Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 August 30

= August 30 =

Does this look legit?
I need to know if anyone knows if this site is actualy a good payoff before i get into something bad. the juggresurection  (>-.-(Vಠ_ಠ) 00:01, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm going to do an experiment. I'm going to say "No, it's an utter scam" without even looking at it.  Then I'm going to read it - and then I'll be back to comment.  Gimme a few minutes. SteveBaker (talk) 00:54, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Yep - I was right. (My point being that if you have to ask...it's a scam).  They are collecting data on you - I bet you'll never earn more than a buck or two.  No reputable survey company would use people who self-select to complete the survey.  Survey data is only valid if you get a random cross-section of the public.  Consider that by inviting people who are prepared to do this - and give away all of this personal information (Hello...ever heard of identity theft?) and do it for (likely) very little money - they aren't getting anything LIKE a valid cross-section of the community.  So the results would be quite utterly useless.  What they ARE collecting is a detailed list of information about people who are basically gullible - that's a useful set of information - and in the wrong hands...yeah...exactly.  Don't do it. SteveBaker (talk) 01:00, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Legit or not, survey sites are not an easy or quick way to make money. The surveys generally take at least 10-15 minutes to go through (if you read the questions as you go) and they only pay you a dollar at most for the survey.  So in 15 minutes, you've made ~$1 or so.  That's $4/hour which is half minimum wage.  Or they award you on a point system and you can redeem the points for either cash or stuff that you don't really want/need in the first place.  Dismas |(talk) 02:52, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I think a lot of people underestimate how much their time is worth, and consider this sort of thing "free money" because they aren't clocking in a timecard. Time's the most valuable resource one has—spent it consciously. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:05, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * That's the other problem - what's to stop someone from just randomly clicking on any old junk just to get through the survey quickly so they can get onto the next one and pick up more money? That makes the results doubly useless.  Who in their right mind would commission such a survey?   The results have to be utterly useless for any practical purposes.  Redeeming points against goods is a common scam - I bet you have to pay cash for postage.  The junk these people sell is worth less than the small profit they can make for inflating the cost of postage.  You see this in a lot of TV adverts where you buy something and they say "Free refills for LIFE!  You just pay postage!!" - then notice that they are charging you $8 for postage and when it arrives there is a $0.75 stamp on it and it's in a $0.10 cardboard box.  SteveBaker (talk) 07:43, 30 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Amen to the above. This same offer came up in my in box and I trashed it without even reading it.--89.168.230.161 (talk) 05:55, 30 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I'd just like to add that any -- honestly, any -- offer to make easy cash is most likely a scam, and if people just learned and accepted this, we could eliminate a lot of pain and regret, just like that. If it looks too good to be true, it is. No one is handing out money for something really easy to do. It's not happening, and it's especially not happening on the internet. There are hordes of people out there who prey on our hopes and exploit our gullibility, and they will take our money if we give it to them. There's an upside to this, though: they're not at all hard to avoid. All we need to do is learn to ignore the "opportunities" that spammers send our way and disbelieve what those endless websites and banner ads out there promise us. A bit of healthy skepticism goes a long way. And User:The juggresurection, I should probably add, should be pleased with himself for being smart enough to look before he leaped. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 14:06, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes - exactly. That's why I was confident in saying "It's a scam" without reading it - without even knowing what the page was about.  If you have to ask...it's a scam. SteveBaker (talk) 14:32, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Memory improvement
--S.dedalus (talk) 02:02, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Twenty-seven is way too young for noticeable memory deterioration and increasing clumsiness. I suggest you see a doctor. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:35, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Science quote?
Who said something like: “Science is to ask the right questions. Any first year student can find the answers.” —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.226.70.173 (talk) 04:13, 30 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, the focus on asking the right questions is quite common in all realms of study... there are a lot of variations on this sort of thing attributed to people, e.g.
 * "The scientific mind does not so much provide the right answers as ask the right questions." — Claude Levi-Strauss
 * "Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers." — Voltaire
 * And so on. Here's a whole page of similar quotes (though of course with all such lists I'd take them with a grain of salt unless you found a good source for the original quote). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:02, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Another one I always like on a similar topic (I may be paraphrasing slightly) is from Isaac Asimov: "Fewer scientific discoveries were announced with the word 'Eureka!' than by the phrase 'Now why did that happen?'" Grutness...wha?  02:33, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

air plane crash
Is there a way to find out if a certain person was killed in an airplane crash. I have a name and the plane date when it went down but can not find any way of locating passenger info. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.182.52.201 (talk) 04:43, 30 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I would imagine that you could simply contact the airline in question and explain that you think someone you know might have been on that flight, provide them with the person's name, and ask them to tell you whether that name was among the casualties. They'd certainly let you know. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 13:54, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Assumes it was an airline. I do note that the NTSB does not include any names in its accident reports. --jpgordon&#8711;&#8710;&#8711;&#8710; 14:39, 30 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, yeah, you're right, it could be a private plane. Should that be the case, I'd probably contact the police in the area where it crashed. I mean, either way, barring some really unusual circumstances, I don't think this kind of information is too hard to get out of official sources -- unless there are bodies that cannot be identified for some reason, but in that case contacting the authorities about this is probably a good idea anyway, since they'd probably appreciate the information. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 15:16, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

What city is this?
I was looking through wallpapers included with Windows Vista on my two-month old laptop and came across this black and white image of a city at night. (Here is a copy .) Examining the info in the properties, all I have is a year, 2006, and a photographer, Jean-Francois Gate, and my searches on Google and Getty showed nothing. What city is it? I speculate it could be one of more new/modern parts of Shanghai or in the Middle East. --Blue387 (talk) 08:40, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Question
How do you find out your SHA-512? February 15, 2009 (talk) 12:50, 30 August 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by February 15, 2009 (talk • contribs) 12:49, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Not quite sure what you mean. If you have a string of text, say 660725FED251F314A2AF0570264C155776E407AD, I don't think there is a way to determine what cryptographic hash function created it. If you're trying to find out what the original text was I think it's near impossible without a enormously powerful computer. The Cryptanalysis and validation section of the SHA hash functions article deals with most of this, and you may get better answers at the Computing Reference Desk. Jessica   Thunderbolt   13:56, 30 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, you can reverse simple hashes without too powerful a computer, using rainbow tables. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:34, 30 August 2008 (UTC)


 * The Linux program sha512sum will calculate the hash code/checksum for an arbitary string of data. That program probably runs on other platforms too.  However, I don't know what you mean by "your" SHA-512.  What data is passed into the program to generate the code?  It really matters - if you put your name into the program, you'll get a drastically different result if you put a period at the end versus if you don't.  For example;


 * The difference of a space between "Steve" and "Baker" produced an utterly different result.
 * SteveBaker (talk) 14:25, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Mysterious spikey objects in London
Can anyone tell me what this is? There are several fixed and wired to adjacent lamp posts along High Holborn in London, England. Thanks. Oosoom Talk 15:44, 30 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Suggestions: Anti climbing device, weird sort of antenna, light diffuser or lamp protector.--79.76.176.172 (talk) 17:19, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Possiblly some sort of anti-pigeon device maybe —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.64.98.87 (talk) 17:26, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * That seems a little overkill for an anti-pigeon device. Usually those sorts of things are small and subtle. And why would you need them going up-side down? --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:32, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * On second thoughts, probably not an anti pigeon device becasue the other parts of the light don't seem to have any spikes, bit of a mystery, i've never seen anything like that on streetlights before —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.64.98.87 (talk) 17:41, 30 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Boy that's odd. It does seem wired to that box, meaning it's "spikes" are probably more than ornamental or just to discourage climbing or tampering or birds (could have accomplished that with a lot less). They look like antennae to me? The ends of them seem to have little tiny protuberances as well. Very strange. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:28, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Maybe it's decoration and at night they light up like optical fibers. Jessica   Thunderbolt   17:50, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * It's a ornamental light. The spikes contain fibre optic cables with a bulb in the middle. Power is taken from the main street light via the box. Nanonic (talk) 17:53, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks. That's a relief. I had a horruible feeling that they were part of a world-wide-wifi network and would appear on every post everywhere! :) Oosoom Talk 10:09, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

Can I get in trouble for publishing my "Harrry Pot-ter" book?
As a new author, I realize how hard it is to write a successful book. My friends often remind me on how the odds are against writing a best seller the first time out. My friends tell me-"Forget it, you have a better chance of being struck by lightning while sliding up a rainbow." My friends don't know ME very well. I want success, and I want it NOW. Writing is a highly competitive field and one must find a way to stand out. I literally tripped over the answer when my niece left her Harry Potter book on the floor, leaving me to trip over it. 16 stitches later, it occured to me that if I spell JK Rowlings intellectual property slightly different, it may not be her property. So if I publish my guaranteed to be best seller "XJ14-jj**AHHHHH!!!!!" with the subtitle "Harrry Pot-ter Returns! -The Half Blood Prince Philosopher Brings the Secret Goblet of Fire To a Hallow Uniting Prisoner in Phoenix!" people will flock to buy what they think is a surprise release of a new Harry Potter book. They may feel tricked and angry at first, but after they read my story about hairballs, plumbing and why the main character Gertrude turns to Jesus, they'll be glad they did!--Hey, I&#39;m Just Curious (talk) 18:53, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I can't give any legal advice otherwise I'll be banned. But you may want to read this: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24247105-2703,00.html
 * Dismas |(talk) 18:58, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * The producers of Hari Puttar - A Comedy Of Terrors are being sued.  Corvus cornix  talk  18:59, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
 * If it's a parody and not an outright ripoff it might fall under a fair use clause, see Parody. Jessica   Thunderbolt   20:47, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Sorry if I came across as seeking legal advice. That's why I phrased it "Can I get in trouble". Anyways, thought I found a sure fire loophole by making the "Harrry Pot-ter" part the subtitle, but probably not. Now the world will never know what an articulate vessel of intellectualism I am. And sadly, the world will continue to carry on blissfully ignorant about trap fittings, air admittance valves, and sulfate corrosion.Hey, I&#39;m Just Curious (talk) 21:59, 30 August 2008 (UTC)


 * If you are making a work with the explicit intention of it getting confused for another work, you open yourself up to all sorts of lawsuits from the copyright holder as well as even the potentiality of criminal fraud. Borrowing heavily from another's intellectual property in a way that does not fall under parody (which has a stricter legal definition than the popular definition), especially a very successful and profitable franchise, will surely get you into legal hot water. Misrepresenting your book with a title of another book—especially one that has no relation to your actual book and is clearly just an attempt to defraud the consumer—well, it's a bad idea. Fortunately for you, no publisher in their right mind would sponsor such a thing. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 23:54, 30 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Indeed. While this is not legal advice, I don't think you have much to worry. Not because there are no legal issues, but because the chance any reputable publisher in a country with resonable enforcement of copy protection anyway, will publish your novel is next to zero. I suspect even many vanity publishers will stay away from it. Heck you may even have problems self-publishing it. And even if you do publish it, it's unlike any stores will stock it. Nil Einne (talk) 06:07, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

I recollect hearing a long time ago (but cannot remember the details) of a man whose real name was Albert Hall wanting to use his name to publicise some venture of his, but the "Royal Albert Hall" took him to Count to prevent him using this name.Simonschaim (talk) 08:46, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Why is everyone talking about copyright? Copyright does not protect book titles or character names. The only issue here is trademark. The purpose of trademark protection is to prevent people from mooching off a valuable brand, pretty much exactly as you're trying to do here. You'd never get away with this, but copyright isn't your problem. -- BenRG (talk) 12:35, 31 August 2008 (UTC)


 * In the U.S., copyright also grants the holder the right to make derivative works. Thus you can't simply draw a new cartoon featuring Bart Simpson, write a new book about a bunch of kids at Hogswarts School, or publish your own contribution to the Star Trek series.  People do these things, usually under the aegis of fan fiction, but have no legal standing to do so.  (This has nothing to do with the book the troll is pretending he would write.) — OtherDave (talk) 20:13, 2 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Calling him a troll is completely baseless and inappropriate. You need to reread WP:CIV and WP:AGF and apologize. There's nothing wrong with asking hypothetical questions. --Masamage ♫ 22:05, 4 September 2008 (UTC)

It's been done. Axl (talk) 21:33, 4 September 2008 (UTC)

Salt Export
I have a salt factory and i've been supplying the local market(middle east), but now i'm interested in export. Where and to who can I export salt to?

please reply to my email at  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.114.160.32 (talk) 20:49, 30 August 2008 (UTC)


 * What kind of salt are you interested in; table salt, sea salt, bath salts etc. I guess the most basic answer I can give without further information is that you can export salt to whoever you want and wherever you want; it's not toxic or controlled to any large degree by trade barriers. Might be hard to find a buyer though, and the abundance of salt on Earth means you'll have to sell tonnes of the stuff to make any sort of profit margin. Jessica   Thunderbolt   21:03, 30 August 2008 (UTC)