Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 May 9

= May 9 =

Finding a girl
I am 19 and still now I haven't being with a girl in an intimate relationship. The girls I know seems to be fascinated about funny guys, guys with cars, or good in sport. How can I make a girl like me? GoingOnTracks (talk) 11:08, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Probably not here in the Language RF. I'm moving your question to the Miscelaneous.11:33, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * If those are the girls you like then you should maybe pick up a sport and then start saving for a car. Learning some jokes on the way won't hurt.--Yamanbaiia (free hugs!) 11:54, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * The hottest girls like guys who are smart enough to figure out a reference desk isn't the place to ask questions about personal relationships. Doesn't your local radio station have a car-talk or gardening show you could pose this on? Matt Deres (talk) 12:01, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * I suppose the question could have been put in a more formal tone: "How do we choose our partner?" In my opinion the most important trait is vitality. Active people are not just more attractive, but the have a higher chance of being healthy, meeting someone, earning money or being funny. 217.168.1.109 (talk) 12:18, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

And in that formal tone: "How do we choose our partner?" Its simple we choose our partner by who seems healthier, whose chemistry matches whose, and who is more fertile out of my choice. That is how we scientifically choose our partners.Cardinal Raven (talk) 14:54, 9 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

--Endless Dan 16:01, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
 * 1) CONFIDENCE
 * 2) Clean yourself up. Meaning, wear nice clothes - but be comfortable and true to yourself, groom yourself, exercise, don't smell; basically look presentable.
 * 3) Personality. Don't be a clown shoe. Being funny is swell, but there is an imaginary line that some "funny guys" cross where they stop being funny and come across as dickheads. Same thing with guys who are too into one hobby or interest (cars, work, or anything really). Be well rounded with your shit. Don't let your interests define who you are. You gotta show a serious side as well as a lighter side.
 * 4) CONFIDENCE
 * 5) CONFIDENCE


 * You need to like yourself and to consider yourself "a catch" before someone else will think of you as a catch. Work on achieving these attitudes, and confidence (and interest from girls) will follow.  Marco polo (talk) 18:50, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * It might come off as something of a cliché, but confidence matters. If you trust you look reasonable, you will appear better in face of others. Also, it makes the 'waiting' more bearable, as you spend less time doubting yourself. Unfortunately, everything here and above is original research at best. Vanity is part of us all, but there's likely a reason for why we have it. :) Scaller (talk) 21:54, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Vitality? Confidence? Are these the core of a person? GoingOnTracks (talk) 00:28, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * No, but they are the basis for an initial attraction. Ideally, an initial attraction leads to an appreciation of the attractive person's core goodness.  Without an initial attraction, the core goodness may pass unnoticed.  Marco polo (talk) 01:07, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * By the way, I'm not convinced that great "vitality" is necessary for attraction. On the other hand, a degree of self-confidence is probably indispensable, particularly when it comes to attracting females.  The good news is that self-confidence can be cultivated.  You can do this by learning to accept and like yourself, and by projecting your self-comfort.  Marco polo (talk) 01:18, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Being natural is nice, when you're not an overt display type of person. I was going to say it helps not to be anxious, but Woody Allen made a career of an anxious quirky type attracting women, so every taste is out there. Julia Rossi (talk) 01:40, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Endlessdan, you forgot rule 6: CONFIDENCE. Ilikefood (talk) 00:43, 13 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Be witty. Don't be desperate, or at least try not to show it!  Don't be predatory: I for one never scored by trying to "find a girl", but by paying attention to one at a time.  Keep your eyes open: in my youth I missed several opportunities by failing to recognize them.  And finally, don't beat yourself up over it: 19 is not remarkably late, despite what your boastful buddies may have you believe.  —Tamfang (talk) 21:14, 14 May 2008 (UTC)


 * At least you didn't ask /b/... Z i g g y   S a w  d u s t  18:04, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Use of wikis for posting library reference question answers
Can you give me some examples of libraries use of a wiki to present reference question-and-answer pairs? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rmazur123 (talk • contribs) 13:27, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Gini of China and India
I am surprised China has a higher gini (47) compared to India (36). I assumed, since India has many top 10 billionaires, but a per capita poorer than Sudan, it would have a high gini. China has many billionaires too but I figured the large manufacturing base spread wealth more evenly. So how did I make the wrong conclusion?

Lotsofissues 14:30, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Check out Gini coefficient That might be what's happening.--71.236.23.111 (talk) 14:42, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Rhythm
The expression "you can't teach rhythm" - is this true?? --Endless Dan 14:38, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Count a pulse, one two three four one two three four. Add the word "and" between each number. Now emphasize or say more loudly the words in caps: ONE and two AND three and FOUR and one and TWO and THREE and four and. Repeat the pattern over and over. There, I just taught you the common clave rhythm. Pfly (talk) 22:25, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Not so ! You merely gave counting and a timing. (It could be a metronome.) Enforced rhythm is not true rhythm since the person cannot maintain a rhythm without the counting. So, in my opinion (and I would love to be able to dance) if one has not got at least some degree of natural rhythm then the artifical version is not of much help. i.e. Finger off pulse, rhythm vanishes.90.4.117.42 (talk) 15:01, 10 May 2008 (UTC)DT


 * This sounds more like the difference between teaching and learning. Learning a rhythm takes practice. If it feels "enforced" you just need to spend more time and effort practicing until it starts to feel natural. The amount of practice needed differs among people. Some people have a natural talent and catch on quickly, while for others it will be harder and take longer -- and it helps to have pointers on how to practice this kind of thing. I would say that anyone can learn rhythmic patterns if they want to, but there are some rare neurological conditions that might prevent some small number of people. Oliver Sacks writes about "rhythm deafness" and how it sometimes develops after a stroke. Che Guevara was supposedly rhythm-deaf. But Sacks points out that rhythm deafness is rare, and profound rhythm deafness is extremely rare, and almost never total, "because rhythm is represented widely in the brain". The same thing is true for "pitch deafness", which a lot of people seem to say they have -- usually meaning they have trouble singing in tune. Neurological pitch deafness is more common than rhythm deafness, but still quite rare. For the rest of us, even those like me who lack a great natural talent for pitch and rhythm, it takes practice. Maybe lots of practice. In short, you can teach rhythm, you can teach pitch, you can teach practice, but you can't make someone practice if they don't want to. Pfly (talk) 16:20, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Could Not Live Our Lives?
What mental disorder hinders us from living your lives paranoia or depression?

Always

Cardinal Raven

Cardinal Raven (talk) 15:02, 9 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven


 * When you post a question like this, simply saying "I don't want opinions" doesn't make it appropriate Ref Desk material. Look, I'm sorry your roommate has locked down your computer but you're going to need to find another place for your philosophical musings.  -- LarryMac  | Talk  15:09, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
 * So you want to know which mental disorder is worse? If so, then do you mean worse on average or worse when the disorder is severe?--droptone (talk) 15:10, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I don't understand the question. If you are looking for a list of mental illnesses, we do have a List of mental illnesses article. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 15:43, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

How could you not understand the question: What mental illness hinders the person more? Paranoia or Depression. So, I guess I am asking: Out of Paranoia or depression, which is of the two is worse so that the suffer cannot live a normal life?71.142.222.245 (talk) 16:09, 9 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven
 * Perhaps -FisherQueen meant she could not understand the question before you edited it, which also served to make my initial reply meaningless. You are moving perilously close to trolldom, and I think you ought to seriously consider what you're doing here.  -- LarryMac  | Talk  16:25, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Basically everyone that has ever lived has lived with depression, many of them with "normal" lives. So I would have to say that paranoia might be worse. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 16:13, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * If you don't state the degree of mental illness, the question is somehow senseless. You can live normal life with mild depression and some people indeed don't even notice that their bad mood is an illness. 217.168.1.109 (talk) 17:13, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm sorry if it seems I'm a bit rude and trollsome today. I guess I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I didn't want to sound rude. Well then lets make it that the life they have is with severe depression and paranoia. So we can level the playing fields here.71.142.222.245 (talk) 17:15, 9 May 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven


 * It's not a reasonable or sensible question. Depression and paranoia can both be extremely problematic, but it's not like breaking your kneecap, which has pretty much the same result every time. Mental problems like this can be very different for different people in their symptoms. Some people cope better than others. Some people have better social support networks than others. For some people, medication works better than for others. People come from different circumstances and backgrounds, which can impact on their illness by making it easier or more difficult to deal with. Some people have better doctors than others. Both depression and paranoia can be debilitating; there's no definitive answer here. If you absolutely insist that one of them must be worse, frankly, that betrays an overall lack of understanding about the nature of mental illness. That said, paranoia is often a delusional state, whereas it's not as common with depression (but it can be a symptom in some cases of depression). Delusional people are often worse off than people who don't suffer from delusions -- but even then, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are hindered more than other people. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 19:04, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Just give a bunch of people who are diagnosed with Paranoid personality disorder or Major depression inventories in the disorder they have and a quality of life assessment. It's irrelevant whether people vary in how well they deal with mental problems since this character wants to know which one is generally worse unless the variability is astronomically high (which I doubt).--droptone (talk) 20:40, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Which one do you feel you have?hotclaws 08:38, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Car Dealerships
A completely random question, but I can't seem to figure it out anywhere: when do car dealships in the US close on Saturdays? My mother told me that they are like banks and close early on weekends, but I want to go look at some cars after 3 o'clock. If it varies by dealer, then I'm out of luck - since I haven't found a single dealer website that lists the times. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 16:38, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * It will indeed vary by dealer, there's no regulated times, as far as I know. Surely some of those websites include telephone numbers - just call and ask.  -- LarryMac  | Talk  16:40, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Well, indeed there may be regulated hours - for instance in Metro Detroit (home of the U.S. auto industry) for years car dealers were always closed on Saturdays - until the courts stepped in.. Rmhermen (talk) 00:21, 12 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Well, I guess I'll have to put my fear of using the telephone on the back burner. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 16:45, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Maybe you could email them? -- LarryMac  | Talk  19:33, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Unfortunately that kind of business tends not to be very good at answering email in the sort of timeframe that would be useful. If you're uneasy with the telephone, plan in advance your opening sentence or two.

81.187.153.189 (talk) 22:16, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Get somebody else to phone them on your behalf. But that still leaves you with the phone problem. Paul

Background Recording Software
Is there any kind of (free?) software on the internet that will allow me to record the sounds being played through my speakers, if I want to record sounds like music from music videos on the internet?

Thank you people!

89.240.86.50 (talk) 17:58, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Audacity is perfect for this. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 19:00, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Thanks from me, too. I'd been looking for something like that. I have lots of old audio training tapes that I want to transfer to CD. --Lisa4edit (talk) 00:48, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Just one point, I strongly recommend that you do not infringe copyright by recording sunds like copyrighted music videos on the internet Anonymous101 (talk) 15:53, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * This point is valid, but copyright law is complicated and varies depending on where you live, among other considerations. In almost all cases, if you transform a copyrighted work in this manner and then convey it to a third party, your will be in violation of the copyright laws. In some jurisdictions, you may copy the material for your own use under the "fair use" provisions of copyright law. You must consult a lawyer about this. -Arch dude (talk) 04:03, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Thanks guys, downloaded a simple recorder device off of the internet, but I couldn't get it to record background stuff, so I ran the Line In from my sound card into the Line Out, (where the software was recording from) and this worked a treat, although I cannot hear what is being recorded at the time. Audacity is free right, and it does other stuff if I am not mistaken. 89.240.86.50 (talk) 19:09, 11 May 2008 (UTC)


 * It also edits sound and has filters and such. Also, if you want to record what the computer is currently playing, there is a little drop-down menu on the upper right that defaults to "microphone" - select the one for output (sorry, I completely forgot its name, but play around and you'll find it). 206.252.74.48 (talk) 13:27, 12 May 2008 (UTC)


 * For some reason, this doesn't work with all sound cards - in some cases the option just won't appear. In these cases you have no option other than to run a line from Line In to Line Out. Dooky (talk) 14:19, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Bulova watches and 1st Tv commercial
In reading on Bulova they are credited with the first tv commercial which was a 10 second spot, however, under television commercials Bulova is credited with the first tv commercial that lasted 20 seconds. Which one is correct? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.129.115.68 (talk) 19:28, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Regions that begin with "X"
Are there any world regions that begin with the letter "X"? I know there are no countries, but are there any other large regions or cities? Ab e g92 contribs 19:37, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Historically...Xanadu. --Prestidigitator (talk) 19:47, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Xenia--the largest being Xenia, Ohio and its nearby township. -- Shelf Skewed  Talk  19:53, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
 * And, it now occurs to me, if translated names are allowed, many places in China. For example, Xinjiang. -- Shelf Skewed  Talk  19:58, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Probably the most populated city starting with X is Xiang Gang Admiral Norton (talk) 20:03, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Xinjiang and Xizang.--droptone (talk) 20:21, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
 * There is also the city of Xi'an. Marco polo (talk) 20:26, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * In Mexico, Xalapa has a population of 387,879 and Xico, 331,321, according to List of cities in Mexico SaundersW (talk) 21:34, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
 * This question came up a little while ago, and got a bunch more answers. Algebraist 07:54, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Julius Caesar's letters
Where can I see Julius Cesar's (original) letters? Are they in a museum somewhere? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Margot Lowe (talk • contribs) 23:45, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * The originals have not survived. We have only copies, or more likely copies of copies of copies.  Marco polo (talk) 00:32, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * I have to correct myself. After some searching, I have concluded that we do not have even extant copies of Caesar's letters. We have copies of some of his writings, but not of his dispatches or letters. There are a few excerpts from Caesar's letters in the writings Cicero, which have likewise survived only in copies.  Marco polo (talk) 00:59, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * I have not read it since my school days, but there may be some French letters hidden in "De Bello Gallico". Of course,  I do not wish to speculate what they may contain... --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 16:13, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Instructions on how to sheath one's sword properly? Adam Bishop (talk) 16:31, 10 May 2008 (UTC)