Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2019 April 18

= April 18 =

Mars simulation
I recall vaguely that several years ago, maybe 15-20 years ago there were several missions where people would be locked into sealed systems to simulate life on another planet and to see if they could live. The articles I read on the matter suggested that "...the doors will be locked for 10 years..." or something along those lines. What happened to these experiments? Were any of them a success or did they need to open the doors before time? Are they still in there? Did we all forget about them and neglect to unlock the doors? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.131.40.58 (talk) 07:33, 18 April 2019 (UTC)
 * See Biosphere 2. The rest of your question sounds like a story that Ray Bradbury might have written. 07:47, 18 April 2019 (UTC)MarnetteD&#124;Talk
 * (ec) MARS-500, from 2007-2011, is one example, and there's a shorter and more recent one here. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 07:50, 18 April 2019 (UTC)
 * MarnetteD I'm also reminded of the movie Blast from the Past. 67.164.113.165 (talk) 22:39, 18 April 2019 (UTC)
 * I like it :-) MarnetteD&#124;Talk 22:43, 18 April 2019 (UTC)

"Brand seizing"
As Brandjacking means something different: How do you call it when a company acquires another with the motivation of taking over this company's brand name - as has happened e. g. in case of Worldpay? --KnightMove (talk) 15:26, 18 April 2019 (UTC)
 * That's a really good question. Brands, as any asset with value, can be bought and sold, and are all the time.  Many brands from the past and present were purchased, and the companies we know by those brands are not functionally the same as the historic company.  More examples: Southwestern Bell, which purchased and renamed itself AT&T in 2005, the Atari brand name, which has been purchased and divided and parcelled out to several companies over history, Pan American Airways (disambiguation), etc.  Not sure what the phenomenon is, but just wanted to give some example perhaps to help research a possible answer.  -- Jayron 32 15:36, 18 April 2019 (UTC)


 * The business concept of Goodwill has a bearing on this topic, as does the broader concept of Intangible assets. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.122.2.132 (talk) 19:41, 18 April 2019 (UTC)


 * There are instances where e.g. a fashion designer builds her name into a brand and then sells it.  She is then no longer permitted to trade under that name (although she is permitted to make and sell clothes under her own name). 2A00:23A8:830:A600:3089:80E0:7D9B:95DA (talk) 11:38, 19 April 2019 (UTC)
 * I'm not really sure it needs a specific name aside from "good business". --Khajidha (talk) 18:38, 19 April 2019 (UTC)
 * This is hardly necessary, nor sufficient for good business. It's still rather an exception, isn't it? --KnightMove (talk) 12:06, 20 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Didn't mean to imply that it was necessary or sufficient, only that it was a good business move and that a particular term (as opposed to a description) wwas not needed. Company A will simply acquire Brand B, just as they might acquire Patent C or Location D.--Khajidha (talk) 16:33, 20 April 2019 (UTC)
 * OK, my question was worded somewhat imprecisely: I mean that the acquring company takes over the aquired brand name in its entirety, abandonning its former brand name - therefore the example Worldpay. A similar, not exactly identical example from the same industry is Paysafe. --KnightMove (talk) 15:01, 21 April 2019 (UTC)
 * It would seem that that would be an example of rebranding. --Khajidha (talk) 15:09, 21 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Yes, indeed - bu tin a very special way, for which no name seems to have been established?! --KnightMove (talk) 16:05, 21 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Why would there be a specific term for it? I'd think that most instances would simply be described, like "Dorfman's Doodads purchased Willy's Widgets today, the company plans rebrand its Dorfman's Doodads as Willy's Widgets" or "the company plans to assume the Willy's Widgets name".--Khajidha (talk) 12:54, 22 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Why would there by specific terms for shanghaiing, influencer, framing (social sciences)...? All of them can be circumscribed as easily. --KnightMove (talk) 13:38, 23 April 2019 (UTC)
 * See, that seems more like a question worth asking. The lack of a term doesn't seem to need explanation, but the presence of one does. --Khajidha (talk) 22:05, 25 April 2019 (UTC)

What is the object depicted in this image called?
I knew it once, I think it starts with topo-. https://live.staticflickr.com/7859/47323003281_b707b9082f_o.jpg Thanks, Arlo James Barnes 18:45, 18 April 2019 (UTC)


 * Not sure what it is called the Lochnagar article shows an old image of it but http://trigpointinguk-photos.s3.amazonaws.com/002/P02402.jpg show the inscription on the top and says it was erected in 1924. MilborneOne (talk) 18:59, 18 April 2019 (UTC)


 * Is it a Survey marker? Or perhaps a triangulation station. --Viennese Waltz 19:03, 18 April 2019 (UTC)


 * Thanks to both of you. In the picture I linked, placenames can be seen around the edge, so I believe the stone is meant to indicate the direction (and likely distance if inscribed) those places are from the stone (and thereby the peak). It is this functionality I was asking about, but it is helpful to know about this particular one too. Arlo James Barnes 19:07, 18 April 2019 (UTC)
 * I have seen several variations of such objects at various Scenic viewpoints in the UK and elsewhere. There certainly ought to be a name for them, but I haven't so far been able to think of or find one. I'll keep thinking and looking.
 * (Per Viennese Waltz – although such markers might be added to (or alongside) a UK Trig point, actual Ordnance Survey Trig points have a standardised design (including flush metal mountings on the top designed to support a theodolite, etc), which the OP's example does not exhibit.)
 * [Edited to add – ] Got it! was right: we have an article at Toposcope (to which Topograph redirects). {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.122.2.132 (talk) 06:54, 19 April 2019 (UTC)

Do any US state constitutions require more than a majority vote to be amended?
Do any US state constitutions require more than a majority vote to be amended? Futurist110 (talk) 19:41, 18 April 2019 (UTC)
 * has all the methods to amend state constitutions. --Golbez (talk) 23:14, 18 April 2019 (UTC)
 * You can search that link for "supermajority" to find the examples you want. Most states have multiple methods for amending the constitution so the most succinct answer that is still accurate would be, "some of them, some of the time." Someguy1221 (talk) 00:28, 19 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Thank you very much! Futurist110 (talk) 06:04, 19 April 2019 (UTC)