Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 December 7

= December 7 =

AN/PEQ
What does AN/PEQ stand for anyways? I've always wondered that, but I couldn't find an answer anywhere. And the others in the SOPMOD like the AN/PVS and AN/PSQ? 67.188.81.158 (talk) 01:22, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Joint Electronics Type Designation System. AN is Army-Navy, PEQ would be Human Portable, Laser, Special or Combination. FiggyBee (talk) 04:19, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

What is the Canadian cultural Appalachia? Gary, IN?
This question continues the theme from last month. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007_November_12#What_is_the_British_Gary.2C_Indiana.3F__Appalachia.3F

lots of issues | leave me a message 02:26, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Newfoundland is the Canadian Appalachia, complete with poverty, funny accents, a wide diaspora and many jokes at their expense. The Jane and Finch neighborhood in Toronto, while not as bad as the "bad neighborhoods" in most American cities, is the closest thing Canada has to a notorious black ghetto. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 03:38, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * As for depressed urban areas comparable to Gary, Canada does not seem to have any quite as big or bad as Gary, but Brantford, Ontario, and Sydney, Nova Scotia, are both fairly depressed. Marco polo (talk) 21:24, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * I don't know Canada well enough to say what "Canada's Appalachia" might be (or I'm too wary to hazard a guess), but Newfoundland, mentioned above, has the added benefit of actually being part of the Appalachian Mountains. Pfly (talk) 04:07, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

Tough Questions - Wikipedia's "Question Gate" and Shockwave
Who had the idea to call me a troll, assume ABF ? Reminds me of what happened when a Hillary Clinton supporter had tried to prevent "non approved" questions from being asked at one of her engagements.

Other than this matter, the History Channel will air this Friday a show called "Shockwave", which is about the worst explosion to have taken place. I'm referring to a rocket fuel plant that detonated in Nevada.

Should this reference about the show be placed in appropriate articles ? 65.163.115.114 (talk) 06:10, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

I only asked the tough questions about animal protection organizations, environmental organizations. Someone else could have asked these, and really be offensive about it. 65.163.115.114 (talk) 06:16, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * You got fairly good answers to your questions, I thought. As for Shockwave, I don't think it's notable that the History Channel has made a program about the PEPCON disaster, so I wouldn't put it in the article. FiggyBee (talk) 06:52, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Not the worst explosion. Only 2 dead and 0.25KT. Compare to the Halifax Explosion, with 2000 dead and 3.0KT, or with the Texas City disaster. Or of course deliberate explosions at Nagasaki and Hiroshima. -Arch dude (talk) 07:49, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Your questions got reasonable answers - but it's a bad idea to rant about things in questions. Ask what you need to know - leave it at that.  Also, there is never a guarantee that you'll get a useful answer here.  It's a volunteer service manned by whoever feels like coming along and doing it.  If nobody feels like answering, you don't get an answer - there is no entitlement.


 * As for this question, List of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions is a pretty good start. At the bottom is this table:


 * PEPCON at 0.25kt is a mere damp squib compared to these! I agree with FiggyBee though - the fact that a TV program is made about something isn't sufficiently notable to warrant mentioning it in the body of the article.  It would, however, be a valuable addition to the "References" or "External links" section.  But this is Wikipedia - "WP:Be bold" certainly applies here.  SteveBaker (talk) 14:27, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

Cycling clip
Hi all. I was wondering if anyone knew the story behind this cycling clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL48rN2ven0 ? As in when it occurred, what was the race, what were the repurcussions for the cyclists and the guy who pushed the guy off the bridge. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Akamad (talk • contribs) 06:44, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Hmmm... a tough one. I couldn't even identify the language - I'm guessing a scandinavian language...(?) A translation would be a good start - maybe there are some clues in the voiceover. A google indicated Japan, but the spectator who does the pushing isn't Japanese and I'm not convinced the cyclist is either. Good question though. Manning (talk) 13:46, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * RTL on Google turns up a Luxemburg station, so maybe it's in Luxembourgish? Also there're quite a number of stations named RTL or BTL. --antilivedT 01:28, 8 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Yeah, there was another copy of the clip on youtube that had labelled it as Japanese, but I too doubt that. - Akamad (talk) 01:43, 8 December 2007 (UTC)


 * The sign in the background says “[something] MATA” and the video is tagged with a logo that says “Csiii[something].” What we really need is a translation of the commentary though. --S.dedalus (talk) 08:06, 8 December 2007 (UTC)


 * The sign looks to me like "A 2 KM META" with what might be an arrow. For whatever that's worth.  —Tamfang (talk) 07:11, 13 December 2007 (UTC)

The voiceover might be unrelated to the origin of the clip, as I think I have seen it on the net before and without the voiceover - perhaps that particular clip was taken from some clip show in another country. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.208.109.169 (talk) 11:31, 8 December 2007 (UTC)
 * The voiceover is in Hungarian (although I don't understand it). Csiihi is what it says in the corner. It sounds like the sort of VO and cheap sound effects you get on X's Funniest Home Videos shows. Steewi (talk) 03:00, 10 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Sorry, Csihi, not Csiihi. Steewi (talk) 03:01, 10 December 2007 (UTC)

Doctor's handwriting
Why do doctors always have such bad handwriting? --Candy-Panda (talk) 10:03, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * So the patient will NOT know how bad the diagnosis is, especially if the patient has "Fat Wallet Syndrome". 65.163.115.114 (talk) 10:11, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * It's to maintain the 'medical mystique', what you can't understand you can't question. Richard Avery (talk) 10:59, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * They study hard for seven years to achieve that level of illegibility. SaundersW (talk) 11:42, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Do you have data on the handwriting of non-doctors? If not then I don't see what needs to be explained.--droptone (talk) 13:46, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Doesn't answer the question but is still interesting related reading TIme Magazine - Cause of death - bad handwriting -- Manning (talk) 13:49, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * A British Medical Journal study found that doctors do NOT have handwriting that is on average any worse than other professionals. See here Manning (talk) 13:55, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * lol ive been told that i should be a doctor with my handwriting...good thing typing is always legible. Esskater 11  14:41, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * I actually have no idea what my doctor's handwriting is like as I've never seen more than her signature. The trend in these parts (I live in Kitchener, Ontario) is for medical professionals to print off their prescription slips on a printer. Matt Deres (talk) 17:58, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * My doctor also prints prescriptions, I believe that this is fairly standard nowadays in Britain, as it enables computerization of medical records, and computerized warnings of possible adverse drug interactions (especially useful if a patient has a complex drug regime). It should be noted, however, that the Misuse of Drugs Act requires that prescriptions for Controlled Drugs be handwritten by the doctor. (I know this because I used to look after a child who was prescribed Ritalin, and the pharmacist rejected some of her scripts as an idiot doctor had printed them - after that I started reading the BNF thoroughly whenever a child was prescribed anything). DuncanHill (talk) 00:59, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

Donation
This isn't a question. Removed - the banner at the top of the page is more than enough.  Lanfear's Bane |  t  11:27, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

Not Sure if this is consiered legal advice...
If my band wanted to do a cover of a song and then put it on an EP and sell it(even though it would sold locally and for low profit-like $5 an album) would i have to get permission from the original artist to do it?the juggreserection (talk) 15:00, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
 * The "legal advice" rule prevents me from telling you what to do to solve your problem. But I am allowed to tell you how to educate yourself about your problem.  This article is a great place to start.  --M @ r ē ino 15:22, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
 * You have to clear permission with the rights holder which is usually either the band or more often their record company, sometimes it's a specific third party company that manages muscal rights for a lot of bands and music producers. Keria (talk) 15:36, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Aargh websense stuck a big middle finger in my face and said, "you cant look at cleverjoe.com". >:( the juggreserection (talk) 17:31, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Sorry to hear that! Here's another solid guide to cover music copyrights.  --M @ r ē ino 18:32, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * You have to get permission from whoever holds the copyright (may not be the original artist). Otherwise, we call it stealing.  —Nricardo (talk) 19:03, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Nope, anyone can cover a song without permission. They just have to make the appropriate payments to MCPS etc. -- Web H amster  03:47, 8 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Which acts under the authority of the copyright holder. —Nricardo (talk) 02:30, 9 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Regardless, you don't need their permission. A cover is not a copyright infringement. MCPS collect payment after the fact, an artist performing a cover does not need to request permission from the MCPS before the performance. -- Web H amster  02:36, 9 December 2007 (UTC)
 * But recording is probably a legally different situation to a performance. In a recording situation, there are unlimited replays, so a fixed amount has to be negotiated (or a fixed amount per CD copy). In a performance situation, it's only played once, so you charge for the one performance (or get permission to cover for free within a time period). Steewi (talk) 03:05, 10 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Why assume the copyright holder even has an agreement with MCPS (or ASCAP or BMI or whoever)? —Nricardo (talk) 04:34, 10 December 2007 (UTC)
 * It's not an assumption. The other motive for obtaining royalties from the various agencies is that you are also actively protecting your copyright. If it can be demonstrated that you aren't actively protecting your copyright then that copyright can lapse and along with it your right to royalties etc. In the real world it's highly unlikely that a song that is covered won't be protected by MCPS, ASCAP et al. Likewise, at least in the UK anyway, when the cover is performed at a live venue and that venue isn't registered with a royalties agency then no royalties are due as it's the responsibility of the venue to pay the royalties and not the artist performing unlike a cover that is on recorded media. In the later case the royalties are paid to the duplication house -- Web H amster  04:51, 10 December 2007 (UTC)

WWII plane ID tag


What is the proper name for the identification number found on WWII fighter airplanes on the tail section of the fuselage? Thank you. Keria (talk) 15:31, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Which number, what air force? For British aircraft, the big white letters are a squadron code (the letters in front of the roundel are the squadron, the one behind is the unique identifier of that aircraft), and the smaller black alphanumeric is the serial number.  Aircraft changed squadron codes frequently (either because the aircraft were reassigned, or the squadron changed code to confuse the enemy), but retained the same serial throughout.  The USAAF used pretty much the same system, see the photo ->. FiggyBee (talk) 17:59, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Thank you figgyBee. I should have been more precise as I was indeed talking about the RAF and a specific Typhoon Squadron my grandfather served in. I asked this question because I wanted to find which specific planes he was flying. You answer my question completely, (white squadron code and black serial number) thank you very much. Since I asked the question I managed to dig up copies of his log book that have been printed in a book (I had no idea they were there) and it shows that they were changing planes every day (I initialy thought wrongly that they would be assigned a plane and stick to it). Thank you again for your reply. Keria (talk) 18:27, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

john travolta
Is it true that john travolta is bisexual? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dlo2012 (talk • contribs) 18:15, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
 * While there have been rumors to that effect, such rumors aren't always accurate. Travolta himself hasn't said that he is bisexual, and no reliable sources have offered any compelling evidence of it. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 18:31, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * It's worth noting that Travolta's religion, Scientology, started out as very anti-gay, although it has recently adopted a more inclusive stance.  So that might affect his attitudes.  On the other hand, it's also worth noting that Travolta himself and many of the characters he portrayed have behaviors that may be called LGBT stereotypes, and that much of the rumors seem to have come from people being way, way too quick to assume that anyone who is a great dancer or has a great eye for fashion must be gay/bi. --M @ r ē ino 18:42, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

quick and straightforward path to a small-scale ecommerce site selling PDFs?
Please see my question here. I request info from anyone who knows the easiest way to set up a small-scale site that sells PDFs one at a time or via subscription.

I wasn't sure whether this is more appropriate here or at the computing questions. If someone tells me I will make sure to put it in the one right place. Thanks. NoClutter (talk) 20:08, 7 December 2007 (UTC)


 * If you're looking for a way to sell PDF documents that you have created, a Print on demand company like Lulu might be your best bet. In addition to printing paper books on demand, they also provide a mechanism for people to purchase electronic copies of books in PDF format. It's been a while since I used it, so I'm not sure if it would work for subscriptions or what their commission is. One of the options is free to the author, though. Unfortunately, I can't think of an e-commerce package that will do this for you off the top of my head; I'm sure someone else knows of one, though -- Kateshort forbob  23:39, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

Verse from Vishnu Purana - a Hindu Mythology book
This verse, a translation, captures the essence of marriage: she is language, he is thought he is reason, she is sense she is will, he is wish he is song, she is note she is motion, he is wind he is battle, she is might she is beauty, he is strength he is lamp, she is light she is body, he is soul he is day, she is night

please help me find this verse

- shyamalanawab —Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.65.131.111 (talk) 20:16, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
 * This site suggests it is from Bhagavata Purana. SaundersW (talk) 22:49, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

thankyou very much, i would still like the verse number & chapter where this verse figure —Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.65.131.61 (talk) 14:13, 9 December 2007 (UTC)