Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 May 10

= May 10 =

Picture salling.
There a friend of mine, and we sold my Best friend's pictures on the internet, I gavew him some of my pictures to sell too, but i don't know what it's called. The site i mean.

Description- Picture are uploaded, then people pay to have the picture printed out, and the site sends you the check. I THINK theyu said it was an Ebay site, but I'm not sure. can you help me find it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.12.226.34 (talk) 00:39, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * It sounds like eBay -- maybe a "shop" within the auction site that reproduces art works by arrangement, but on the net, I don't find anything quite like that. Other sites like yessy.com allow people to put up their own work which can be sold as reproductions and there are probably others. Look for sites that act as agents for online sales, maybe. You need to ask your friend for details. Julia Rossi (talk) 04:17, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Sounds like Zazzle or Cafepress. —Tamfang (talk) 21:19, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

car value percentage of net worth
what percentage of my net worth do financial planners recommend should be invested in my car?

for that matter, what's the breakdown in general for where my investments should be (obviously it changes with age, how bout for a young adult?)

Based on a financial planner's OPINION, if you can find this info. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.131.133.111 (talk) 03:48, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * With the exception of a few classic cars, the purchase of an automobile is almost never an 'investment'&mdash;at least, not in the sense of having any hope of increasing in value for eventual sale.
 * When buying a car, a rational individual is deciding that the convenience of an automobile is worth the costs (car payments, insurance, maintenance, fuel, parking) is more valuable to him than the other purposes to which the same money might have been applied (larger home, retirement savings, tuition fees, other luxury goods, annual vacation, etc.).
 * To be fair, in many communities (particularly in the United States) car ownership is a virtual necessity caused by sprawling low-density development and appallingly underfunded public transit. In practical terms a well-maintained used vehicle provides essentially the same conveniences as a new vehicle; anything you spend over and above the cost of basic transportation is a luxury, and each individual must decide for himself exactly what his budget is for luxuries.  In other words, a sensible financial planner will advise you that tying up net worth in a car isn't an investment.  How much you can afford to blow on a car is a matter of your personal priorities and budget.  TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:39, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Ten's answer is excellent as usual. To address the second part of the question, a general rule of thumb is that a young person can tolerate more risk than an older person.  One question to ask yourself is, how active do you want to be in picking and/or managing the investments?  A lot of people just want to put money in monthly and have someone else worry about the details.  To get more specific advice to your particular situation, you really should consult someone in the business rather than the reference desk.  Friday (talk) 16:05, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

How the heck does Todd do this!?!?!
My best friend Todd and I often browse Wikipedia to keep abreast of first hand knowledge. Anyways, Todd, my best friend and like a brother, God love him, is one of those annoying know it alls. Somehow he's managed to memorize every gosh darned page on Wiki! I click random page and sure eneough, he'll recite it. He'll miss a sentence here and there, but for the most part- he nails it! Does anyone know how the heck he does this? He browses this website every waking moment, but still... Please show me how to get a photographic memory to this degree so I can put Mr. Smartypants in his place.

-Oh, and if you need him for anything, he said he'd be glad to help. Just dont bother him on Tuesdays and Fridays, that's when we watch Star Trek.Live From Mom&#39;s Basement (talk) 05:25, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * For information on photographic memory, please see Photographic memory. Weregerbil (talk) 09:22, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * 'Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film.' Apparently. I would say you probably just need to link your long term memory, which seemingly remembers almost everything, to the rest of your brain. There's probably a way to do this, but I've forgotten it.HS7 (talk) 19:49, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Soil Moisture Measurement
Which method would be more reliable to measure soil moisture: resistance or capacitance? Does different soil type contribute much to the measured resistance/capacitance? Does capacitance method still work at freezing temperatures? I'm working for a automatic watering controller using soil moisture measurements and the accuracy doesn't have to be very high, but I do want it to work reliably between different soil types. --antilivedT 07:01, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * As no one here has been able to answer your question, you could try the Science ref desk instead.--86.157.11.211 (talk) 16:16, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I copied it over there, click on the link in 86's note to look for answers. --71.236.23.111 (talk) 16:42, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Avril Lavigne hairstyle
What would you call this hairstyle and this hairstyle being sported by Avril Lavigne? Without taking the pictures to the haircut shop, what would I ask for? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 09:30, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * (i) blow-waved upwards; (ii) ponytail. For the former, tell the hairdresser you want to look taller. (Actually you'll just look ridiculous, but you'll think you look taller till you notice people giggling at you.) In the second photo, her fake eyelashes look truly grotesque. (I hope they're fake; if not, she's a freak.) Well you're full of questions, Bean. Would you care to contribute any content to this encyclopedia? -- Hoary (talk) 09:56, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Is there a quota for the number of questions a user can ask at the reference desk? Does it also apply to anon questioners? -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 19:19, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Is there a quota for the number of questions dealing with Avril Lavigne? -- Zain Ebrahim (talk) 23:11, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I think it makes her look cool, especially the second one as it shows she's not afraid to let down her guard when she's out and about. Of course it depends where you are; I wouldn't suggest the first one if your attending a business meeting or competing in the Olympics! xxx User:Hyper Girl 13:44, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * No idea on the first but the second really just looks like a ponytail. Although, I usually wear my ponytail lower on the back of my head and unless you're trying to be avant-garde or something, I'd suggest the same if your username says anything about your gender.  Women tend to put their ponytails higher on their heads than men.  Dismas |(talk) 16:18, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * The first one used to be worn by Hilary Duff, didn't it? (Was that the source of their quarrel?) Adam Bishop (talk) 16:28, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Bird
I saw a bird while I was in Plymouth, MA. it had a hot pink cap on its head, and hot pink on its back and wings. do you know what kind of bird this is? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Btmgm (talk • contribs) 12:49, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Have a look if it's one of these: Purple Finch, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, ovenbird, Pine Grosbeak--71.236.23.111 (talk) 17:29, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

I already checked these out and they are not them. Thank You for your response. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Btmgm (talk • contribs) 15:44, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Pint-sized Midget
Suppose a midget worked in a pub. Would it be discrimination if the management made him / her ware a t-shirt with the phrase "pint-sized" on it, similar to McDonalds having "I'm lovin' it"? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 13:53, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * In which jurisdiction, Bean? (In space?) -- Hoary (talk) 14:07, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * What! In a pub I said. On Earth - its a little blue green planet, you might have heard of it if you didn't have you head up your ass! :~) Sorry, thats a little harsh, I know your just kidding. To be more specific I mean if only the midget was made to ware the "pint-sized" t-shirt, but other staff members wore t-shirts with say "full brew" on them. Mr Beans Backside (talk) 14:30, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Legal definitions of what constitute discriminatory employment practices would differ from one jurisdiction to another, hence the request for further clarification of your initial question. The attitude you've expressed towards good-faith Reference Desk editors attempting to assist you by relating seriously to your query isn't likely to be tolerated here for long. Kindly take note. -- Deborahjay (talk) 14:52, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I understand I may have been slightly harsh (as I said above), but Hoary's request of "it is in space" was a bit silly, wasn't it? How is that "relating seriously" to my query? I mean, come on, I'm not on the space station. Also, he seems to be stalking me, because he is aware of my other question and linked to it. Or maybe not. Nevertheless, I think it was he who didn't show "good-faith" when he asked that. Mr Beans Backside (talk) 15:07, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Point taken, Mr B B. I'm just so glad to have had the opportunity to read the following response by Dismas which I consider a worthy model to improve my response style. -- Sincerely, Deborahjay (talk) 16:01, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Probably the best answer that we can give you without knowing more details is "probably". If it were the US, the little person (if that's how the rest of us are supposed to refer to them these days) would probably have a very good discrimination case on their hands.  Especially if they were told that their employment depended on it.  As to whether it's morally wrong to have them wear the shirt...  That's a matter for you to decide.  Dismas |(talk) 15:48, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Just to be absolutely clear here: whether it would be considered discrimination in any legal sense depends on the country and/or state the pub happens to be located in, which is exactly what Hoary referred to in his answer... but perhaps that wasn't obvious enough, which is why I'm spelling it out here. Therefore: no one can answer the question unless they know what jurisdiction this is taking place in. (A pub is not a jurisdiction. A pub is located in a jurisdiction.)
 * However, it should be pointed out that regardless of whether it would be discrimination in any legal sense, it would definitely be the kind of a thing that falls squarely in the "asshole behavior" category -- even if someone were to do it in a place where it would be completely legal. I can only hope that this is a hypothetical question. I mean, as far as acting like a complete jerk towards your employee goes, that's pretty unambiguous. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 02:21, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I'd guess it wouldn't be an issue if the little person agreed to do this as part of their work if it was in a promotional role, otherwise it's issue-filled. Julia Rossi (talk) 04:12, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I don't see anything wrong with Hoary's response. As many people have pointed out, this question is probably unanswerable without knowing what jurisdiction you are referring to. In some countries, pubs are banned so it would be irrelevant. Other countries don't even have discrimination laws. The space comment was clearly intended as a playful way to point out your question was unanswerable, and should be taken as such, there's no need to get worked up about it. I don't see how AGF comes into this, how is hoary not assuming good faith? He/she's not accusing your of doing anything bad or wrong and simply pointed out in a playful way that your question didn't provide sufficient information for it to be answerable. If anyone is not WP:AGF, it is the person who is accusing another person of stalking and not trying to seriously help you simply because that person made a harmless joke; i.e. you Nil Einne (talk) 22:10, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Female waitstaff at Hooters haven't been able to claim discrimination when they wear the Hooters logo on their shirts. And men who have tried to be hired there have been denied, and the refusal to hire them upheld in courts.   Corvus cornix  talk  21:15, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Is this really appliciable though? Unless they had a pre-existing marketing thing whereby they advertised for 'midgets' to wear pint-size shirts and made it a specific part of the contract, I would say probably not. Of course, if the pub did do so, it would probably usually be fine. Similarly if the pub refused to hire a little person otherwise because they could work effectively in the pub, that would probably be acceptable as well. Nil Einne (talk) 22:10, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Bank payments
Is it normal for a bank to put all payments towards the total APR first and then the remaining payments towards the loan amount? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 14:24, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes. Normally, banks will put your payment towards the interest that has accrued on a loan in that pay period (usually one month) first, then whatever is left will be applied to the loan amount.  This way you're paying off that month's interest so that it isn't carried over to the next month and then you're paying interest in the second month on the interest from the first month.  Dismas |(talk) 15:43, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Does it matter? It seems like a silly accounting distinction.  Interest increases the amount owed.  Payments decrease it.  At time t1 you owe x1; at a later time t2 you owe x2.  x2-x1 would equal interest minus payments during the period.  What purpose does it really serve to keep track of whether payments "go toward" interest or principal?  (Yes, I am seriously interested in an answer.  I want to know what benefits there might be to tracking things like this, to either the loaner or the borrower or both.)  --Prestidigitator (talk) 19:16, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Home equity. --Nricardo (talk) 19:24, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * While the home equity article explains it in a technical way, I generally think of it in more basic terms. The bank helps you buy a house, land, a car, whatever.  That object or real estate represents a sum of money.  So each month you pay off the interest (a monthly fee for the bank allowing you to use their money) and after that, anything that's left, gets used to buy a little more of whatever it is you bought with their money.  Dismas |(talk) 19:43, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Even so, it still seems somewhat irrelevant to me. Ultimately you owe however much money to the bank. Whether you 'own' 50% of your house and owe the bank $300k or 25% of your house but owe the bank $200k does it make any difference in the end? Your house is ultimately the security for the loan and if you are unable to pay off your loan the bank is going to take what you owe them by confiscating your security (foreclosing on your home) Nil Einne (talk) 21:55, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Given the home equity article I'm thinking the distinction might be important mostly for tax reasons. Whether you are "paying interest" or "paying off principal" is treated differently by the extremely artificial tax definitions we all (don't quite) know and (probably don't) love.  --Prestidigitator (talk) 08:17, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Summer Olympics
What is the smallest country to win a Summer Olympics medal? Mr Beans Backside (talk) 14:37, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Liechtenstein is "the smallest nation to win a medal in any Olympics, Winter or Summer." See Liechtenstein. Think outside the box 14:40, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Just to be pedantic. It is people who win medals, not countries. A major Olympic movement's objective is to bring people togther in peace. The drive for countries to total medal wins is a recent phenomenon.90.4.117.42 (talk) 14:53, 10 May 2008 (UTC)petitmichel


 * That really is pedantic, petitmichel. Of course only people can physically compete, but they do it on behalf of their country, not as independent competitors.  They can only compete if their country's organising committee permits them.  Which is why their country's national anthem is sung and their flag is raised, and the win is added to the national tallies.  --  JackofOz (talk) 23:33, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * To be accurate, the International Olympic Committee does not keep any national tallies, and never has. The tallies are kept by just about everyone else, though. — Michael J  01:11, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Of course they compete against other athletes from their country for the right to compete at the Games. But they compete under the auspices of their sport. Not a State organised competition. Of course several countries have seen some kudos in winning - East Germany, USSR, now China, but they are not working within the Olympic ethos.86.200.4.208 (talk) 10:57, 11 May 2008 (UTC)petitmichel
 * Liechtenstein only seems to win Winter Olympics medals though, so it still doesn't answer the question. Maybe there's a list somewhere of every country that has ever won a medal?HS7 (talk) 12:26, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * According to the article All-time Olympic Games medal count, Tonga (120k) has won 1 silver in summer games, Virgin Islands (108k) ditto. There may be smaller nations in the list, but you would have to check it.    --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 18:23, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * The US although to be more accurate, I don't know of any country which doesn't see kudos in winning medals. Nil Einne (talk) 21:50, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Remote control
Why when TV remote control's batteries become powerless, we press it's buttons harder? 89.146.77.127 (talk) 14:55, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Because we (sub)consciously think that by pressing harder and thus trying to make the buttons make better contact, that what little power is left will be able to make the button work the way it's supposed to. Dismas |(talk) 15:50, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, in my experience it's not because I think it'll increase the signal but it might send more of the same weak signal (though of course the idea that it is pressure sensitive is erroneous). A brief experiment with my own TV remote (aiming it at the little camera circuit in my phone) shows that holding down the button does send out a continuous signal. Pushing harder shouldn't do anything, of course, but holding down the button could. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:55, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * In addition to any reasons that have to do with technology, I suspect it has quite a bit to do with the fact that we really tend to be kind of stupid, or at least irrational, about this sort of thing. It's not unlike pressing the elevator call button multiple times when we're in a hurry or yelling at a computer when it's not doing what we want. Frustration can be a pretty powerful motivator. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 02:08, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * I don't know if you can necessarily call it irrational. When people are frustrated, it's helpful if they can let of steam in a fairly innocous way that doesn't damage anything or hurt anyone Nil Einne (talk) 17:18, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes a remote can miss the push of a button because the push was accidentally too weak or off-center. By pushing the button hard and carefully aiming the remote towards the TV you eliminate the possibility of user-inflicted failure, and confirm that it is the device itself (or the receiver) that is not functioning properly. 84.239.133.86 (talk) 07:31, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * And likewise with the elevator button, if it's not the kind that lights up to confirm that it was pressed. --Anonymous, 09:07 UTC, May 11, 2008.


 * Yes. Because people never hit the button repeatedly if it lights up, right? =) -- Captain Disdain (talk) 10:28, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Rabbits
My rabbit (buck) matted with another rabbit (doe) and a couple of days later he started to have seizures and died. Will he infect the doe or shoulden't I worry Mr Beans Backside (talk) 15:14, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I can't give you advice without knowing more about the illness. I suggest you visit a vet as it is hard to give advice over the internet when I don't know anything about the type of illness etc. Sorry I couldn't be of more help Anonymous101 (talk) 15:50, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, you should remove the corpse of the rabbit. It's not healthy to have dead bodies laying around in the same confined space such as a rabbit hutch.  Dismas |(talk) 15:52, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Is this covered in the rulebook?
I hope this question isn't too stupid, but I've always wondered how this would've been called. Just before a World Series game in 1989 there was a major earthquake. My question is; if the earthquake had happened during the game, how would umpires have ruled in most situations?Let's say a guy is running home and loses his balance because of the ground shaking. Could he then get tagged out, or would it be a do over? Or an outfielder falls and drops a routine fly ball? What if a fan panics and runs onto the field disrupting a major play? You get the picture. In all the ballgames that have been played in California there's never been an earthquake during a game, and it would be interesting to know what would happen. --Baseball and and and Popcorn Fanatic (talk) 16:32, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * My guess is that the fact of the earthquake doesn't change what happens in the game. After all, no one can be certain why the man running home fell or why the outfielder dropped the ball.
 * In 2005, during a cricket test match in Faisalabad between England and Pakistan, an exploding gas canister was taken to be a bomb, and the game was stopped for ten minutes. Unfortunately, nothing was happening on the field at the moment of the explosion. Xn4  21:01, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * It would probably be covered by Rule 5.10 (a): "The ball becomes dead when an umpire calls "Time." The umpire-in-chief shall call "Time" — (a) When in his judgment weather, darkness or similar conditions make immediate further play impossible." Presumably he would have the good sense to call time as soon as the earth starts moving, but 5.10 (c) allows him to stop the game once a player is injured, which might also happen during an earthquake. See MLB official rules, 5. Adam Bishop (talk) 01:28, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * There have been a couple of instances in which crazy stuff has happened during a play in American football, the most famous being The Play between Cal and Stanford. In the 2005 Alamo Bowl, dozens of people, including the guys hauling the awards podium, went onto the fiend unaware the final play hadn't ended. In both cases, the officials treated the play like any other one, waiting until the player scored (in Cal-Stanford) or was tackled (in the Alamo Bowl). There is a football rule that in case of a palpably unfair act, the officials can take any measure they feel appropriate to rectify it. Had the Cal player not made it into the end zone, the officials may have awarded Cal a touchdown anyway under that clause. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 17:00, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

what can we do for Burma?
Tens of thousands of people died immediately in Cyclone Nargis. Thousands more, some say hundreds of thousands, are at risk of death. Mainly these will be babies, children, and old people who die from water-borne diseases and starvation. What can we do? I mean this specifically, as a factual question. What can Wikipedia editors, with our skills of internet collaboration, do to alleviate the existing and growing crisis? What organisations with an online presence need experienced researchers and wiki editors? Yes, there are many worthy charities to donate money to. That is not my question. Are there satellite photos that need to be compared to those of a month ago and labelled, linked, tagged? (Has Google Earth taken new photos, or how can we lobby for them to update their images?) Are their Burmese NGOs (maybe in exile) who need their websites improved, if this data would help save lives? What else can we do? BrainyBabe (talk) 19:11, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * The current problem is that the people running the government won't let others help. (I shall refrain from pointing out the similarities to another hurricane aftermath under a completely different type of government.)  It unfortunately seems as though things need to get worse before they can get better.  Many organizations have rallied and mobilized their resources and are waiting for the word "Go!"  Then I guess there are going to be lots of ways one could help.  Lisa4edit (talk) 21:29, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * After Hurricane Katrina, the US government spent a lot of time trying to co-ordinate a response. By contrast, the Canadian government (and specifically the Canadian military) reacted immediately without any formal co-ordination. As a result, The first help that many people in Louisiana saw was from Canada. This worked because the Canadian military could depend on the US to honor pre-existing over-flight agreements. The moral of this story is that we need to get pre-approval to permit intervention during a disaster, even with governments we dis-approve of. -Arch dude (talk) 03:45, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * I know the Burmese government is not going to help. Governments and foreign NGOs are hampered by this. I am thinking about people power -- not money, not feet on the ground, though both of those are needed, but remote information work. There must be something we can do. BrainyBabe (talk) 07:35, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * For a picture on the internet and Myanmar, ghits show blocking, crackdowns etc in 2007 articles; this is May 2008 with a list of articles on the junta, the poll, China's backing, devastation stats, etc. It's not your everyday disaster, but a pretty awful mix of power, politics and brinksmanship (if that;'s the word) and international hand-wringing. Julia Rossi (talk) 12:19, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Concentrate Juice vs Non-Concentrate


O2
Hi, there an advert in the UK for O2 which features a guy dancing around. If you know what I mean, could anyone tell me what song it is he's dancing to? Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.210.91.252 (talk) 22:20, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * O2's current UK ad is the one with "The Animals Came in Two by Two" as the soundtrack, and no dancing guy. You don't mean this  ad, do you?  Definite dancing guy, soundtrack is Labi Siffre's "It Must Be Love", but it's Vodafone, not O2.  --  Ka renjc 07:00, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

What is it about termites that bite instead of sting?
A lot of bugs I know even stink up the place and arent of the carniverous kind. But why did nature equip certain bugs with a stinger? Will God ever invent a bug that shoots flames? lol:)--Dr. Carefree (talk) 22:30, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, it isn't flames, but the noxious, boiling chemicals spewed by the bombardier beetle are pretty close. As for why certain insects are equipped with stingers, teeth, etc., they are always either defensive or offensive mechanisms, used for deterring enemies and/or attacking prey. Pretty straightforward evolutionary adaptation, one that conveys obvious benefits to the species that have them. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 23:14, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

With such an advantange how come the bombadier beetle hasn't taken over the world? I believe in evolution, dont get me wrong but it seems the time has come that a super duper insect will someday soon TAKE OVER THE WORLD! Wont evolution be fun to watch when they fight -each other? Couldnt bees decide to get together and collectively sting everyone and everything!? Ive always wondered why insects with thier great numbers, weapons, and social structure haven't eliminated man. Maybe because we have Raid?Dr. Carefree (talk) 00:44, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Your peculiar mix of bad faith, xenophobia, and paranoia lead you to conclude that every species wants to take over the world for itself. This is not neccessarily the case.


 * Oh wait. You were trying to be funny. ha. ha. ha. Vranak (talk) 19:15, 12 May 2008 (UTC)


 * It's all about energy. A hypothetical flame-throwing insect would need to accumulate enough energy to produce the flame effect. An insect accumulates energy by expending effort to eat plant matter or prey. It's a lot more efficient to manufacture a poison or a repellent than to manufacture a flame. -Arch dude (talk) 03:32, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Talk to the cockroaches in our kitchen about attempts at domination. Unfortunately some other species has developed insecticides. ... but they will win yet.  :-)--71.236.23.111 (talk) 04:19, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Bees can't get together and sting everyone since they die when they sting. If they ever did get a single controlling intelligence so that they could all act simultaneously I for one would welcome our new insect overlords and remind them that refdesk editors can be useful to recruit workers to toil in their underground sugar caves. Mad031683 (talk) 16:49, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Different culture = different personality?
Do people from different cultures have different personalities? Or do they only have different belief systems (in religion, politics and whatever)? 217.168.0.94 (talk) 22:53, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Depends what you define as culture, but much of what we consider to be "personality" has cultural aspects. As an easy example, those who grow up in Japanese society generally (but not always, of course) have a much more deferential attitude to elders than those who (generally) grow up in American society. Is that personality? It can sure look like it, if you're one of the elders in question! --98.217.8.46 (talk) 23:07, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * No, I don't see a respectful attitude towards elders as a part of my personality, but as a social value. If I travel to Japan, and I want to fit in the society, I probably would also be respectful toward elders. 217.168.0.94 (talk) 23:41, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * The difference is though, it's not simply something that do for 'fun'. It's ingrained in to them this is how they behave. I think you'd fine you have great difficulty at first perfectly emulating their behaviour simply because it comes natural to them but not to you. Similarly, a Japanese person may have difficulty at first referring to an elder in the US or UK by their given name for example because even though they may know and accept it's the norm and completely acceptable, it just makes them so uncomfortable. Similarly, you'll find difference in public displays of affection, male-female interactions, what's considered acceptable 'aggression' etc etc. Part of someone's personality (how they behave with others, what they find funny etc) is always going to be influence by the culture their in. And if someone starts behaving in a different way (i.e. changes their personality) when they are in a different culture, doesn't that mean they are embracing that culture and so adapting a new personality because of it Nil Einne (talk) 17:28, 12 May 2008 (UTC)
 * How about language? I know someone who becomes quite flamboyant and emotional when he speaks French.  Speaking English, he's the stiff upper lip type. Gwinva (talk) 22:30, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Is Mount Edna active?
Does anyone have any updates on this? --Foperland (talk) 23:55, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * I do believe that Dame Edna has recently announced her/his retirement. He/she may be able to answer this. :)   -- JackofOz (talk) 00:39, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Since you likely mean Etna, yes, it is very active - see Mount Etna. It last erupted in September 2007. Adam Bishop (talk) 01:16, 11 May 2008 (UTC)