Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 October 2

= October 2 =

University of Florida zombie defense plan
Does anybody have a copy of the University of Florida zombie defense PDF? It's not on their site anymore, and I'd really like to read it, it sounds very interesting. Thanks very much! :-) Ilikefood (talk) 00:41, 2 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Google 'University of Florida zombie defense' and it comes up first. Arrrrrrrrrrr..... --Dr Dima (talk) 02:19, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Oops! Forgot to mention that you need to open the cached version. Arrrrrrrrrrr..... --Dr Dima (talk) 02:20, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * There's no "cached" button next to it... Is there any way to still find it in the cache? 71.249.36.162 (talk) 11:34, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Never mind, found it :-) Thanks for your help! (here it is, just in case anybody else wants it: http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2009/10/01/18/zbsd_exercise.source.prod_affiliate.56.pdf ) 71.249.36.162 (talk) 11:39, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Isn't "Arrrrrrrrrrr....." pirates? I thought zombies went "Uhhhhhhhh...."? DJ Clayworth (talk) 16:14, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * They could be zombie pirates. Vimescarrot (talk) 17:37, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Or possibly pirate zombies. SteveBaker (talk) 20:40, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

Victor Brincat
Can anyone tell me where Victor Brincat (Mr T) Gangland Wars is now IN JAIL, DEAD or what


 * (Separate heading created.) Not being Australian, I have to ask whether you are asking about the Brincat of the real-life Melbourne gangland killings, or where his character is now in the Underbelly TV series.  Tempshill (talk) 02:07, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

Please see: Victor Brincat, WP:Red, WP:Starting an article, and/ or WP:RA  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.152.228.209 (talk) 22:25, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia policy
Say i became an admin; would I be able to put my own polices into practice as long as the other admins did not object>--WhaleMeltdown (talk) 00:56, 2 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Sort of. In theory you don't even need to be an admin.
 * For a new policy to become part of wikipedia's rules you need a "consensus" which isn't exactly the same as "other admins not object".
 * See WP:PGLIFE for more details of this somewhat complex process. APL (talk) 01:02, 2 October 2009 (UTC)


 * It's clear that it is not intended that you should do that. In Wikipedia, the term "policy" has a very particular meaning - you are most certainly required to obey and enforce those policies that have been laid down by consensus over many years.  Admins are no different from other users in that regard...or in any other - except that they are entrusted with certain tools that regular users are not allowed to have.  That means that you are subject to all the same policies and guidelines as everyone else.  If you decided that it was your policy to ruthlessly delete every article whose name began with the letter 'B' - you'd lose your admin rights with amazing speed - so in that sense, no, you most certainly can't just put any old policy of your own into practice!  However, if you had a particular manner of handling abusive users that wasn't strictly covered by the Wikipedia policies and guidelines - but which made life better - then there might not be a problem with putting your own "personal" spin on things.


 * I think it would be best if you gave us some examples. SteveBaker (talk) 02:53, 2 October 2009 (UTC)


 * OP is a sock of a banned user. WP:DENY →Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots 03:04, 2 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Huh, I think we had different interpretations of the question. I thought he was asking about making new WP Policies and sneaking them into official policy because no one cared enough to object. APL (talk) 12:28, 2 October 2009 (UTC)


 * The proper interpretation of the question is "trolling". RBI. →Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots 14:37, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * The OP may have been a banned user, but I don't see how the question itself can be called trolling. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.44.54.133 (talk) 13:11, 3 October 2009 (UTC)
 * The threshold for making a policy change is not "I want and other admins don't object", it is reaching a consensus in which potentially every user can have an equal say. Becoming an admin is also a matter of obtaining a consensus via a WP:RFA which is not as easy as just Saying [you] become one. Going into an RFA with intention to make your own policies is probably not a way to win wikihearts and wikiminds. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 18:52, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

Paying for Czech highway vignettes
I recently travelled through the Czech Republic and made use of the highway system. When I bought my 1-week vignette, the cashier in the little office at the border refused to accept a credit card payment, leaving me to pay in Euros. From what I could understand, the cashier was happy to accept Czech Koruny, Polish Zlotys, Euros, and Dollars. I was wondering if that was part of official Czech highways policy? and US dollars seem an odd currency for a central european country to accept as payment? Astronaut (talk) 09:41, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Could it be possible that the "little office" was not equipped with a credit card scanner?  Intelligent  sium  18:01, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * The official was almost certainly demanding a bribe - and wanted it in nice, untraceable hard cash - and in a currency that's actually worth something. SteveBaker (talk) 20:38, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Not at all. I've crossed the border into the Czech Republic many times and there was certainly nothing like that going on.  We're not in the '60s any more you know.  The previous respondent's explanation is correct.  Credit cards are not at all common in central and eastern Europe and you don't expect to be able to pay with them everywhere. --Richardrj talkemail 20:42, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * The policy is to not accept credit cards. 174.146.215.15 (talk) 21:50, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Strange. I had no trouble using my credit card anywhere else in central and eastern Europe, including a variety of Czech restaurants and hotels.  The possibility of some kind of fraud did occur to me, but the difference between the actual price (220 Koruny) and what I paid (10 Euros) is only about 1.50 Euros at the current exchange rate, and seems hardly worth the hassle to the employee should they get caught.  Astronaut (talk) 23:35, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Hotels and restaurants wish to attract tourists with credit cards. Border authorities have a monopoly and no reason to care for anything other than processing visitors with minimum effort. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 18:41, 4 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Where I live in Vienna there are plenty of restaurants, even quite touristy ones, that only accept cash. I don't have a problem with this at all. I imagine there are all sorts of costs associated with being a credit card merchant which the restaurants don't want to shell out for.  Same goes for border controls.  There's nothing wrong with insisting on cash. --Richardrj talkemail 08:04, 5 October 2009 (UTC)


 * It is not strange to insist on cash, but I wonder how many other people arrive at the Czech border with very little cash and no desire to be fined for using the highways without a vignette. Surely facilitating payment by any means possible would be one way to ensure compliance with the law.  After all, they do accept US dollars which is not used anywhere in Europe.  Astronaut (talk) 09:37, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

UCAS question
When applying to universities through ucas can your tutor see where you've applied to? --195.244.210.38 (talk) 10:21, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * UCAS's terms and conditions suggest that a tutor would not be eligible to see the data. You should be able to get a firm answer by contacting them directly. &mdash; Lomn 15:25, 2 October 2009 (UTC)


 * When you say "tutor", do you mean the member of staff at your school or college who is providing your reference - what UCAS calls your "adviser" ? In that case, then yes, I think they do see who you are applying to, because one of their roles is to check your application, including the course and institution codes for your choices - see the UCAS Adviser Guide. On the other hand, the universities or other institutions that you are applying to do not see where else you have applied, and are not supposed to ask you about that if they interview you. Gandalf61 (talk) 15:43, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * The rules must have (rightly) changed since my day (oh so many eons ago). At my interview at Oxford University they pointed out that I had applied for English law only (no other option was available), whereas at two others I had applied for European law, and two others for English Law and German Law. They then proceeded to ask me all kinds of questions about the relevance of European law in the United Kingdom. Many of my peers and I encountered the problem that if you put a university as your fourth or fifth choice, they pretty much automatically declined you. -- Александр Дмитрий (Alexandr Dmitri) (talk) 20:28, 3 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Nowadays, universities only see where else you have applied after making you an offer - presumably to prevent this kind of situation. Warofdreams talk 20:38, 3 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Also, you don't have to put the unis you apply to in any particular order. Only once you've received the offers do you choose a first choice and an insurance choice. --Tango (talk) 02:43, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

Can I attach an amp to my stereo?
Hi all,

I have a pretty basic stereo with 2 external speakers. The power output is just 30W per channel. It also has a basic headphone jack (mini). I'd like to hook up a couple more speakers and maybe a subwoofer. Can I do this with a simple amplifier? Is that cheap (<$100) and easy?

Thanks! &mdash; Sam 63.138.152.155 (talk) 18:23, 2 October 2009 (UTC)


 * This is not hard to do. The new amplifier should have input sockets for "AUX" or "LINE". You need a suitable cable to connect the headphone jack of your old stereo to the new amplifier. Note that the volume and tone controls of both new and old amplifiers will work so you must find which settings work best. The headphone jack on your present amplifier may have been wired to mute the speakers when a plug is inserted. Buy the best speakers you can afford because they affect the sound quality more than even a basic amplifier. Insist on hearing speakers before you buy so you find what your budget limits you to. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 19:18, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Please see the following: Stereo, Electric Shock, CPR, and Life after death. 68.245.101.74 (talk) 22:00, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * To avoid the above risk, avoid taking equipment apart to make connections, but if your stereo happens to have an"AUX" or "LINE" output, then this should match the corresponding input better than a speaker or headphone output (though sometimes they are very similar). The standard "AUX" or "LINE" output is just one volt.    D b f i r s   07:28, 3 October 2009 (UTC)

Plain lo mein
Does anyone know where I can find recipes for just plain lo mein? No meat, etc. in it? I can't find any online. --Glaesisvellir (talk) 20:07, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Did you try a Google search for vegetarian lo mein? It comes up with several. I think all lo mein has something in it, or it would just be called noodles. &mdash; Sam 63.138.152.155 (talk) 20:36, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Thanks - I guess it never occurred to me to search for that. --Glaesisvellir (talk) 21:01, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * The Reference Desk is scheduled to be replaced in its entirety by Google in May of 2010. Until then, please feel free to ask your questions here and a volunteer will copy and paste it onto the Google site and get back to you.  68.245.48.172 (talk) 21:35, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * ...what? You're either trying to be a troll, trying to be humourous (it's not working), completely mistaken, or you know something the rest of us don't. Xenon54 / talk / 22:00, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * I think 68 is trying to criticise the OP for not searching for the answer themselves before asking on the RD and expecting respondents to just search things for them they could more easily have searched for them themselves. This is WP:Biteish but probably not trollish and in any case appears undeserved here since the OP has implied they did try to search just that the term never occured to them Nil Einne (talk) 22:57, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Well, it's actually pretty rude, given that
 * 1. the OP did indicate that they searched previously, and
 * 2. it turns out the OP really just didn't know what terms to search for to produce the results they wanted
 * ...all of which makes biting them about not using Google both inaccurate and wrong-headed. --Mr.98 (talk) 00:04, 3 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Didn't I already say 1 & 2 more or less? Nil Einne (talk) 04:00, 3 October 2009 (UTC)
 * "Lo mein" just means stirred noodles in Cantonese. Boil up some instant noodles but hold the soup powder, cook for a few minutes, drain, add soy sauce/vegetarian oyster sauce and a bit of oil, stir, and voilà! --antilivedT 10:59, 3 October 2009 (UTC)