maybe late 70's.  Thank you.


 * It could well be. If you have a look at the Wesley Clark article, he was apparently an instructor at West Point from 1971 to 1974.  As such, I'd imagine he's the kind of person that would give talks to sailors/naval airmen/whatever you call them (I'm neither American nor a military person).  You can also go to his campaign website and have a look in his "reading room", which has a bunch of documents from his military service.  --Robert Merkel 00:55, 11 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Subliminal Message Bibliography Info.. Pleaseeee Read!!!
I need to know who wrote the article Subliminal Message, i need the location of the posting orginization, and the date of document. Please this is URGENT! thank you! e-mail me the info if you can (prefered) foxyroxy0709@aol.com
 * It sounds to me like this is for a bibliography. Is there some policy page somewhere which says how you are supposed to cite wikipedia in a bibliography? &rarr;Raul654 22:46, Feb 5, 2004 (UTC)
 * See Citing Wikipedia. :) Jwrosenzweig 22:50, 5 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * Ok, since it's probably too much to hope for him to check back, I'll send him the email ;) &rarr;Raul654 22:53, Feb 5, 2004 (UTC)
 * Should've mentioned I was going to email....I did, and then got back this: "Your mail to the following recipients could not be delivered because they are not accepting mail from your email address: foxyroxy0709".....ah, I love helping others. ;) I hope foxy roxy (why, btw, did you assume this was a "him" Raul? :) checks back here, 'cause email apparently isn't "(prefered)". Jwrosenzweig 23:54, 5 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * I got the same thing too. And (call me sexist) but I tend to assume it is a he unless other information is presented. I didn't even notice the name ;) Anyway, let me post my email in its entirely just in case (s)he does return.

&rarr;Raul654 23:59, Feb 5, 2004 (UTC)

Dear FoxRoxy:

On the Wikipedia reference desk, you posted the following: SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE BIBLIOGRAPHY INFO.. PLEASEEEE READ!!! I need to know who wrote the article Subliminal Message, i need the location of the posting orginization, and the date of document. Please this is URGENT! thank you! e-mail me the info if you can (prefered) foxyroxy0709@aol.com

The subliminal message article is located at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subliminal_message

It sounds to us like this is for a bibliography of some sort. We have an page with instructions for citing it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_Wikipedia

To answer your question specifically:
 * Q) I need to know who wrote the article Subliminal Message
 * A) Because Wikipedia can be edited by anyone on the internet, this question is

hard to answer. The Citing Wikipedia page says specifically that you should not cite any particular author. In this case, I count about 15 people who have contributed to that article.
 * Q) I need the location of the posting orginization
 * A) The posting organization is the Wikimedia foundation

(http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia ). It is located in Florida.
 * Q) (I need) the date of document.
 * A) According to the article's history

(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Subliminal_message&action=history ), the last time it was changed was: (cur) (last). . 03:24, Jan 5, 2004. . Thunderbunny (details to 2000 ad message)

The last person who edited it was user Thunderbunny on January 5, 2004.

I hope this has been helped. Feel free to ask me any other question you might have about Wikipedia.

Sincerely Yours, Mark *********

Ripple (the alcoholic drink)
I have heard of a drink called Ripple refered to several times. It normally has come up in old black (African-american) comedy and music. Any idea if this is still produced? Can anyone tell me anything about it? I suppose it was probably a fortified wine, something like MD 20/20... ike9898 02:12, Feb 6, 2004 (UTC)


 * The Gallo family marketed several infamous inexpensive wines (among them Boone's Farm, Ripple, and Thunderbird). Thunderbird was "fortified"; I believe the others were just cheap. But in terms of reputation, you're thinking right if you're thinking MD 20/20: a cheap high rather than a complement to fine dining.... - Nunh-huh 04:12, 6 Feb 2004 (UTC)

J. Frederick George
What is J. Frederick George's actual name? Bevo 06:29, 6 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * J. Frederick George's real name is George Jewsbury, according to an interview with Neal Stephenson in Locus magazine. Jwrosenzweig 21:14, 6 Feb 2004 (UTC) (this answer also on Bevo's talk page)


 * Thanks! I like the new organization of the articles tieing it all together. Bevo 15:24, 14 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Congratulations
I want to thank you for this wonderful resource. This is exactly what the internet should be all about.

Cheers

rich
 * I think I speak for all of Wikipedia when I say - thank you for the kind words. &rarr;Raul654 12:06, Feb 6, 2004 (UTC)
 * Hear, hear! It's nice to feel that one's work is being used and appreciated. :) Jwrosenzweig 17:30, 6 Feb 2004 (UTC)

script
I am currently writing a movie script, and I am almost done and would like to sell, I would like to see if you are willing to read it.
 * We do not publish or read original scripts here. Good luck sending it to a movie producer or agent.  Thanks for stopping by, though, and feel free to look at our articles on movies for inspiration. :) Jwrosenzweig 21:08, 6 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Playable range of a trumpet?
What is the playable range (i.e. lowest and highest possible notes) of a trumpet? That information isn't in the article. (Actually, I don't think it's there in many of the other instrument pages, either. I'd add it, but I don't know it.) --bdesham 04:18, Feb 7, 2004 (UTC)


 * They usually call it "playing range", not "playable". Such data can be found, fortunately for us, easily in groups of many popular instruments, e.g., . --Menchi 06:54, 7 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * There is no theoretical upper limit. It's a matter of technique. As for the lower limit, there is one; haven't played trumpet in over 20 years, so my memory could be wrong. Would someone who has played more recently please weigh in? I believe the low note is a F# in the B-flat notation used for trumpet, but it might be possible to get a half-tone lower with all the valves down; I believe that it is equivalent to the E below middle C on a piano. Any good player should be able to get up at least to the C (in B-flat notation, so really a B-flat) 2-1/2 octaves higher. A serious player can make it, at least briefly, to the G (in B-flat notation, so really an F) three octaves higher. Beyond that would be very impressive technique, and really good lip muscles, but it can be done. -- Jmabel 07:02, 7 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * I'm not a trumpeter, but according to the Concise Grove, the range extends (as Jmabel says) from the E below middle C (written F#) and typically extends upwards for about three octaves, though there's no theoretical upper limit, just a practical one (also as Jmabel says). I've added the info the article. --Camembert


 * As mentioned above, there is a practical limit. However, there's a recording of Mark Van Cleave playing a Quad C, which is generally acknowledged by most trumpeters to be the highest note possible - see (or should that be hear?) http://www.trumpetplayeronline.com/sounds/quad-c.mp3

Seek info Pope Paul VI visit New York 1965
I have Comemorative cards of the Popes visit in 1965 but no captions or comments. Some of them I have figured out. He did visit the UN and meet the Secretary General at that time.


 * Mass at St. Pats?
 * He "visited" St. Pat's. No mention of a mass there.


 * Mass outside stadium (which one) or Central Park?
 * Yankee Stadium


 * Pope visiting with President Johnson, where? Did the Pope meet the President at the White House?
 * At the Waldorf-Astoria. This article also has other info on his visit.

Help, commemts, appreciated
 * I found all of this in 8 minutes with Google. -- Jmabel 03:31, 8 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Intersection of a plane and a polyhedron
I'm not too hopeful on getting an answer here, but Google wasn't much help. Does anybody know how to calculate the area of intersection of a plane and an arbitrary 3D polyhedron? Let's say, for starters, I have the plane in terms of a point and two angles, and the polyhedron is the convex hull of an arbitrary number of points. What's the area of their intersection?

Other things that will be helpful in the future include the area of intersection of a cone section and a plane, and a cylinder and a plane.

Thanks. moink 23:03, 7 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I've simplified the problem a bit. Now I just need the area of the intersection of a plane (in any form, standard i.e. x+By+Cz+D=0 is fine) with an eight-sided polyhedron made up of two not-necessarily-similar trapezoids in parallel planes, and those trapezoid planes are parallel to the x-z plane. moink 02:25, 8 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * There may be a better way, but it should be possible to take every pair of points, and find the intersection between the line through the pair with the plane. Then the problem is to find the convex hull area of a set of points in a plane. &#922;&#963;&#965;&#960; Cyp    13:15, 8 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * Thanks! That was actually quite helpful.  I have a piece of incomprehensible Fortran code from the 50s that does this.  It had an array of 12 intermediate variables, and I couldn't for the life of me think what there could possibly be 12 of.  It's the intersections of the plane with the edges of the polyhedron!  So now I've got that down, I just need a formula for the area of a plane polygon (I'm actually projecting it onto a coordinate plane, so I have it nicely in 2 coordinates) expressed as the convex hull of some number of points (0-12).  (Actually, I'm sure there's an upper limit on the number of points, and that it's less than 12, but my visualization is pretty bad, so I don't know what the limit is.  Also of course with less than 3 points it's trivial) moink 19:24, 8 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * The area of a plane polygon is the total area of its composite triangles. The area of a triangle with points A, B and C is ½|(B-A)&times;(C-A)|, &times; being the cross product, || the length. &#922;&#963;&#965;&#960; Cyp    22:02, 8 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * Yep, thought of that. Just need to come up with a complete set of non-overlapping triangles to make up the polygon, by only knowing it's vertices, and nothing about the arrangement of its vertices.  moink 22:05, 8 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * The Graham scan would probably work. Where Pi is the ith sorted point of n remaining points, the triangles are then {P1, P2, P3}, {P1, P3, P4}, {P1, P4, P5}, ..., {P1, Pn-1, Pn}. &#922;&#963;&#965;&#960; Cyp    22:24, 8 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * Cyp, you're awesome! And the Wikipedia is awesome!  Who knew I could find an algorithm in here to do exactly what I needed to do?  moink 22:32, 8 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * Even better, I just found out that Matlab (which is how I'm doing this) already has a function to return the area of a convex hull! Yay!!!!  moink 02:09, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Mother and fetus: incompatible blood type
How can a fetus with a different blood type than the mother tolerate the mother's blood?
 * ''Such troubles arise almosst invariably in the case where an Rh negative mother has a child by an RH positive father. Now, the blood of the mother and fetus are often incompatible, even in the major A, B, O groups, but this is not serious in itself since the blood of the mother and fetus do not intermingle. The blood vessels belonging to each break up into fine capillaries in a special organ called the placenta developed by the mother during pregnancy. Oxygen and food molecules can diffuse across the placental membranes from the mother's capillaries to the fetus's. Carbon dioxide and waste products diffuse back in the other direction.
 * ''Although no red blood cells cross the placenta in either direction, it is possible for some of the blood group substances to work loose of the red cell and diffuse across. If the blood group is incompatible with the new blood where it enters, an agglutinin may be developed against it. To what extent this happens depends upon the particular group substance and the quantity that leaks across. For some reason, RH-positive substance, diffusing across into the blood of an Rh negative mother will occasionally (say, once in twenty times) produce an unusually high titer of anti-rh-positive agglutinins.
 * --Isaac Asimov, The Living River (a book about the circulatory system), page 88
 * &rarr;Raul654 07:04, Feb 8, 2004 (UTC)


 * One more thing. There is a condition where blood between the mother and fetus does intermingle, and the mother's immune attacks it. This is called Erythroblastosis Fetalis (usually just Erythroblastosis) &rarr;Raul654 20:58, Feb 9, 2004 (UTC)

Open-site.org, Offline Wiki, Multilingual Wiki
Hello, I have 3 questions: 1. Why don't merge with open-site.org? Maybe they have some stuff that coulb be put here? 2. Why not do an offline standalone exe version of Wiki? I thinkt it would give Wiki more users.. 3. Why when I registered into English Wiki and then to log into Polish I had to register new user?

Regards, Talthen --Talthen 18:32, 8 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * I can't speak to the first question, but to the latter two
 * 2) Wikipedia (the english one) is big. Really big - 3,000 megs. There are tarballs for download, but the bandwidth necessary to do it is high.
 * 3) The wikipedia user databases are seperate. User accounts on the english wikipedia exist only for en.wikipedia.org. Polish accounts exist only on the polish wikipedia, etc. &rarr;Raul654 18:54, Feb 8, 2004 (UTC)


 * 3: Because it is presumptuous to think that others would ever be intrested in say, Bajorian WP, and flood the Bajorian WP up with users who never go there. I doubt you'd ever dare to call yourself a real Bajorian Wikipedian, even if you have an account there. --Menchi 18:55, 8 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * 3) Because it happened that way, and therefore now is the potential problem that different people have the same login on different Wikipædias, making it harder to set up a unified login system. &#922;&#963;&#965;&#960; Cyp    22:10, 8 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * 1) Open-site.org have a completely different set up to us. I don't see how a merge would be possible as they have very strict access levels, whereas we allow anyone to edit. Also, their license is not compatible with the GFDL. See the Open site thread on wikipedia-l about this too. Angela. 02:31, Feb 9, 2004 (UTC)

skin color
I have heard that when a child is born, his or her skin color will not be darker than the darkest parent. Is this true?


 * No. Next question? Jmabel 00:17, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * Nor is there the opposite rule: that the child can't be lighter than the lighter parent. Explaining this in detail would take part of a first-year course in genetics, or maybe the genetics section of a good high-school biology course, if there is one. (I tried to write a brief, accurate summary of why this is, but found I couldn't. Sorry.) Dandrake 07:29, Feb 16, 2004 (UTC)

research
dear Sirs,

I'm not sure I'm in the right office; if not perhaps you can direct me.

I am writing a novel and need some detailed information on the Yoshiwara pleasure enclave somewhere in Asakusa. I am looking for the specific location or address, size and/or map if possible (permission to reprint) and it's outcome from the fire raid of March 9/10th.

Also, I understand there may have been a POW camp in arakawa called NIPPON TSUUN 10-B. Any detailed information on this or any other camp in the north asakusa area or where I can go to find this information, would be greatly appreciated.

Domo Arigato,

Marc Hagan


 * Marc, the Wikipedia is an online, volunteer encyclopedia. A brief check suggests, there's no detailed information on that in the Wikipedia; you probably need to visit a good research library for that kind of information.  --Robert Merkel 04:20, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Legal term
This is a question I suppose most native English speakers (and quite a few who aren't) should be able to tackle with no great difficulty. What is the legal term - if such exists - for the time since a crime is committed after which no complaints can be filed or legal processes begun? -Itai 20:09, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * We refer to "the statute of limitations". Example: "He escaped prosecution for robbery as the statute of limitations for robbery in the first degree is 7 years." Jwrosenzweig 20:40, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * A simpler verison of the above: "He could not be prosecuted for the crime because the statute of limitations had expired" &rarr;Raul654 20:54, Feb 9, 2004 (UTC)
 * As usual, Raul provides the more useful response at the Reference Desk. :) That is a far nicer sentence than mine. *shakes head sadly* Jwrosenzweig
 * Thanks! This is just what I had in mind, and both examples are highly enlightening. -Itai 21:37, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * note that "statute of limitations" is a specific US term (particular to the US legal system) and that the phrase is thus specific to that country. Legal systems descending from the UK's legal system(s) (which means most other english-speaking countries) lack both this concept thus any phrase for it. -- Finlay McWalter |  Talk 21:11, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * Thanks for your response! I suppose that, alas, I had best not murder anyone when in Britain. Truth be told, I was looking for the English equivalent of an Israeli term, which seems to correspond to the American, as you say, "statute of limitations". I am dimly aware that the Israeli legal system is derived, to a certain extent, from the British, but am no legal expert. -Itai 21:37, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * Even in the gun-totin', free-wheelin' USA, I'm afraid there is no statute of limitations on murder. :-) No matter how long it has been, there are some heinous crimes for which you can always be prosecuted here. Jwrosenzweig 21:40, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)
 * Actually, the term is used in Canada too, which makes me think it is used in all British-based legal systems. moink 22:19, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Advertising Slogan
Good afternoon,

I hope you can help my work colleagues and myself we are trying to remember which british advert the following slogan relates to:

tasty tasty very very tasty.

thank you for your time.

best regards Kim and the crew


 * Used to sell Kellogg's Bran Flakes, I believe. -- DrBob

P-51B/C (technical drawings)
Where can I obtain technical drawings of the P-51B/C?


 * You are far more likely to get an answer if you give us a clue what it is. This could be anything from an airplane to a model of speaker... -- Jmabel 07:36, 11 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * It's easy enough to find out - by Googling for "P-51B/C", for instance - what the P-51B/C is. Anyway, I rather think anyone who knew where to find the requested technical drawings would already know what they were technical drawings of. :o)  &mdash;Paul A 08:06, 11 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Difficulties in Navigation
Is there a way in Wiki to navigate through a hierarchy? It feels like the only way to find an article of interest is through search. I suppose as an encyclopedia nerd, my first instinct is to want to open a table of contents and browse through a multi-layered hierarchy. Does such a thing exist? Is there a master hierarchy to which every article in the database belongs?

Thanks much!

Zachary Ryan


 * There is no master hierarchy, but there are attempts to categorize major articles by subject area. Try clicking on the subject areas on the Main Page or just click here and see if that helps you find what you want. --Dante Alighieri | Talk 19:15, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * It's the nature of knowledge that not all subjects fall into a hierarchy. Many are combinations of aspects of several unrelated fields that are otherwise unrelated. The words in each article, ideally, should provide links not only to broader and narrower subjects, but also to other subjects that are related to it in some other way. Wikipedia can use encyclopedia nerds like you to help create these links. Perhaps you would enjoy contributing to Lists of articles by category, which is closest to the hierarchical table of contents you seek? GUllman 01:41, 14 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Black Holes and White Holes
I realize that the existence of Black Holes and White Holes are still being discussed. However, I was wondering if it has been discussed that their is an exit or why out inside a Black Hole. I know white hole would be a type of exit, but every site I've been to says that they're existence is impossible.


 * See Hawking radiation &#8212; this seems to be the only matter which can 'escape' a Black hole. Jor 21:47, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * Even then, that's from just outside the event horizon, so still nothing escapes. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 21:51, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * No matter "escapes" a black hole. However, black holes do effectively shrink (from the annihilation of particle/anti-particle pairs) through Hawking radiation. Still, the particle that the black hole "loses" is not the same particle as appears near the event horizon. --Dante Alighieri | Talk 22:28, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * This FAQ contains a good discussion of what happens if you fall into a black hole. -- Tim Starling 04:54, Feb 11, 2004 (UTC)

David Cassidy
Can you tell me please is there a DAVID CASSIDY website on the World Wide Web ? I cannot find one. Thank You

Google is your friend Jor 23:00, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Alter color
If light is an electomagnetic wave could a big enough magnetic discharge alter the surounding area's color by a fraction? I asked my teacher but he said to look and I haven't found anything. your help will be greatly appreciated.

thanks Grant Colasurdo


 * IANAP, but I believe that light isn't exactly an electromagnetic wave, nor is it particular (getting all quantum mechanics-y). It may have something to do with the fact that you can't affect radio waves by magnets, either, I believe. Anyway, someone may want to clarify :) Dysprosia 04:14, 11 Feb 2004 (UTC)


 * Light most certainly is an electromagnetic wave. However, a magnetic field won't change the frequency (colour) of light as it travels through space. If it is travelling through some kind of matter, a magnetic field will alter the polarization of the light due to the Faraday effect . And some materials may change colour when a magnetic field is applied, for example by the Zeeman effect.


 * Light is definitely affected by electric and magnetic fields, but in most cases it is the direction or polarization of the light which is affected, not the frequency. The reason light bounces off things rather than passing straight through them is because of the strong electric fields inside the materials. Processes which change the frequency of "monochromatic" (single-frequency) light are called "nonlinear". -- Tim Starling 05:00, Feb 11, 2004 (UTC)


 * Just to clarify a few things - first of all, light always behaves like a wave except when it impacts something, and then it behaves like a particle (see Compton effect). You could probably use magnetic fields to "steer" (monochromatic) light, but not to alter its frequency. The only way to do that is to pass it through some kind of material.
 * Also, as a side note, you might want to read the article on Cherenkov radiation, which is produced when high energy particles pass through matter. They impact with such force that a blue glow is emitted. &rarr;Raul654 08:49, Feb 11, 2004 (UTC)


 * The "color" of an object is its reflection spectrum - the set of wavelengths that it reflects rather than absorbing. It depends entirely on its molecular structure; more specifically, on the energy levels of atomic and molecular orbitals.  Unless the radiation is so powerful that it can cause chemical reactions, it can't change the color of anything. --Smack 22:33, 14 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Bible Timelines
I HAVE GATHERED INFORMATION ON HALLEY'S COMET AND NEED DATING OF BIBLE EVENTS FROM ADAM'S CREATION, ALSO FROM ROMAN HISTORY RECORDS. IS THERE SUCH A BIBLE TIMELINE AVAILABLE, IF SO, HOW DO I ACCESS IT?

DOES WIKIPEDIA HAVE ROMAN HISTORY RECORDS WHICH I CAN ACCESS? IF SO, HOW DO I DO IT? SPECIFICALLY, I NEED INFORMATION ON WHEN THEIR CALENDAR OF IDES, NONES AND KALENDS WAS BEGUN.
 * First, please do not type in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Dating of Biblical events is notoriously controversial.  Bishop Ussher made perhaps the most popular calculation of Bible dating several hundred years ago, which placed the creation of Adam in the year 4004 BC (October, if I recall correctly). Many Biblical scholars today would disagree, but Ussher's dates still have their defenders. I couldn't offer any more guidance than that.  We are not a Roman history repository, though we do have articles on ancient Rome.  Perhaps Roman calendar would be of use to you?  Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll need to invest in some specialized books, or better yet go to the library of a seminary or other religious college (even a public university's library would probably help).  Books on Bible dating and the more detailed aspects of Roman history are your best bet. Jwrosenzweig 16:59, 11 Feb 2004 (UTC)