Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 June 6

= June 6 =

Cost
What is the cost of purchasing every single pair of pants in the world as suggested by Louis C.K.? 74.105.221.166 (talk) 03:50, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Extremely high. Price is determined by supply and demand. By buying up all of an item you are creating massive demand which drives up the price. Exactly how high is impossible to determine by anything other than guesswork (and would depend on your exact definition of "pair of pants"). --Tango (talk) 12:21, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Do you mean "pants" or "pants"? I disagree with Tango about demand driving up the price if you were to buy every single pair at about the same time - I doubt the "market" will have time to react and raise prices if you were to buy quickly enough.  Of course, after your spending spree, prices of pants will be higher because the market will have noticed a lack of pants.  Astronaut (talk) 14:32, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Have you checked with these people? — Michael J  18:00, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * I would be very surprised if you could buy them all at exactly the same time. It would be hard enough to find them all... --Tango (talk) 19:04, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Oh, come on, show some imagination. If there were a way to purchase them all simultaneously, in order to avoid any supply/demand distortion, and if we assume the question means to ask about not underpants but pants as in blue jeans or trousers, then let's take World population, which is said to be almost 6.8 billion, and multiply by the number of pants owned per person.  If I had more than 120 seconds for this then I'd do some research to find out wardrobe size in the industrialized world as compared to that in the developing world; but since I don't, I'm going to guess a mean number of pants of 4 per person, including inventories, pants in landfills, etc; which comes out to the existence of around 27 billion pants worldwide, and if the average cost of a pair of pants worldwide is US$10 then it's around US$270 billion dollars.  Really quite affordable if you put it up against the size of the recent bailouts.  Tempshill (talk) 00:14, 7 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Pants in landfills removed from the above to remove implication we are purchasing pants originally worn by people who are currently in coffins. Tempshill (talk) 00:29, 7 June 2009 (UTC)


 * And I am not going to sell the pair that I am wearing for less then $1,000 if I don't have a spare pair around. 65.121.141.34 (talk) 14:36, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

speaker
both my computer speakers are proper and they work properly. but when i play winamp only the left speaker works but not the right. when i play windows media player both speaker works.all the settings are correct. anybody have the idea........ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.92.242.216 (talk) 07:11, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure if Winamp supports this, but you should check the settings and make sure the speaker balance setting (if there is one) hasn't been changed from the middle position. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 10:38, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Balance is under the equaliser Alt+G or View Menu -> Equaliser It may be hidden if you are not using the default skin  meltBanana  12:30, 6 June 2009 (UTC)

hot rolled grades OF ISPAT INDUSTRIES (INDIA)
pls. someone decribe me the meaning of codes rolled in ispat like CG04B, CG04A, SRNTRN13 WHAT IS THE MEANING OF CG04B, CG04A, TRN13 ETC. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rakeshknit (talk • contribs) 07:23, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * This is probably too specialised a question for anyone here to know the answer to. Suggest you contact the company directly. Exxolon (talk) 18:16, 6 June 2009 (UTC)

HRC GRADES OF JINDAL STEEL INDIA
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF JVGL 06, JVCR B6, JVTR12 ETC. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rakeshknit (talk • contribs) 07:36, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * This is probably too specialised a question for anyone here to know the answer to. Suggest you contact the company directly. Exxolon (talk) 18:16, 6 June 2009 (UTC)

Obama Quran quote "Be conscious of God and always speak the truth"
Barack Obama quoted the Quran in his recent speech in Kairo. I'm trying to find the sura and verse that he quoted in order to use an approved translation for the Swedish article about the speech. However, I haven't been able to find the exact quote in any online Quran translation. I'm guessing that it is 33:71 (33:70 in some translations) but I'd be glad to have that verified.Sjö (talk) 14:39, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * I know we're not supposed to link to blogs, but this one has the quote, the Sura, the Arabic, and an explanation of the different ways of translating it. (You're right, it is Sura 33, al-Azhab.) Adam Bishop (talk) 16:05, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks. Sjö (talk) 17:52, 6 June 2009 (UTC)

Nomenclature of US Fighters & Bombers
I was always under the impression that 'F' as in 'F-16' and so on, stood for 'Fighter', while 'B' as in 'B-29', etc., stood for 'Bomber'. Why is it, then, that the 'F-117' (Stealth) is part of the 'F' series, considering it is primarily a bomber and not a fighter as it has no air-to-air weapons whatsoever. Is there something I've got wrong about the nomenclature? --KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 14:50, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * F-117 explains. Hopper Mine (talk) 15:14, 6 June 2009 (UTC)

architectural place
i know this seems idiotic and weird, but can anyone tell me which city(ies)/country(ies) is/are famous for its/their architecture? the city or country must have very influential architectural styles.... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.50.131.170 (talk) 16:11, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * You could have a look at Barcelona, which is associated with the work of Gaudi: also Bath, Somerset and its Regency architecture. --TammyMoet (talk) 16:48, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * There would be numerous examples, Athens (for the Akropolis et al), Barcelona (Antonio Gaudi), Chandigar (the cousins Jeanneret) or Angkor (the temple complex) to name just a few. If you look at the World Heritage List on the UNESCO site you will find most of the major locations.  --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 16:59, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I gather from the question that it is not just a question about a city having a few remarkable buildings, but that it is a the entire cityscape that seem to be influenced by an intentional architectural effort? If that is the case then my initial choice would be Barcelona as well. --Saddhiyama (talk) 20:46, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Time was, almost anyone wanting to study architecture would spend some time in Rome. The city has been rebuilt, and rather impressively, in a succession of different styles.88.108.105.188 (talk) 10:05, 7 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Brasilia (for its modernist architecture) and New York City (for its skyscrapers) would be other obvious examples. --Maltelauridsbrigge (talk) 10:47, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

Sauce
Anyone know where this came from (NSFW)? It looks like it is recorded from tape, maybe 70s or 80s production value. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.110.241.33 (talk) 16:29, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Be warned, it is porn. 86.4.190.83 (talk) 18:28, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * For future reference, "NSFW" stands for "not safe for work", which is the standard warning for such things online. --Tango (talk) 18:40, 6 June 2009 (UTC)

Where it came from? Do you mean the country? I would say it was early to mid 70s and fairly good quality for it's time,(although I only saw the first minute) probably originally shot on film, as opposed to video.91.111.74.247 (talk) 22:10, 6 June 2009 (UTC)

What's up with the number of porn-related questions I have seen these last few days ? 24.202.236.203 (talk) 16:20, 7 June 2009 (UTC)


 * I've only seen two. I would guess what is up is that perhaps two people had porn-relating questions to ask, unless you have a better theory. Blood Red Sandman  (Talk)   (Contribs) 18:26, 7 June 2009 (UTC)

By 'where it came from' I mean the original movie this is a clip from. The beginning is missing and the end has no credits, so I was wondering whether there was a way to track down what video or video series this is a part of. 129.110.241.33 (talk) 20:46, 9 June 2009 (UTC)


 * It seems to have been dubbed into english, so it was probably made in continental europe, thats western continental europe unless the Soviets were producing state porn to boost the communist birth-rate in the 70s. Would not have been Spain as Franco prohibited all that when he was alive. The dark-wood furniture and the dark hair of most of the people could suggest Italy. It looks rather sunny for Scandinavia. Might be France or Germany. "Janine's further adventures" are mentioned at the end, which may be a clue to the film title. That title and "Adventures of Janine" are available as Torrent downloads according to Google, although the foriegn language title would have been different. 78.147.57.78 (talk) 21:01, 9 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Italian is a good guess. A fiasco bottle appears about halfway through (when the father returns announcing that he's been fired. They're typically Italian. --203.22.236.14 (talk) 11:04, 10 June 2009 (UTC)


 * I was thinking it might be the work of Erwin C. Dietrich a Swiss pornographer, or european equivalent of Russ Meyer if you want to be generous, who seems to have done similar elaborate porn, but a lot of films from the 70s had a similar style. 78.144.202.233 (talk) 19:57, 10 June 2009 (UTC)


 * It's Hans Billian's film adaptation of Josefine Mutzenbacher (English title Sensational Janine), starring the divine Patricia Rhomberg. A classic, from an era when there was money in porn. Be sure to read the book, it's not only porn but biting satire on the state of late-19th century Vienna. 74.65.102.235 (talk) 02:21, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

Ah, much obliged. I was searching for the name "Janeane" before, and mostly getting information on Janeane Garofalo. Didn't know there were other spellings. Do you know where legal copies of it (ie, not torrents) are available? 129.110.241.33 (talk) 20:24, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

architectural place
it may not be necessarily famous for ornamental ad decorative architecture. deconstructive architecture and modern architecture will do. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.50.131.170 (talk) 17:12, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Our article on deconstructivism has a number of photos and links to noted architects like Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid or Coop Himmelb(l)au. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 17:39, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * I don't like most modern architecture, but I've heard from a few people (dunno if they're right) that London is surprisingly good at it. While we're in the UK, my favourite British city in terms of architecture is York, but it seems sadly underrated by the rest of the world. Blood Red Sandman  (Talk)   (Contribs) 18:37, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * You might want to take a look at the skylines of New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dubai and numerous other cities around the world. See also the works of Victor Horta, Eero Saarinen, Frank Lloyd Wright, Arne Jacobsen, or Charles Rennie Mackintosh, all who of whom used an integrated approach to arcitecture including interior design, furniture, glass, etc. Astronaut (talk) 18:43, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Portmerion? 87.81.230.195 (talk) 23:09, 7 June 2009 (UTC)

Flashing emergency lights as a customary thank-you?
My father has a custom when driving on Finnish highways: when a slower car voluntarily lets him pass, after having passed it, he turns on his emergency lights, allows them to flash once, and immediately turns them off. He does this to let the slower car's driver know of his gratitude. How widespread is this custom? Would it be understood by people who have never seen it before? J I P | Talk 18:51, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I've only seen that used as a warning (usually some hazard up ahead, sometimes a speed trap). In Britain, one would normally flash their headlights as a thank you, rather than hazard lights. --Tango (talk) 19:03, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * No, I've seen flashing of the emergency lights as a thank you here in the UK, especially since your headlights usually cannot be seen once you have passed the slower vehicle. Astronaut (talk) 19:05, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * I've seen it in the UK as well. Generally speaking I would guess most people could interpret most signals based on the circumstances, even if they had never seen it before. Blood Red Sandman  (Talk)   (Contribs) 19:36, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * You'd think so, but while flashing lights is a "thanks for letting me pass" sign in Britain, in France it's apparently a "I'm going to go first" sign. So my teacher says in one of his many amusing stories. Vimescarrot (talk) 19:53, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I think there's a little confusion here. The OP asked about briefly flashing the emergency hazard lights as a thank you.  Flashing the lights to mean "thank you" (or "you go first") (in the UK) or "I'm coming through" (in France)  refers to flashing the headlights.   Astronaut (talk) 20:23, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Of course the official line in the UK is that flashing the headlights shouldn't be used due to its potentially ambiguous meanings and the hazard lights shouldn't be used except to indicate some hazard. Astronaut (talk) 00:41, 7 June 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, I've seen and used the 'hazard lights flash' for saying thanks to someone behind you in the UK, but only in the last few years. The first person I saw do it was someone who drives a large vehicle on European roads.91.111.74.247 (talk) 22:04, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I've both seen this and do this in the UK, it seems fairly widespread now if not common. IE, it happens a bit everywhere. Actually I always see it as flashing twice then turning them off. Oddly, this is precisely the signal the highway code states means 'Hazard ahead'. 82.152.174.24 (talk) 22:39, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * In the UK also, a friend of mine who is a lorry driver flashes his indicators, left then right in fast succession to thank drivers who have let him in front of them - it's easier than reaching into the centre console for the hazard warning light button. Nanonic (talk) 23:25, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I've never seen this in the US but then I'm also usually driving at least the speed limit. So if anyone is passing me, they are the ones who are speeding and have no cause to thank me since I never moved out of their way to begin with. Dismas |(talk) 23:48, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * since I never moved out of their way to begin with - why not? If someone wants to go faster than me, and I can allow them to without too much inconvenience, I'll always do so - regardless of speed limit. What does it achieve to do otherwise? It's not my job to enforce the speed limit, and deliberately obstructing somebody is quite likely to make both of us more stressed, which is dangerous. 93.97.184.230 (talk) 00:04, 7 June 2009 (UTC)
 * So how do I tell the difference between your average tailgater and someone who wants to speed? How am I to know if they'll just go along at the same speed that we are already going and now I'll be behind them since I will have needlessly pulled over to let them by?  It's not like I'm crowding the center line and keeping them from passing.  Besides, if they really wanted to signal their intentions to pass me, they could flash their headlights as a way of saying, "I would like to pass you, if you don't mind".  Dismas |(talk) 00:45, 7 June 2009 (UTC)

Question Dismas, do you deliberately drive in the fast/passing/outer lane at the speed limit to prevent other drivers legally/safely overtaking you if they are exceeding the limit? Exxolon (talk) 01:29, 7 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I now see that the OP specified a highway and not a two lane road (when including both directions of traffic), which is what I had envisioned. And to answer your question, no I generally drive in the right lane unless I need to pass.  And finally, now that I'm reading it correctly, to answer the OP's question with regards to highways (being at least four lanes when including both directions of traffic), I have never seen any passenger car flash their hazard lights upon passing someone on a highway.  I have however seen semi-truck drivers shut off their lights and turn them back on quickly when thanking another driver for allowing them into the lane, letting them pass, etc. Dismas |(talk) 02:43, 7 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Is everyone done getting on my back about this now? Dismas |(talk) 02:45, 7 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Going back to the OP's question, it's quite common in Sweden, but I think that the left+right indicators is just as common. Sjö (talk) 05:50, 7 June 2009 (UTC)


 * In Australia, perhaps because of the wide variety of countries our population originally comes from, ALL the above methods are in use. Short flashes of headlights are taken to mean "after you, sir" while a single LONG flash is enterpreted the French way "out of my way!" On dark highways, a short headlight flash before completing the overtake serves as a thank you; on a better lit street, where this is less likely to be seen, a single flash of the hazard lights is often used (being the only way to create a flash towards the back). The vehicle that is moving over (or promising not to accelerate) may give two blinks on the kerbside indicator to signal this. Of course a high percentage of drivers don't do any of these.KoolerStill (talk) 18:54, 7 June 2009 (UTC)

In the US, there is a similar custom among tractor-trailer drivers. When one truck overtakes another, it is customary for the driver of the slower truck to blink his headlights when it's safe for the faster truck to move back to the right lane. The overtaking driver will then blink his hazard lights as a "thank you" for this signal. -- Coneslayer (talk) 12:26, 8 June 2009 (UTC)


 * So what is Morse code for "Would you kindly and quickly maneuver to the other lane so that I might overtake your vehicle in a safe and reasonable manner?"

Shotgun shell black powder amount
If you could fill up a shotgun shell, regular twelve gauge size, up to the brim with gunpowder how many grams will it hold? Im thinking around 10-15 grams ?

Rob —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.67.192.228 (talk) 19:58, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * As a child I would open them up and experiment with the contents. Pity that I do not have one here to open and measure. Do you contemplate filling it with powder and no shot? How about wadding? 2 3/4 or 3 inch? There's some information at, where they describe a 2 3/4 inch buckshot shell with 33 grains of BlueDot powder. says that is 2.14 grams, unless "grains" is a count of the actual number of granules of a standard size rather than grains as an obsolete weight unit. Edison (talk) 01:14, 7 June 2009 (UTC)
 * It appears to be weight. says "grain" of powder is a weight measure (7,000 grains per pound) while "kernal" is a piece of powder. Shotguns use a different powder from other weapons. Edison (talk) 01:37, 7 June 2009 (UTC)

I ask because some people use empty shotgun shells as a measurement for black powder, just guessing how much one shotgun shell of powder was? anyone have a guess?

Rob —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.67.192.228 (talk) 21:40, 7 June 2009 (UTC)

DCI tour foods
What types of food are served to the DCI drum corps while on tour? How often do they eat while touring? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.101.15.164 (talk) 22:08, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I have no idea but for those trying to Google this, the OP is probably talking about Drum Corps International. At least that's my guess going by all the organizations listed at DCI.  Hazarding a guess here but I would think that they'd eat three times a day like most everyone else.  Dismas |(talk) 23:46, 6 June 2009 (UTC)

Chicken drumsticks...hotclaws 00:01, 7 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Bugles? --- Medical geneticist (talk) 01:23, 7 June 2009 (UTC)

If the tour experience is anything like the experience I had at a corps's audition weekend, there's four meals a day, with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches available at every meal, with water, punch, and lemonade to drink.72.219.136.28 (talk) 08:17, 7 June 2009 (UTC)