Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 February 6

=February 6=

Clowns
I recently saw an advertisement on a billboard for a clown college, and it got me thinking: I appreciate any help anyone gives, and for satisfying my curiosity. --71.98.21.95 00:13, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * How much money does the average clown make annually?
 * Do clowns belong to a union of some sort?
 * Do they require a license or certificate from a clown college to work in a circus?
 * Does the circus pay for lodging and food while the clown is working for them?


 * Can't help with 1, 3 or 4, but perhaps the Clowns of America International, Clowns International or World Clown Association could (and that seems to answer question 2.) Rockpock  e  t  08:01, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

James Zhou
Who is James Zhou?65.93.162.136 02:50, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * We didn't know either. See here.  JackofOz 02:58, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Free Explicit Material
How is it possible that there is so much explicit material available on the internet ? I refer specifically to the type which is obviously filmed or photographed under "professional" conditions (thus excluding 'amateur' stuff). Also not referring just to pornography, but also for e.g. to nude pin-ups etc. Surely the models / actors / stars need to be paid for their work, as would in many cases the photographer, studio etc. Just doesn't make economic sense to give it all away for free ... --196.208.62.181 04:10, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * I imagine most pornography websites that are free would get most of their revenue from advertising. Plus I'm certain a significant proportion of free pornography sites obtain their material illegally by copying them from other sites. - Akamad 05:18, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * The same way music and DVD rips propagate; people who paid for them copy them and distribute them for free. Anchoress 05:23, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * I'd imagine a lot of the places would write of the costs of providing it as part of their advertising. Remember most of what is free is linking to a pay site, which is where they would make their money. Mathmo Talk 09:20, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Area Code Border map
I am specifically looking for a area code border map similar to what the U.S. Post office has for zip code maps. Is there a website with this resource somewhere?
 * I googled: us area codes map, and it came up with several results. Including this: http://www.nanpa.com/number_resource_info/area_code_maps.html. Hope that's what you're looking for. - Akamad 05:13, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * Note that unlike with ZIP codes, these days two or more area codes can share the same geographical area. So you can't just look up the area code for a place by looking at the map.  --Anonymous, February 6, 07:17 (UTC).

Well, I am actually looking for a map i can zoom into that would show an area code border. I travel between zip codes and would like to know when i crossed the "Border"
 * As anonymous said above, nowadays there are some area codes which overlay other ones, so that two area codes may have the same borders. Corvus cornix 16:39, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

I was thinking of Wisconsin, Here we have one area code in the one area. I can't find a detailed zoomed in map.

Cold feet?
For some inconceivable reason, wearing socks in my room builds up massive static electricity. My feet often get cold as a result. Any suggestions as to how to keep them warm?-- the ninth bright shiner   talk 05:01, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Your feet often get cold as a result of static electricity? Could you explain that futher, please? Anchoress 05:03, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Probably that in avoiding static shock, the wearing of socks is shunned; without socks, the feet become cold. V-Man737 05:12, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Whoops, sorry about that. Because of the static electricity involved, I don't wear socks in my room, so my feet become cold as they have nothing covering them.  Feet getting cold as a result of static electricity, how silly...--  the ninth bright shiner   talk 05:15, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * You could wear slippers or antistatic socks. Or you could keep your socks on and make it a habit of discharging yourself every few seconds when walking around. Maybe these answers are banal, then again maybe I didn't understand your question. ---Sluzzelin 05:21, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * As a kid I would see how much potential difference I could rack up before discharging. It turned out to be a very intense game. V-Man737 05:24, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Do you have a tendency to shuffle your feet when you walk? That would build up a static charge faster.  You could also run a humidifier to keep the air from getting so dry.  Dismas|(talk) 05:26, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Or switch the kinds of socks you wear - it's hard to predict what kinds of fibres in socks and in carpet are interacting - but if you are wearing cotton socks - try switching to a man-made fibre - or if you wear man-made, try switching to cotton. I agree that a humidifier will help.  Large static buildup can be very bad indeed for electronic items like computers, cellphones, MP3 players, PDA's and such - so you probably ought to deal with it. Grounding yourself on something large and metallic before you touch one of these devices is recommended.  To avoid getting a nasty zap when you do that, hold a coin between your fingers and touch the doorknob or whatever with that so the spark crosses between coin and doornob without zapping your skin. SteveBaker 05:47, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Everyone has some great suggetions above, but you could also try thinking outside the box. Or socks, that is.
 * Anyways, what I mean is that much of your body heat leaves through your head, so believe it or not, wearing a warm cap will help keep your feet warm. Then compliment it wearing warm pants. I dunno, my feet always get cold while Wiki-editing even if I wear socks so I always have to do the above to stay warm. I hope that helps.--JDitto 07:28, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

As a digression, I heard that building up static electricity would give an impact when kissing, although I haven't tried it out... =S 惑乱 分からん 11:36, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Well, let me dispel this last notion...Just as you lean in for the kiss, just as your lips get close enough to your honey's, you get a very unpleasant discharge (electrical!) to both your lips. Yes, an "impact" I suppose, but not the kind you want. –RHolton ≡ – 12:55, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * I'm no expert on static electricity, but these are the things I'd try first: find out what your carpets are made of, and try wearing socks that match them, as that wouldn't generate any static at all. If that's not possible, try acryl, polyester, nylon, and wool, to see what generates the least amount of static. --Kjoonlee 15:21, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

It's usually quites simple to deal with this. One: raise the humidity if you can. Once you get below 20% bad things happen. Two: use fabric softener. Put some in a bottle and spray it on the carpet, and have it in your socks. I got a new treadmill, and belt turned into a giant Van de Graaff generator. Just sprayed the softener around, and it became a treadmill again. --Zeizmic 17:50, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * As for kissing, learn to gently touch the other person before the lips make contact. Your fingers are less sensitive to static shock than your lips are. They will probably welcome a caress on the hand, neck or cheek. This is a way to make your relationship electric, although it will take the spark out of the kiss. It will seem extra romantic until they catch on why you are doing it, and even then they will just smile knowingly. Edison 19:33, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * From personal experience, I guarantee this will work, both to discharge the static, and also to keep your feet warm in bed - first, just before you go to bed, stand barefoot for a minute or so in a metal or ceramic bathtub, or shower-tray (not Plastic)(no water required), failing which, stand on your drive or lawn; then, put on some silk socks and sleep the night away. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.145.241.120 (talk • contribs)


 * Or you could just wear shoes. Skittle 19:45, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Doritos ad music?
In the recent Doritos Super Bowl ad "Live the Flavor", there is some classical music but I can't remember what the background music is. I watched the ad again on YouTube and searched Google and it did not help me. It is vaguely familiar but I can't name it. What is the background music? --Blue387 05:32, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * Never mind, I found it: Libiamo ne' lieti calici by Verdi. Thank you. --Blue387 05:46, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Flying Cars
Lately I've been hearing about an Israeli man who plans on marketing flying cars (http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=flying%20cars&btnG=Google+Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn).

I am curious for some diagrams besides the one I found on http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,249082,00.html#. Does anyone know of any? Thanks. --Proficient 05:43, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * That one looks really unlikely to fly to me. They claim it's flown - but there isn't even one photograph of a prototype - which is very suspicious.  But - one 'flying car' that actually does work and has flown for real many times is the Moller Skycar. It uses EIGHT ducted fan engines - and on the http://www.moller.com/ site there are lots of videos of it actually flying.  I've seen it close up (although not flying) so it definitely exists! SteveBaker 05:54, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * I trust you followed the link provided in your second link to the company's home page for the car? http://www.urbanaero.com/Frame-X-Hawk.htm Dismas|(talk) 05:55, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * By the way, we now have an article on the X-Hawk. Dismas|(talk) 07:13, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * I did, but was looking for more detailed diagrams. Thanks anyway though. --Proficient 08:20, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Pepsi ad music
Does anybody know what the song is on the latest Australian Pepsi advertisement and who sings it? --Candy-Panda 06:42, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * Sure, it's Hey Now Now by The Cloud Room. :) 203.208.88.170 11:43, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

On-line documentaries
Does anyone know any website with full-length documentaries? My idea is to have something to watch on the computer while I work with my dumbbells, so if you come up with another possibility... Wikipedia is nice, but needs way too much interaction. :) Thank you. --Taraborn 12:18, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * http://www.archive.org should have some old stuff with expired copyright for download, but it could probably still be interesting enough. Maybe some network website or something have put up old programs for streaming, I'm not sure. But, since it seems to be a diversion for your dumbbell-lifting, I'm not sure on how concentrated you'll watch, anyway? 惑乱 分からん 13:13, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * While I'll do those things simultaneously, the documentary will have mental priority :) Very useful link, by the way, thanks a lot. --Taraborn 15:03, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * BBC Audio and Video - there's a load of stuff on there. Proto ::  ►  15:37, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * The CBC's "The Fifth Estate" doesn't broadcast feature film documentaries, but its episodes are essentially documentaries. Anchoress 18:07, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

New cities?
Are new cities still being founded? I mean building a city from scratch, in a place that only has farmlands or is uninhabited. Or is the world now full of cities? J I P | Talk 19:03, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, cities continue to be founded. Brasilia with 2.3 million people was founded in 1960, for example. Rmhermen 19:11, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Well there have been New towns, like Milton Keynes and Carterton, Oxfordshire. Is that the sort of thing you had in mind? I believe there are some cities in the first article I linked to. Skittle 19:14, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Here is a plan for a new city in UAE. - Akamad 19:44, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * Check into Belmopan, Columbia, Maryland, Reston, Virginia. Is Islamabad a new city?  It's hard to tell from the article.  Corvus cornix 21:49, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Trademarks
Are there any legal limits on the use of ™ and ® trademark symbols? How are they different? What does SM mean, and when can it be used? C. M. Harris Talk to me 22:01, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


 * Look at the article trademark for some more info, not sure about legal limits. SM is 'Service mark' according to the wikipedia entry. I would expect there to be rules against using them on items that don't have trademark (as that would be something like false-trademarking?).ny156uk 22:22, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

® is specifically for a registered trademark. ™ is for any trademark; --Anonymous, Feb. 7, 08:15 (UTC).

Do you mean that if I ran a company, I could slap a ™ symbol on anything I made? C. M. Harris Talk to me 20:04, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

That's a legal question, so you want a lawyer if you really need to know (and it may vary from place to place). But my layman's understanding is that the answer is yes, you can claim a trademark on something (that is, something suitable, like a brand name) without registering it. The thing about trademarks is that they have to be defended if anyone challenges them, or they go away, and registering them is probably good tactics in any case. --Anonymous, February 8, 2007, 01:36 (UTC).

Is there any trademark you can't register? C. M. Harris Talk to me 20:19, 8 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes. In the U.S. and Canada (and im sure many other countries): Units of measure, metric prefixes(kilo, mega, micro, nano..) and plain numbers (numbers can be part of a trademark i.e. palmOne, Pentium 4 etc)
 * And now looky here! --Anonymous, February 16, 2007, 22:12 (UTC).