Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 February 12

= February 12 =

student loans and tax return
I was told that i could use this service and have my tax returned to me instead of my student loans. Where can i get that help at? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.47.164.247 (talk) 00:06, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * To be honest I'm not quite sure what you're asking. However (this is US-specific, based on your IP) if your student loans are in repayment you should investigate whether you can claim a deduction for interest paid -- see IRS Publication 970 for more information. On the other hand, if you're still having student loans disbursed, then you probably have educational expenses, and should see the same publication for information on credits or deductions that may be applicable based on those expenses. --Trovatore (talk) 01:27, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Another possibility is that the questioner is considered to have defaulted on a student loan, is having tax refunds withheld by the government to pay down his or her loan balance, and wants to know what to do to receive tax refunds again. In this case, I think that the only option is to contact your loan servicer (most likely the Department of Education or a contractor for the department) and arrange a repayment plan.  Marco polo (talk) 19:22, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Ah, that sounds like a more likely interpretation than mine. --Trovatore (talk) 19:30, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

what does this word mean in slang?
"tweeky" Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.242.188.137 (talk) 00:58, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * A "tweeker" can be an amphetamine or methamphetamine user, so I guess "tweeky" could mean acting in a way typical of such a user. FiggyBee (talk) 01:15, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Urbandictionary.com is a fairly good place to check out the meanings of slang terms, the page for tweaky claims it means "something that is not very well put together". Does that help?--droptone (talk) 12:44, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * For HiFi nuts, and maybe other electronics enthusiasts 'tweeky' can have positive connortations - sort or meaning it is fun to fiddle with, or there are positive benefits from fiddling with it..87.102.81.140 (talk) 13:05, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * "Tweeker" (two e's)in urban dictionary will give you the behaviour picture ++ Julia Rossi (talk) 21:21, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * looks like the jurys in then (on 'tweeker'..


 * the thing did say 'tweeky' though http://www.enjoythemusic.com/Magazine/equipment/1201/roksancaspian.htm http://www.cybersportbike.com/2/breviews/honda/hondaRC51.htm http://audiophiliac.tribe.net/thread/849d102b-367d-4947-9093-61de0733fd7c http://www.psaudio.com/articles/featured_recordings_archive.asp looks like a lot of guy / hobby stuff - synonym I suggest would be 'fiddly'87.102.9.73 (talk) 21:31, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * The question's about tweeky, but let's look at the range of words here, "tweeter" is a high frequency loudspeaker, "tweak" is fine adjustments, "tweeker" is as above and at Urban dictionary, "tweeky" can be as per meth life (or a female body part). Personally, I still vote for the behaviour thing though. Julia Rossi (talk) 01:09, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
 * And also men fiddling with knobs/spanners etc describe the experience as tweeky.(as shown in the hifi/car/bike links given above)87.102.114.245 (talk) 13:14, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

construction
04:53, 12 February 2008 (UTC)Jolape (talk)What is the total square footage of roof space for all residential homes and commercial buildings in the continental U.S.A.Jolape (talk) 04:53, 12 February 2008 (UTC)Jolape
 * I would guess about 1.3 *1011 square feet of residential roof area, at 1000 square feet per residence roof, 300 million inhabitants and 2.3 persons per residence. Ballpark estimate only. Not including commercial, governmental, institutional, etc. Note that estimates of real estate may be usable square feet of floor space, and buildings are likely to be multistory, making the roof area les than the floor space. Perhaps or  can furnish you with some source data, but I expect assumptions will be required to relate square feet of commercial space to roof area. Edison (talk) 06:03, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Wouldn't this question go better under the Mathematics refrence desk? --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 06:21, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Not really. There's very little actual mathematics here.  &mdash; Lomn 15:48, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Maybe Simple English Wikipedia has an Arithmetic desk. Clarityfiend (talk) 17:18, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Perhaps my comment was poorly phrased. The question's core is one of finding data sources and making rough estimations and extrapolations.  Yes, this is mathematical.  However, it's not the sort of rigorous question that is the usual realm of RD/MA.  It's the sort of question that calls for a back-of-the-envelope guess.  As a result, I conclude that no, it wouldn't go better under Mathematics.  &mdash; Lomn 19:17, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * 1,000 square feet per house? You must live in Santa Monica. The average home size in 2001 was 2,066 square feet . -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:24, 13 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Still, because many housing units are in multistory (or at least 2-story) buildings, the roof square footage will be smaller (perhaps by half or more) than the floor square footage. Marco polo (talk) 01:54, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Oh, good point. Considering the predominance of ranch houses in much of the country (and the fact that basements don't count in square footage as far as I know), we're probably looking at an average of 1,500 sqft. or so of roof space per single-family residence. That's an average of perhaps 1.7 stories per home. I guess if you consider the much higher average height in stories of apartment buildings, 1,000 sqft. per residence might not be a bad conservative estimate after all. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 02:37, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The back of my envelope definitely factored in the 4000 sq ft McMansions (but at 2 or more stories) with tenements and other high density housing. Commercial space is what I could not begin to make a guess for, because there is lots of single story commercial space, including a large part of a "big box" store, along with skyscrapers, which may be 80 stories or higher. Warehouses and farm buildings have roofs too. I would expect a national roofing association would pay people to estimate the installed base of roofs by shingles, metal, built-up, etc, along with construction and maintenance trends. They could have done this based on a sampling of building permits over the years. Edison (talk) 15:12, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

The NIE and US diplomacy towards Iran
US diplomacy works towards getting Iran to stop enriching uranium. The US intelligence community releases an NIE declaring Iran has stopped work on design, obviously shattering diplomatic efforts.

So help an average citizen try to understand these events. WTF is the government so seemingly out of step with each other?

Lotsofissues 09:16, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * You're suggesting that the Intelligence Agencies should lie to promote Administration policy? FiggyBee (talk) 09:34, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm not suggesting that is the right thing to do. I'm not bringing up any normative considerations.  My question: Isn't the government supposed to be really cohesive at this echelon?  So WTF?  Lotsofissues 09:46, 12 February 2008 (UTC)  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lotsofissues (talk • contribs)


 * Ideally government policies would be evidence based and would cohere. Experientially this is often not the case, and it would be naive to expect it to be so, not least in the worlds of "intelligence" and US foreign policy. I vaguely recall the wanton misuse of "intelligence" by the executive branch when short of a casus belli for the Iraq debacle. It would not be a vast stretch of the imagination to suppose that there might be a reaction from the US intelligence community. On a personal note, it is possible and preferable that you desist from swearing when asking questions, out of civility to those who read this board. --Tagishsimon (talk) 10:14, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Dodgy dossier. That is all. 130.88.140.107 (talk) 13:32, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Another possibility is that there is disagreement within the government over Middle Eastern policy. There are probably those who think that the decision to invade Iraq harmed U.S. interests, and that the mounting pressure for a military attack on Iran (by either the United States or Israel) posed grave threats to U.S. security or welfare.  If intelligence indicated that such an attack is not warranted and if intelligence officials feared that such an attack might be imminent and harmful to U.S. interests, then they might decide to release the intelligence undermining the rationale for an attack.  Marco polo (talk) 19:16, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * You misinterpret the NIE. It did not say the Iranians were not enriching uranium. It says that the explicitly military part of their program was cancelled in 2003. They are still enriching uranium, for "peaceful" purposes. But one could easily argue that they should not be doing that, at least not without significant safeguards, since the same processes, once learned, can be used for military programs in the future. What the NIE did is defuse the Bush administration's claims that Iran was actively working towards military goals at the moment, which they are not. They probably do have a long-term military goal, but it is not the "they could have a bomb in a year or two" sort of thing that the Bush administration made it out to be.
 * As for different branches of the government being out of step, different organizations within the government have their own priorities, responsibilities, agendas. It is common for the Dept. of State and the Dept. of Defense to be often completely in disagreement with one another—one favors diplomatic solutions, one favors military ones, with differences based in part on the steps one takes in life to get in power in such places. It can be much more complex than that though. The intelligence agencies, for example, took a lot of blame for the failures of the Iraq War intelligence estimate, and the current executive administration (the Bush White House) is running out of time. To appear politically impartial right now would be, so to speak, a smart political move for any agency not looking to get gutted after the next election. This is just speculation on my part though—in reality such inter-governmental issues are usually much more complex than that, and often much more personal.
 * One of the guarantees of freedom (or attempts at such a guarantees) put in place in the US Constitution is the idea of split powers, checks-and-balances; different agencies (based upon whether they answer to the Executive Branch, or to Congress, or the Judiciary) can be completely out of step with one another. It's a good thing on the whole; it allows dissenting opinions to be aired, more impartial judgments to be made, and oversight to be in place. --140.247.11.3 (talk) 00:57, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

Game code!
I found that in "nokia" mobiles every game will have a code to enable the game to go in a smooth way making it rather easy! For eg: In "Bounce" game of nokia 2600 or 2310 the ball will die if it touches the spikes or demons! But if u type "787898" immediately after starting the game...no spikes & demons will obstruct u! Try it....It's true...Thus if u people know any of such codes for other games plz put them here....ThanQ! Temuzion (talk) 12:12, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Pardon my French, but that ain't a question. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 13:51, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * It does effectively ask, "Does anyone know any cheat codes for Nokia games other than Bounce?" 81.174.226.229 (talk) 14:07, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * This sort of question is always best answered by referring to google. --Tagishsimon (talk) 15:11, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * So today the Ref Desk works like the game Jeopardy? Edison (talk) 15:06, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
 * What is a rhetorical question? -- LarryMac  | Talk  15:09, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Who knows? --Tagishsimon (talk) 01:05, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

Lost car keys
Sigh. Okay here's what I did. I lost my car keys and have no spares. Yes, I know, "how could I not have a spare?" Well suffice it to say, lesson learned (and how) but that's the situation I'm in. Making matters worse, the car is in a public pay garage and I am being charged something like $30 a day to keep it there (parked it there yesterday). Who do I call and what do I do? I know I can hire a locksmith to open the car for me but that alone is not going to help very much when I can't start the car. I'm not sure if it's relevant but I'll mention that it is a 1999 Toyota Celica with an alarm system. This means that as soon as someone opens the door the very loud alarm will go off with no way to shut it off. Anyone have any ideas? As boneheaded as this is, I can't be the first person to find themselves in this situation. --71.247.16.31 (talk) 15:36, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Have you contacted Toyota? As you say, you're surely not the first person to do this and I wouldn't be surprised if they have a (probably expensive) method for helping you. --Dweller (talk) 15:40, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The police can probably help with this too, but don't call the emergancy number, but rather the non-emergancy number. I've seen friends call the police for lesser things, so it's worth a shot. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 16:09, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Or your local Toyota dealer. --Richardrj talkemail 16:43, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Using your VIN, you should be able to get a new set of keys cut, along with any magic electronic device your car needs to start. You may need some adequate proof of ownership of that VIN and it probably won't be cheap. But real experience always does cost something :-(.


 * Atlant (talk) 17:49, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * If it was a Saturn, I'd recommend trying the keys of a similar car. My friend always keeps a "spare" for me (which are actually the keys to his Saturn), and once used them to inexplicibly make my car able to be started with a screwdriver in the keyhole. However, I have seen this work with other cars, even newer ones with alarms like yours. The alarm still goes off, of course. This is even recommended in certain books, one being Worst Case Scenario. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 17:51, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * There are some shady guys in the bad part of the nearest large city who could pop the door, pop the hood and silence the alarm, remove the old ignition lock and install a new one, and drive away in under a minute. Thirty seconds is the goal. The trick is getting them on your side. Contact the dealer and they can work with a locksmith to fix the situation. Don't labor under the delusion that a car has an invulnerable security system. Edison (talk) 15:04, 13 February 2008 (UTC)


 * My old Toyota key became unreliable, so I presented my title at the nearest Toyota dealership and had a new one cut; about $15 if memory serves. —Tamfang (talk) 18:19, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

sports
first indian to win an olympic medal in individual events? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.195.161.110 (talk) 16:24, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Presuming that you're referring to people representing India, there are a few possible answers. The International Olympic Committee considers Norman Pritchard to have represented India at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, where he won two silver medals. The first "Indians" (as distinct from white settlers like Pritchard) to win medals were members of the men's field hockey team at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam who won a gold medal. The first medals won by "Indians" competing for an independent India were members of the men's field hockey team competing at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, who also won a gold medal. Carom (talk) 16:32, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Ah, I see you asked specifically about individual events. In that case, the answer is either Pritchard or Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, who won a bronze medal in wrestling (freestyle bantamweight) at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Carom (talk) 22:01, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * I meant to add this yesterday: If you want the Indigenous peoples of the Americas connotation of "Indian," then the obvious answer is Jim Thorpe, one of the greatest athletes of all time -- Olympic gold in Pentathlon and Decathlon in 1912, professional baseball, football, and basketball. He made Chuck Norris look like a scrub. Faithfully, Deltopia (talk) 14:14, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

\/\/\/\/\/\/.G00GIE.C0/\/\
why doesnt this address work —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.175.122.129 (talk) 17:59, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Becuase it isnt a real website?????????? Bones Brigade  18:09, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Because it's not a valid URL. Computers don't work by lookalikes and don't usually speak leet. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 18:10, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * And specifically because there is no Top-level domain of C0/\/\. --Tagishsimon (talk) 18:15, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Because those are stitches, and only work on fabric?87.102.9.73 (talk) 21:24, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Executor Tassadar decided to rudely delete my post here for no reason. I wondered if some sewing machines can connect to the internet, and the answer is "yes", some do connect to the internet to download patterns and such. Most don't do it directly, however. Please don't delete comments willy-nilly, even if they are silly. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 14:31, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Huh? --hydnjo talk 03:34, 14 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, if one does not wish to wade through the page history, the deleted post was something like, "Aren't there some sewing machines that connect to the internet?". 206.252.74.48 (talk) 16:57, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

fact or myth
is it fact or myth taht tyeping exactly two hundred "w" in address bar and enter will crash firefox —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.175.122.129 (talk) 18:02, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Only one way to find out, let us know if its a myth, if you dont, well asume its fact, good luck —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.18.34.51 (talk) 18:05, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Myth, unless you don't count copy-paste. But don't take my word for it. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 18:07, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * PS:
 * In my experience, putting nearly anything into the address bar of Internet Explorer and pressing enter will make it crash. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 19:39, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * I hope it's true, anyone who tries it deserves a well predicted outcome! Richard Avery (talk) 07:59, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Isn't that the whole point? You tell someone they need to type it, not copy and past or anything. They spend the next 5 minutes doing so. It fails. You tell them they didn't count properly and try again. They keep trying until finally they give up having wasted the last hour or so trying out this myth Nil Einne (talk) 16:43, 13 February 2008 (UTC)


 * No luck on Firefox 2.0.0.12 on Windows (Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.12) Gecko/20080201 Firefox/2.0.0.12).--droptone (talk) 12:39, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

performing rights
Hello, I am seeking the rights to the musical Your Arms are too Short to Box with god" by vinnette carrol. I have tried contacting most of the licensing agents with no success. Can you answer this question: what is the name and contact information of the licensing agent for the musical?Thanks.les ford 20:59, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * This says that the sheet music was published by 'Alfred Publishing': they probably won't hold the performing rights, but they may be able to tell you who to ask. --ColinFine (talk) 00:16, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

I played around with this site without finding Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, by Vinnette Carroll, but there are some helpful hints there about tracking down hard-to-find musicals. You were a little off on the title/author's name; I checked the spelling in the show's ibdb entry. Good luck! Catrionak (talk) 16:56, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Female Enhancement Supplement
There is a new herbal female enhancement supplement on the market called "Femaxium". My questions are: Who devoloped it, Where was it developed, What supplements does it contain, and What are to potential side effects? In other words... is this supplement for real? 74.93.188.183 (talk) 22:28, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Have you checked their website of the same name? I had a quick look... I'm not going there again. Scarian Call me Pat  22:51, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Why not? Cryo921 (talk) 03:52, 13 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Am I just a suspicious old so-and-so, or does this question strike anybody else as thinly disguised self-publicising? --ColinFine (talk) 00:17, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Aye aye, cap'n. Brand ho! Julia Rossi (talk) 00:59, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
 * I don't think self-publicising would mention side-effects and ask if it was "for real". (To the original poster, sorry, never heard of it. Have you tried an internet search engine such as Google?) AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 08:50, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Where to find videos
i saw videos on youtube of a guy killing some chickens. where can i find some of a guy killin a horse. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.175.122.129 (talk) 23:28, 12 February 2008 (UTC)


 * .I suspect you could search some slightly less mainstream video sites (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Video_on_demand_services) maybe one might have a video that satisfies your, somewhat alien to me, desires. ny156uk (talk) 23:40, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Try looking for the '50s French documentary on a horse slaughterhouse "Le Sang des Bêtes", by Georges Franju---Rhinoracer (talk) 12:39, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
 * There's even an article on that film! Remarkable. --Ouro (blah blah) 12:57, 13 February 2008 (UTC)


 * You could try looking for slaughterhouse footage, assuming the interest is purely academic. Otherwise, please seek professional help..
 * ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 14:42, 13 February 2008 (UTC)