Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 September 14

=September 14=

CS2 speed
Jamesino 00:13, 14 September 2006 (UTC)Is running Adobe Photoshop CS2 slower than running Adobe Photoshop CS, both on a 2.93GHz, 512mb RAM computer?


 * Do you mean just running it, or running an intensive filter? Just running might be a little slower, but the filter should be the same speed on the same processor and graphics card. --Canley 07:08, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

people percentages
find micellaneous percentages on peoples preferences in art, design, eating, and day to day living

Wait, was that a question? --AstoVidatu 02:49, 14 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Well I would say that almost 100% of the people in the world would prefer to eat and live every day. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 03:04, 14 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Ahh an essay question, too bad we don't know the topic of your class or quiz, but then i guess someone would just link to the no-homework policy anyway. -- Dark fred Talk to me 03:09, 14 September 2006 (UTC)
 * What do we do once we've found them? Dismas|(talk) 06:23, 14 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Word it better. ._. --Proficient 06:42, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

I'm guessing he's worded it about as well as he was told it. I can well imagine a teacher telling a class "go find miscellaneous statistics expressed as percentages, such as people's preferences in art, design, eating, day to day living, anything!".

Therefore, restating the question according to my imagination (!) it would read, "Where can I find stats expressed as percentages about everyday life, such as people's preferences in art and design, or the types of food they eat, etc?" --Dweller 11:23, 14 September 2006 (UTC)
 * have you tried statistics Canada? Fastfinge

Highlander
who wrote the highlander movies, especially the first one, and was it the same person that came up with the quickening and any other info you wish to provide, thanks.


 * See Highlander. StuRat 10:12, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

I have read all the appropriate links, but they do not answer my question, it only says who scripted it, i want to kno who came up with the original idea. thanks


 * Highlander (film) lists Gregory Widen as the "writer". However, as you imply, it's difficult to know if / how much of the storyline was "his idea". --Dweller 11:19, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

It was certainly clear to me that the writer of the second Highlander never saw the first movie.
 * And those of us who saw the second one try to pretend that we didn't. User:Zoe|(talk) 22:35, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

imdb says:
 * "Gregory Widen  (written by)
 * Gregory Widen  and
 * Peter Bellwood  &
 * Larry Ferguson


 * No "based on" or "from a story" by, so they're responsible for the concept. User:Zoe|(talk) 01:26, 15 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Gregory Widen is the complete answer. He sold the script to HIGHLANDER before graduating UCLA screenwriting school. He is credited with all the concepts and charcters for that film. He also wrote BACKDRAFT (after being a fireman for 3 yrs and seeing a friend die in a back draft) and THE PROPHECY; which has gone on to have 2 sequels- though not as many as his HIGHLANDER concept. User:samb 02:42, 17 June, 2007.

textiles
Hi Please tell me about Damask, is it a weave, if yes please tell me how is it woven? Thanks Sanjeev Jha
 * See Damask. Dismas|(talk) 10:14, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Speedometers
Why do some speedometers have a smaller gap between 0 and 20 than between the other numbers? BenC7 10:07, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I think there is a limitation that they work poorly at slow speeds (say, under 10). So, rather than have them give incorrect info, they just don't show any speeds below that. StuRat 10:10, 14 September 2006 (UTC)
 * I think it's more that people so rarely drive at those speeds that it becomes useless to even have those speeds marked. Though that doesn't explain why they go so high when most speed laws don't allow you to drive that fast, but then that probably has a lot to do with marketing.  Because who wants to drive a Porsche whose speedometer only goes to 100 mph?  Dismas|(talk) 10:17, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

star wars
i was once told that there where 9 books in all that g lucus made 456 then 123 so is there any mention of 789 "alicia


 * Whoever told you there is nine books lied. We have an article on the possible 789 here: Sequel trilogy (Star Wars). Natgoo 18:03, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I think it would be more appropriate to say that the person misinformed the person asking the question. There is no evidence that he lied, only that the statement only nine books exist is not truth. LeyteWolfer 19:24, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * And it probably was not even deliberate misinformation. The rumour about there being 9 books and Lucas planning to eventually film all of them goes back to at least the mid-80s (that's when I first heard it). Supposedly, Lucas himself even said something to that effect in an interview sometime in the 80s, but I've never managed to track down that interview. Anyway, over the years, Lucas has said lots of things about his future plans for the Stwar Wars movies, and he's obviously changed his mind several times - so there's any number of rumours about this or that planned Star Wars movie, and even though at least some of these rumours can be traced back to something Lucas said at one time or another, all we can do is wait and hope any future Star Wars movies will not suck too bad -- Ferkelparade &pi; 09:27, 15 September 2006 (UTC)


 * [[Image:Bastille2.jpg|thumb|Yes, there was 1 789!]] -- DLL .. T 18:59, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

Where are my questions?
I've posed several questions at the reference desk over the past year. I don't remember when I posed each one, so it would be cumbersome for me to find them chronologically. Is there a way to search for my questions using keywords?


 * My suggestion, assuming you're registered (I don't know, since you didn't sign your question), is to go to 'my contributions' and scan through that, especially in the time frame you believe you posted. LeyteWolfer 19:30, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Here's one, I lost the other somewhere in the process and the network is really laggy right now so this is all I can do: question 1 :) --Froth 19:44, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Here is another one. Any other questions you may have submitted were under a different IP address or username. --jh51681 20:03, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Ah, july 20. Somehow I ended up with july 19 and of course there was no Mine disaster survival question on that page --Froth 20:33, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * You can use this google search to seek out RD questions (thanks QuantumEleven) MeltBanana  20:39, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Is that accurate? Seagull only gets 33 hits! Hyenaste (tell) 02:02, 15 September 2006 (UTC)


 * "Gull" gets another 28 hits, for a total of 61 hits. StuRat 18:32, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

Extreme sleep deprivation
Is sleep actually necessary for human life? What would happen if you just decided to stop sleeping, and forced yourself (with drugs or iron strength of will) to simply not sleep?

It seems that people with Fatal familial insomnia die after a couple months of no sleep, but has anyone stayed awake that long without the disease? --Froth 19:26, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * The article on Sleep deprivation suggests there have been no reported deaths due to lack of sleep in healthy humans (except in accidents) (anyone want to prove it wrong?). But does say that rats certainly will die if deprived of sleep in around 28 days. Though, the real question is do you have the ability to need sleep even with the aid of drugs? I have trouble staying awake after 1 day of sleep deprivation. Benbread 20:20, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I've already read that article and IIRC, it said that people have stayed awake for weeks (?) in experiments without falling asleep. If you can stay awake for a week I would think you could stay awake indefinately. --Froth 20:36, 14 September 2006 (UTC)
 * From what I have read on the subject 3 weeks seems to be the limit. After this point people start experiencing organ failures and a general breakdown of mental functions. I do not have a freference since it has been some time since I read this, but I remember reading that one such test was canceled because of a death. -- Dark fred Talk to me 20:56, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Not necessarily... 惑乱 分からん 20:52, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Experiments (see the articles linked to from Sleep deprivation seem to indicate mental breakdown begins after a couple of days, and I find it hard to believe that physical wouldn't follow. --Mnem e son 21:04, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Sleep is very badly understood among scientists, doctors and psychologists alike, but there are strong indications that it's essential for human health and well-being. 惑乱 分からん 21:14, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

My brother had a seizure a couple of years ago. He was playing videogames, but he stayed up for several days doig so. After getting better, the doctor ran some tests (like a strobe light in front of him etc.) to determine if he had epilepsy. The doctor said he didn't and the "official" cause of the seizure was sleep deprivation. schyler 01:24, 15 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I've heard that after sleep deprivation of a week the mental beakdown is lasting.DirkvdM 07:32, 15 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Better try get some then Dirk! BTW whats a BEAKDOWN ?- is it some thing chickens do when feeding?--Light current 23:50, 15 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Some Buddhists try to avoid sleep, although I'm not sure on the exact details, and I wouldn't try it without the proper instruction. In the Vimalakirti Sutra one of the Buddha's followers mentions walking to overcome sleepiness. Rentwa 17:02, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

Hair Gel
What ingredients in hair gel used for spiking hair, is responsible for determining the stiffness and "hold" of the hair gel? Jamesino 20:35, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Hair gel: Cationic polymers are a main functional component of hair gel. The positive charges in polymer cause it to stretch out, making the gel more viscous. This is because the stretched-out polymer takes up more space than a coiled polymer and thus resists the flow of solvent molecules around it. The positive charges also bind the gel to the negatively charged amino acids on the surface of the keratin molecules in the hair. More complicated polymer formulas exist, e.g. a copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone, methacrylamide, and N-vinylimidazole. --Froth 20:38, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I think a more precise answer would be ionic polymers. I suppose they could be produced through cationic polymerization. Conceptually speaking, the gel is made of polymers which have positive and negative charges at different branches and ends. Makes for very interesting chemistry. --HappyCamper 01:30, 15 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I seem to recall an entirely different ingredient used in the movie There's Something About Mary. :-) StuRat 08:48, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

Mary's "hair gel" incident. (this is a link to an image)


 * If you've got many good friends, you should be able to obtain it much cheaper than regular hair gel. I doubt it really is solid enough, though... 惑乱 分からん 23:09, 15 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Indeed. See also mohawk hairstyle for extremes. I thought a sugar-water solution was sometimes used, but that's not mentioned in the article.--Shantavira 12:08, 15 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I saw some punks on Swedish television using glue and a vacuum to get those classic punk spikes out of their long hair... 惑乱 分からん 23:06, 15 September 2006 (UTC)