Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 November 7

= November 7 =

Ship related
What is the purpose of "Margin Line" on ships and what is it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Prashantpanchal (talk • contribs) 08:42, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * One online dictionary has "it defines the highest permissible location on the ship side of any damage waterplane in the final condition of sinkage, trim and heel". That's not particularly helpful to me, butI don't know much about ships. - Jarry1250 [Humorous? Discuss.] 12:53, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * The OED has "a line on the after hull of a boat or ship marked by the ends of the bottom timbers; (in later use) a notional waterline intended to ensure sufficient buoyancy should the hull be holed and not more than two compartments flooded (introduced in this sense by the British Board of Trade after the loss of the Titanic in 1912)." Algebraist 13:04, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * In other words - if you get a hole in the hull below that line - the ship might sink. If the hole is above that line, it won't.  One would assume, therefore, that it corresponds to the depth to which the ship might ride in the water if fully loaded - perhaps with some allowance for big waves. SteveBaker (talk) 13:40, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Why give an incorrect response after two other editors have provided correct and referenced answers?&mdash;eric 18:51, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Are we talking about the Plimsoll line (aka International Load Line, waterline)? Mitch Ames (talk) 01:29, 8 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Nope, recall from all the TV programs on the Titanic sinking, the animations of the flooding in the damaged forward watertight compartments rising over the top of the bulkheads and flooding the undamaged compartments aft. The margin line is simply a line drawn below the bulkhead deck (the top of the watertight bulkheads) and used to calculate the floodable length of the ship. A google books search gives a number of explanations.&mdash;eric 16:28, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

Lord Mayors
What year was the first lord mayors after the war ended 1945 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.11.87.149 (talk) 13:03, 7 November 2009 (UTC)


 * I assume you mean the Lord Mayor's Show. The wikipedia article on the show states that it was not interrupted for World War II, although this appears from my checks to be inaccurate - but it all depends what you mean. In November 1939 a Times leader complained that the Lord Mayor's Show had been cancelled and that "this 'Second Bore War' is living up to its name", while the paper recorded that the Guildhall Banquet "with its processions and fanfares" had taken place "with a ceremonial appropriate to war-time". In 1941 a parade of the Allied services took the place of the show and in 1942 there was a parade of youth showing how they were taking part in the war effort. There was a short "grim, mechanized procession" in 1943.


 * For 1944 the Court of Alderman initially decided that there was to be no show at all, but seem to have quickly changed their mind and held a full procession with 2,500 troops - described as the first since the outbreak of war. A very similar but much larger procession took place in 1945, still heavily dominated by the services. For 1946 the show reverted to its traditional pageantry. Sam Blacketer (talk) 13:17, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

I need $400 ASAP
My parents are making me get my own laptop. i have tried getting a job to no success, so is there any way I could sell items? I cant do a garage sale. And I dint have a credit card. So besides those two ways, is there any way I can sell old video games, or junk of mine? Accdude92 (talk to me!) (sign) 16:52, 7 November 2009 (UTC)


 * More context needed. Are your parents forcing you to by a laptop as some kind of peculiar punishment (perhaps a really annoying laptop), or is it as I suspect that they want you to stop using their computer and get your own? If the latter, surely a cheap semi-obsolete one somebody is throwing out is the way to go? I've picked up three Athlons that way for nothing. Tricky parts then become mouse, keyboard, and monitor, which you'll probably have to buy, though there are still a lot of unwanted CRTs kicking around at the moment from people who've upgraded to LCD. Generally speaking it's easier to persuade people that they want to give away old junk they aren't using than to persuade them that they want to buy more old junk for significant amounts of money. 81.131.47.22 (talk) 17:13, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Have you tried looking on Freecycle? Is there a free ad service where you live, where you can place a want ad? You never know - if you don't ask, you don't get! What about selling stuff on Ebay? --TammyMoet (talk) 17:16, 7 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Dont I need a credit card to sell on ebay?Accdude92 (talk to me!) (sign) 17:22, 7 November 2009 (UTC)


 * How about this site ? ...which, if you're not in the US, I found from here: . 81.131.47.22 (talk) 17:41, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * I don't know, but if you do then ask if you can borrow a card from your parents. Since you'll just be putting money *on* the card, I can't see why they would say no. You'll probably need to borrow a credit card (or debit card) to buy the laptop anyway (they are usually cheaper online than in stores). --Tango (talk) 17:58, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

This is the same question from the OP "I need to make enough money to by[sic] a laptop" Cuddlyable3 (talk) 17:55, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Hey, I made that spelling error too, just noticed. You should take it easy on people who make that particular spelling error. This is an opinion I've formed recently. 81.131.47.22 (talk) 18:09, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Use of the Latin word sic when quoting the words of another is being fair both to the author who should not feel misquoted, to the quoter who should not be held responsible for the error, and to the reader(s) who should not be misled that the spelling is correct. IMO sic should be used more often.Cuddlyable3 (talk) 18:21, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * You can try Craigslist or trading in old videogames to your local Game Stop but eventually you're going to need to get a job. You can't make enough money to buy a (decent) laptop in a short amount of time without working. A minimum wage job at McDonalds (e.g. working at the weekend for four hours each day) could probably earn you at least $150 per month after taxes, and that's definitely more than you'd earn in the same amount of time through Craigslist, GameStop and eBay.
 * 81's advice is also useful. Ask around (or go on Craigslist) and see if anyone's getting rid of an old laptop. With the definition of "old" becoming much shorter in recent times than it was, any "old" laptop should be able to run at least Windows XP. Even if it couldn't, you could still wipe the hard-drive and install a variant of Linux. Xenon54 / talk / 18:03, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * You don't need a credit card to sell on eBay. You can just set up a PayPal account, and then attach it to your bank account. &mdash;Akrabbimtalk 18:25, 7 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Don't trade in video games to a store; sell them on Craigslist. You'll make more money.  When you do, don't take any checks or do remote transactions; meet the people personally so they can inspect your stuff, and take cash only.  In the end, as mentioned above, eventually you are going to have to get a job, though it is difficult to do now &mdash; you've probably seen on the news that the US unemployment rate hit 10% last week, which is something like a 26-year high; there are more job seekers than jobs available, so you are not alone in this &mdash; so keep trying, and try to not get discouraged.  Be alert for other opportunities for non-traditional jobs.  Find out what people are charging to mow lawns and undercut their prices and knock door-to-door to seek customers.  Do also use Craigslist to look for dirt-cheap machines &mdash; I got a working desktop (no monitor) once for US$5.00.  Tempshill (talk) 19:09, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Oh, and do use eBay, for sure, to find out the current going rate for the stuff you're going to try to sell. If it doesn't sell on Craigslist for the price you quote then I'd try eBay if you can get it rigged properly with PayPal and your bank account so that you can get paid ... eBay will make it much more likely you'll be able to sell your stuff within 7 days, but the money will be less (because the shipping charge will reduce the amount the buyer is willing to pay).  Your choice whether to lower your prices accordingly.  Tempshill (talk) 19:21, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Also, I have the impression you are, or have recently been, a student. Check with your school, or your ex-school, and ask if there are any paid jobs that you can qualify for.  Custodian's assistant, library assistant, anything.  And ask all your friends and (cringe) ask your parents to ask their friends.  Word-of-mouth is, by far, the easiest way to get a job, in my experience; much easier than cold-calling.  OK, enough advice for today.  Tempshill (talk) 19:38, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Ok, Im 17, can I still attach paypal to my bank account?


 * I skimmed some of the legal agreements at this page and it appears that you have to be 18 to get a regular PayPal account, but there is something called a Student Account for people under 18 (but over 13) in which the parent gets to set various permissions &mdash; they can prevent you from receiving money, for example &mdash; and they probably get to spy on everything you do. If that's all OK with you then it sounds like the student account might work.  You should probably find the place on their website where they talk about what you can and can't do with a Student Account; I've no personal experience with it; the first I heard of it was today.  Tempshill (talk) 07:08, 8 November 2009 (UTC)


 * The place I used to work had an internal auction to get rid of some old equipment (I picked up two 17" CRT monitors for 50p each), but many companies just chuck out old equipment after a couple of years even though it is still in working condition. If you don't fancy checking out the dumpsters behind the local office blocks, maybe you know someone who works in an IT support department who can let you have old equipment for free.  Astronaut (talk) 01:03, 8 November 2009 (UTC)
 * 50p? You were ripped off... I recently took a couple of CRTs to the tip - I would have paid you at least a couple of quid to take them away... --Tango (talk) 01:57, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

Offer friends and neighbours to do chores for them, for a fee. I'd happily find a load of odd jobs I don't want to do and pay someone I know to do them, especially if I knew they were trying to save up for something special. Good luck! --Dweller (talk) 16:04, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

You can get a usable older laptop for $100-150 on craigslist. 69.228.171.150 (talk) 22:52, 10 November 2009 (UTC)


 * You can do what I'm doing right now: use an employment centre computer. :-D Civic Cat (talk) 19:11, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

Finding Users
Hi, Is it possible to go to the user pages of the users of reference desk of the choice, e.g. If I want to find the users of Indian Nationality just to view his user page, Can I directly find it  without knowing anything about him ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 200.55.135.211 (talk) 19:42, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * No, this is not possible. The list of "regulars" is here. It is by no means comprehensive. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 19:59, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * I suppose that you could try looking for names that are on that list and also on WikiProject India/Members - that would at least give you the names of Reference Desk regulars who work on Indian topics. Grutness...wha?  23:38, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Odd Chinese money from WWII era
I've found this money on eBay and it says it was printed by Chinese outlaws during WWII. Anyone heard of anything like this or know where I could find out more info?Popcorn II (talk) 20:17, 7 November 2009 (UTC)


 * The Chinese customs gold unit was a currency of China during WWII, but they were American-printed notes of the central government, not a locally-produced currency of any rebel group. The ebay page says "Non Original Issue", whatever that means.  Reproduction?  Perhaps the idea is that these notes are period forgeries?  Additionally, our article says that the high denomination notes didn't come about until post-WWII hyperinflation, and only mentions notes up to 250,000 units, so there seems to be a lot that doesn't add up here.  FiggyBee (talk) 22:06, 7 November 2009 (UTC)


 * The page actually says "Copy/Replica" - so this is definitely not the real thing! SteveBaker (talk) 23:56, 7 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Although "the paper has slight yellowing due to the age. I was told they were printed by Chinese Outlaws in the mountains during World War II" seems to suggest the seller believes them to be authentic artefacts, if not authentic banknotes? I dunno. FiggyBee (talk) 00:32, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

Little Brown Bat residing on screen in window of our house
A little Brown Bat has taken up residence in our window screen between storm window and inside window. I know NOT to touch it but my concern is that I live in South Western Michigan and it's now November and winter will be upon us soon. I have the inside window open about 1" to allow heat from inside to flow up between the two windows. (Bat is on OUTSIDE of screen so can't get into house).I understand it is probably in hibernation mode and probably does not need to eat now but it does leave occasionally so I'm not sure if it's actually in hibernation or not. The weather temps in our area are now getting into the 20's at night and will be much colder soon. There are no insects available now so if the bat still needs food, what should I put out for it/and where would I find the food? And would it be a good idea for me to put a bat house in the window (fastened to OUTSIDE of screen)for better shelter for it. I just want to make sure I do everything I can to insure it's survival from the harsh Michigan winter. I would very much appreciate any advice/suggestions anyone with knowledge on this subject might be willing to share with me. Thank you in advance for your help.

NancyNancylm4419626417 (talk) 21:15, 7 November 2009 (UTC)


 * I would suggest that attempting to keep the little creature warm by opening the window a little is not going to help because it needs a really cool temperature to get it into hibernation mode with body function shutdown. A little warmth could disturb its sleep/hibernation cycle. Why not give these |these peopleor |these a ring to see if they can offer advice or help. Richard Avery (talk) 23:21, 7 November 2009 (UTC)


 * The next time the bat leaves, close the window completely so that it's forced to look elsewhere for shelter. While bats are great to have around, they are NOT suitable house guests. Besides being covered in lice and other bugs and possibly carrying rabies, bat shit is nasty stuff. The millions of other bats in your area have found suitable places to hide out the winter; make sure this one joins them. Incidentally, a pair of thick work gloves are enough to ward off the bite of a small bat (personal experience); pick him up and toss him out. And throw out the gloves. Matt Deres (talk) 04:08, 8 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Why not put up a bat house first, then force him to leave your window, so he goes to the new house ? I don't think bat excrement is any worse than any other, it's just how there's massive quantities of it in poorly ventilated caves that makes it unhealthy. StuRat (talk) 05:02, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

Visa debit gift card
Is it reloadable? Like there is this kiosk in a best buy where you can see your old video games. If I get a visa gift debit card, will it reload? Accdude92 (talk to me!) (sign) 21:36, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Debit cards are tied to your checking account. Gift cards are not re-loadable. You're combining the two. Which is it? Xenon54 / talk / 22:27, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * It's both. They are a fairly recent invention. It works like a Visa Electron card, I think, but rather than a normal bank account on the other end it's a balance provided by the person buying the card. I don't know if they can be reloaded or not. Probably not - that would make them a bank account. --Tango (talk) 22:32, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
 * In NZ you can't . The Visa site may have more for the US . Nil Einne (talk) 16:15, 8 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Visa calls the gift card a "non-reloadable prepaid" card. So it should not be reloadable, by definition. --Mr.98 (talk) 18:17, 8 November 2009 (UTC)