Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010 July 2

= July 2 =

Another coincidence?
Has the German elevator company Knizia-Strelow anything to do with the German board game designer Reiner Knizia? --84.61.154.154 (talk) 21:23, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I can find no obvious evidence of a connection. The Knizia-Strelow website simply says the company was founded by Mr Knizia and Mr Strelow in 1974 with no further biographical details.  Various online interviews and biographies of Reiner Knizia don't mention a brother or father (or uncle) involved in an engineering company.  A Google search revealed just 2 hits, both search/listing type of sites providing links to other sites.  You might have better luck contacting them directly.  It is worth pointing out that while Knizia is not that common as a name, these are not the only two people with that name.  Astronaut (talk) 02:45, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

Science? Humanities? Misc.
What is the evelutionary explanation for human hair? why does it continue to grow? How do beards fit into this? Thax —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.145.145 (talk) 00:11, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * The explanation is that all mammals have hair, including humans. Why humans have thicker hair on top of their heads is still something of a debate, but it probably has something to do with minimizing both heat loss and overheating of the brain. Facial hair in men is most likely a secondary sex characteristic (i.e. something to advertise one's masculinity). Matt Deres (talk) 00:47, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * The thickness of hair on the top of the head isn't particular unusual. What is unusual, as the OP mentions, is its length. Almost all other mammals (absolutely all?) have hair which is limited in its length, like that on parts of the human body other than the head, but hair on human heads can grow to an unlimited length. Our article suggests this is probably due to sexual selection as well. --Tango (talk) 03:23, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * What's also pretty unusual is the difference in length between the hair on the top of our heads and the hair elsewhere on our bodies. Different mammals have different lengths of hair (including some nearly hairless ones), but it is generally a more-or-less uniform covering; there aren't any other mammals that I can think of that have very sparse hair over most of their body, but a big floppy mop on the top.  Incidentally, human hair does not truly grow to an indefinite length, it will tend to fall out (and thus maintain its average length) at around waist length.  Here's the Straight Dope on the matter: .  As for why humans are this way, I don't know, although Mr. Dere's explanation is at least plausible (that it minimizes heat loss where it's really important). Buddy431 (talk) 04:35, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * A lion's mane is a different length to the rest of their hair. --Tango (talk) 14:15, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * As is a horse's mane. --Tango (talk) 14:16, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Long_hair --203.22.236.14 (talk) 08:03, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * There is an interesting theory of human evolution called the Aquatic ape hypothesis, which supposes that we spent part of our development up to our necks in water. This explains some radical differences between us and other apes, including our strange hair distribution. Apparently the direction of our body hair follows the flow line of water when we are swimming. Not everyone agrees with it however. Alansplodge (talk) 17:11, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * That is, nearly all scientists do not agree with it. See Aquatic ape hypothesis. Buddy431 (talk) 03:27, 3 July 2010 (UTC)
 * One explanation I've heard for male facial hair is that it masks facial expressions so as to conceal lying and other emotional leaks, although that theory has some inherent tension with the fact that facial expressions evolved at all. Shadowjams (talk) 06:53, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

Wild West Saloon doors.
OK - so we've all seen the movies of cowboys and the saloons they visit. The entrance to the saloon always (at least in the movies) have those ornate little swing doors (our Western saloon article calls them "Bat wing doors") - they are about a foot off the ground and a few feet tall - so you can't lock them to keep people out (it would be easy to wiggle underneath them or climb over the top, they certainly don't shut out noise, dust, heat, rain, etc.

Did bat wing doors really exist - or are they just another odd Hollywood invention? If they really existed - then what was their purpose?

SteveBaker (talk) 02:01, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * They most certainly do. And they were a standard fixture in office buildings, especially police stations in India during the Raj  Jon Ascton    (talk)  07:59, 5 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Just some interesting reading here until someone can cite. hydnjo (talk) 02:22, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * no citations, sorry, but I will point out that a lot of 'Old West' conventions derive from French sources (France was considered a kind on cultural Mecca in the 19th century). Saloon is a corruption of salon, in the sense of a gathering place, and many of the accouterments of a saloon (pianos and musical entertainments, feather boas and can-can girls, and - so I suspect - those half-height swinging doors) were likely copied straight from cafes and salons on the streets of Paris (or reports thereof).


 * also - obviously - they would have had a solid door that swung shut over the decorative swinging doors when the saloon closed. That would have been tied open during business hours.  -- Ludwigs 2  03:49, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * My researches to date suggest that they mostly didn't close...but I agree that they probably had a way to have a solid door they could shut and lock as needed. SteveBaker (talk) 04:02, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Okay, why would Parisian cafes and salons be likely to have that sort of door?  And did they?  --Anonymous, 04:20 UTC, July 2, 2010.


 * The logic behind double-hinged swinging doors is their lack of a catch, latch or doorknob, i.e. they can be pushed open without the use of hands, and they close themselves when not in use. -- Aryaman (talk) 07:24, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * ...so enabling people to carry drinks, trays, etc. through them using both hands, presumably. Ghmyrtle (talk) 13:17, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * They also have a certain social utility to them, allowing people outside to get a sense for what's going on inside while still affording the people inside a perception of privacy. -- Ludwigs 2  15:27, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * I remember reading an answer to this question in an Imponderables book, apparently "When Do Fish Sleep?", but I have no recollection what it was, except that I think there was something about having an ordinary, lockable door in addition to the swinging doors. Paul (Stansifer) 18:29, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * This is only a forum post, but note the old photos at the bottom of the page. They clearly show that those style of saloon doors did exist in the Old West. The second photo could be modern staged shot, but I assume the one above is a photo from the period. Matt Deres (talk) 01:39, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

Midgets (again)
When I asked this question previously, it was deleted as a troll question (see the Talk page discussion). I realize that it was initially asked by a banned user, and so deleted, in line with policy. However, I find the question interesting, and would like an answer to it, if anyone knows anything. As a user in good standing (I think), I asked, and am again asking, this question in good faith, and believe that it is appropriate. If you do decide to delete it again, please drop a note on my talk page explaining yourself, rather than just yanking it without explanation. Without further ado then...

Midget's (short people, i.e. people with Dwarfism) are sometimes seen as "freaks" and are pre-judged because of their height. The Dwarfism section is woefully short on how different societies have viewed dwarfs, both in the past, and in the present day. Have their ever been any laws discriminating against people with dwarfism? I assume that in the West such laws would have been repealed by now, but I could see some African countries that might attach a pretty big legal or cultural stigma on being of a grossly different height. Is there any place where I could get away with killing a dwarf because they're "unnatural" or something like that (either legally, or else just culturally acceptable). Buddy431 (talk) 04:25, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Sparta leads me to believe that were you a Spartan, you would be allowed to "legally" dispose of a dwarf or otherwise abnormally short individual. The question, to which I do not know the answer, is how obviously these sorts of anomalies present on a newborn. Would an infant judged to be "fit" and later revealed to be a dwarf be executed as a small child? I can't recall ever seeing mention of this issue. 218.25.32.210 (talk) 04:33, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Our article doesn't specify it specifically, but I'm fairly sure that dwarfism was one of the criteria for euthanasia as part of the Nazi T-4 Euthanasia Program. --Mr.98 (talk) 13:04, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Dwarfism is more than simply short height. There are a variety of physical deformaties that most people with the condition described as "dwarfism" share, and shortness is only one of them.  Danny DeVito is very short (under 5 feet tall) but would never be described as having Dwarfism.  Peter Dinklage is not markedly shorter than Danny DeVito (maybe a few inches), but is described has having a form of dwarfism.  Not to take the discussion off topic, but its important to get the terms correct.  -- Jayron  32  04:40, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Uh... is the OP admitting to sockpuppetry? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 14:38, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

No. He and the purported troll asked similar questions at the same time. So, he may be trolling, but not sockpuppeting. :-) I'm jesting, of course, Buddy431 is a regular in good standing. Matt Deres (talk) 15:08, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Specifically, I found the banned user's question interesting, and would like an answer to it. I realize that it's common practice to delete questions by banned user's regardless of merit.  I felt that this question had merit, so I asked it again (as a not-banned user), so that I can get serious responses. Buddy431 (talk) 16:42, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * The problem with this question is that it singles out dwarfism as special. there have been cultures in the world that disposed of children for having any deformity.  Sparta was unique in having an cultural standard about it - in most cultures it was/is something handled surreptitiously at a community level.  there are cultures in the world that will dispose of children for having the wrong gender for heaven's sake, and that's not normally considered a deformity.  remember, crappy questions get crappy answers.  -- Ludwigs 2  15:34, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Contribute Article
Hello Expert,

I am Maninder Singh Arora, a Computer Engineering graduate, workinf as Software Engg. for 3 years as of now, hail from Delhi India. I have been places to Mumbai, Delhi, chandigarh, Pune, Hyderabad, Mysore, Banglore, Agra, Tehri Garwal, Dehradun, Merrut, Amritsar and many more. I love to travel, photography and have love for encylopaedias ( Knowledge about each and everything), The reason I spend almost half of my day exploring world on wiki daily.

I am an new to (but fill with enthusiasm) to contribute to Wiki. I want to add article related to famous institutions, significant people and events happening around me. Please help me with the information regarding: 1. Approvals 2. Verification 3. Editions 4. Source of evidence to be provided with the article to get it published on Wiki for world wide access.

Hope to hear from you soon and wish to have a long lasting journey on my beloved Wiki.

Respectfully, Maninder Singh Arora —Preceding unsigned comment added by Maninder arora (talk • contribs) 05:18, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Well, Maninder Singh Arora. First rule of Wikipedia is : never give your full name. Never. Especially when you have travelled to so many places and are full of enthusiasm ! World is full of dangers ! Secondly we have a parallel universe called Uncyclopedia that you may find more appropriate.  Jon Ascton    (talk)  07:53, 5 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Hey Maninder, we look forward to your contributions. Just some tips before getting started.
 * This encyclopedia is called Wikipedia. The term is usually never abbreviated wiki, because "wiki" refers to the type of software used to manage Wikipedia.  There are lots of other applications of the wiki software, so it is incorrect to call Wikipedia "wiki".  Cumbersome, but we just call it by its full name of "Wikipedia".
 * One core principle is Be bold in editing. One feature of wiki software is that you can read and recall any past version of any document.  There is no action you can take here that cannot be undone very easily, so if you make a mistake, it is easy to fix.  Any good-faith additions to Wikipedia are welcomed, and as long as you are willing to learn from your mistakes and get better over time, most experienced editors are willing to work with you to help you learn the ropes.
 * Wikipedia has guide to writing your first article and even has a helpful wizard utility that will help you do it. HOWEVER, may I suggest that you don't create a new article right now.  Despite the invitation above to Be Bold!, Wikipedia does have many policies and guidelines which confound new users, and creating new articles from scratch can be tricky for those new users who have not learned these rules.  May I suggest that you start small, by finding already existing articles that interest you, and start by making small changes to them, such as fixing grammar and making them more readible.  Once you get a sense of what a decent article should look like, and what sorts of subjects make for good articles, then you can set about creating some new articles.  But creating a new article from scratch on your first day is akin to placing a toddler in a marathon; one must learn to crawl before they can compete in a 26-mile race, you know?  Take some time to learn how the place works, THEN create an article.
 * Hope that was of some help! Introduction contains a basic introduction and Five pillars is Wikipedia's core princples.  If you need further help, try asking at Help desk.  -- Jayron  32  05:33, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * As Jayron says, it's certainly OK to dive in and start editing - then learn by your mistakes. But some people prefer to be guided towards becoming a good editor or writing a great article - and for that, I recommend the Adopt-a-User system.  You add your name to that page and an expert user will volunteer to "adopt" you for a while and help you with your editing until your confident enough to go it alone.  Either way is fine though - we try hard to be as welcoming as possible to new contributors. SteveBaker (talk) 11:20, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

Burn from a cold metal rod
Hi, I'm not sure which category this belongs to so I'll just post it here; hope that's okay... Anyway. You might have heard of this experiment where they would first lead the subject to believe that they'll touch her back with a hot metal rod, and then do just that except the rod is cold (i.e. it is normal temperature) but the unusual thing is that the burn still appears on the subject's back (or so it went). Is this phenomenon real? What's it called and/or where can I read about this? Thanks. - 95.139.105.161 (talk) 08:14, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * The sensation of heat is an example of a tactile illusion prompted by confirmation bias: the brain perceives heat because that's what it's expecting. The production of physical symptoms (such as burns) from such a suggestion would take it one stage further.  I can't find a description of success in such an experiment, although there are descriptions of attempts to produce such symptoms using hypnotic suggestion: here, for example.  The phenomenon seems to be based on more than just suggestion, though. The physical processes by which we perceive heat and cold are different but connected, and things like the thermal grill illusion illustrate the link and its effects, and go some way towards explaining them.  Interestingly, one effect of ciguatera poisoning can be the reversal of the sufferer's perception of heat and cold.  I haven't read it myself, but there is a free ebook download here which is mentioned on a couple of specialist forums and which seems to include material on hot/cold perception illusions, so you may find it useful.  Ka renjc 10:33, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * I don't think the rod is at room temperature, I think it is chilled. Human skin is good at detecting extreme temperatures, but isn't very good at determining which extreme it is. I don't believe that it would leave a burn, though - it could be an cold burn, I suppose, but that wouldn't be very interesting. --Tango (talk) 15:19, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

P.G in Journalism after completing B.E
''I'm a final year student pursuing my bachelor's in Electronics and Communication Engineering(B.E-E&C). ''However i realize that this is not the line i wish to pursue. Is there any possibility that I could change my course of career??'' ''I'm very much interested in journalism. Will I be able to go for a Post-graduate degree in Journalism directly on completion of my B.E?'' I'd also like to know the choice of courses offered and the top universities/institutions offering them.

'Thank you, Any information I receive will be valuable.

--Padma1012 (talk) 11:19, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * This will be very difficult to answer without knowing in which country you are currently studying, and in which countries you would consider taking a postgraduate qualification. In general, some universities will insist on a relevant degree, or at least relevant experience, in order to take a postgraduate course, while others will accept any undergraduate degree, provided you have performed sufficiently well in it. Warofdreams talk 13:10, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * You can definitely change your career plans. The question is more one of how easy it will be to do so. As Warofdreams says, we'll need to know what country you are studying in and planning to work in to be able to give a more detailed answer. --Tango (talk) 15:22, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

''Hi.. Thanks a lot for reminding about that.. I'd completely forgotten to mention my current location details.. I'm from India.. I'm willing to go abroad(preferbly-U.S, U.K, Germany).'' ''And so far, I've been able to maintain a good record in my academics.I'm eager to know if there are any good universities which offer P.G without a prior relevant experience in the field. '' --Padma1012 (talk) 05:02, 3 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Yeah...on the top you did'nt tell where you from, but believe me I did guess right even before I read the next para you wrote - that you are from India ! only Indians can ask such laidback and lopsided questions. And your user page does'nt tell anything but if I am not very much wrong you are female !


 * Hey, why use italics ? You see, writing using BOLD or capitals is considered SHOUTING. Then what should italics imply ? whispering ?  Jon Ascton    (talk)  07:20, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

okay. I do agree that may be my question was as laidback & lopsided as you thought. And I really appreciate the fact that you guessed my native and gender by instinct. But the focus of my question is not that. Its totally course-oriented. I really need to know that and thought this is a good desk to ask.If you can help me, I'm really thankful. I'm completely new here, and just getting acquainted with the protocols.. However, I think the prejudice you seem to have regarding the judgement of people on the basis of their nativity doesn't really sound good, atleast personally for me. I come here to know things, not rather be judged. Sorry & thanks for the feedback.--Padma1012 (talk) 05:17, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

Defending myself against a Taser
If a policeman fires his taser at me and I stick my hand out and catch both barbs in it, will I be disabled as effectively as if the barbs hit my torso? What if I catch a barb in each hand? Hemoroid Agastordoff (talk) 15:22, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * On all the models I have worked with, the two barbs are attached to a small plastic piece that keeps them together, which would make it hard to catch one with each hand. Even if you did, your hand is still conductive, and you may still get stuck with one of the barbs, so you really don't have a recourse there. Even if your try to wear rubber gloves, you still have a good chance of the barbs (actually more like needles) going right through the glove and still hitting you. The best way to defend yourself from an officer is to comply fully with them and make your case in court. Or, simply avoid situations that would make an officer want to tase you. Avic ennasis  @ 16:26, 20 Tamuz 5770 / 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * So don't ask politicians questions. Googlemeister (talk) 18:26, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * OK, so if both barbs hit me in the same hand, will I lose muscle control throughout my body, or just in the hand (which is what I really want to know) ? Hemoroid Agastordoff (talk) 16:52, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * What activity are you planning that might result in being tasered? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 22:52, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * You will lose control of your whole body. That's the way a Taser is designed to work: to incapacitate the target effectively If it only worked on certain spots of your body, that would be pointless.  Bramble  claw  x   00:21, 3 July 2010 (UTC)


 * I suggest you practice by shooting yourself with a taser until you build up an immunity.


 * (pssst... that won't actually work and might kill you, so don't do it, but I'm curious to know if you were tempted)  -- Ludwigs 2  00:48, 3 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Getting Tasered is unlikely to kill you, especially if you are a healthy adult (especially without certain heart issues) not on stimulants. See Taser safety issues.  That's not to say that it's a safe thing to do by any stretch of the imagination, and some deaths have occured.  Additionally, I see no way that you could "build up an immunity", but you may be able to better recognize and respond to the effects of getting tasered.  It is common for police to be tasered as part of their training.  Finally, I highly doubt that anyone could have a serious chance of intercepting Taser barbs with their hands; the barbs are shot out with compressed nitrogen (akin to a Paintball gun) and move quite fast. Buddy431 (talk) 03:24, 3 July 2010 (UTC)


 * When the taser stops working they might reach for their guns... and your hand won't block a 9mm (much). Are you planning on getting tazed? Perhaps you should rethink the underlying motivation... just a crazy idea. Shadowjams (talk) 06:50, 3 July 2010 (UTC)


 * You could wear layers of cooking foil underneath your clothes and gloves - it should short out the electricity without much flowing through you. 92.24.179.245 (talk) 17:48, 3 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Since when is the ref desk in the business of aiding and abetting criminal activity? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 17:55, 3 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Ooh, sorry I forgot that unlicensed joking is illegal in the US of A. 92.15.12.165 (talk) 21:59, 4 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Believe it or not, I was just curious. When I was a kid I shocked myself on a 110V electric circuit, but I felt the shock only in my hand; I was wondering if being Tasered is a similar experience.  Hemoroid Agastordoff (talk) 18:23, 3 July 2010 (UTC)


 * I've raised my concerns about these kinds of questions at WP:ANI. The ref desks are not allowed to give out legal and medical advice, and this question broaches both of those topics. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 18:31, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

As I mentioned on ANI, this discussion is inappropriate. Toddst1 (talk) 18:45, 3 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Eh. I saw the questions as basically "Is there a known defense for tasers?" or perhaps "Is it equally effective regardless of where on the body one is stuck?" Officers are the most well known users of tasers, which may explain why OP mentioned them, but this info in itself is not negative, IMO. (AGF, anyone?) If the OP had asked "Suppose a burglar snuck into my house and was armed with a taser - is there any easy defense for myself?" would concern still be raised? The question doesn't discuss the legal ramifications of resisting arrest or the medical concerns on getting tased, although they did come in the replies. Regardless, as the question has been answered, this discussion can be closed. The "question of the question" as it were is best left to ANI. I would close the question myself, although since it might appear to some that I did so to stop replies to my opinion, I will not. :) Avic ennasis  @ 19:26, 21 Tamuz 5770 / 3 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Perhasp those editors who believe that people have no right to defend themselves when attacked by police would be more comfortable editing Conservapedia instead... 98.226.122.10 (talk) 04:11, 4 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Next time you feel threatened in some way, try contacting a burglar instead of a policeman, and let us know how well that works out. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:08, 4 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Lawmakers and law enforcers (policemen) also read Wikipedia and it is important that they are fully informed about the effects and limitations of their equipment. If it is acceptable to give answers on the Ref. Desk on the subject of maximising the kill strength of nuclear bombs, with "kill" to include the deaths of helpless babies and innocent puppies with waggy tails and big trusting eyes, then we should have no concern about replying to a question about tasers. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 15:25, 4 July 2010 (UTC)


 * For someone who often espouses a libertarian view, you seem to have an amazingly strong belief in the absolute good of all government officials, combined with a curious concern that nobody discuss anything that could be used illegally. Where is the Bugs who made such a big fuss about 'freedom' not so long ago? 86.164.57.20 (talk) 18:42, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Troubleshooting old video games
Unsure if this should go in "entertainment", but my problems are technical and nothing to do with gameplay. Are there any websites out there that will help me with troubleshooting problems for older games? I've got any number of games a decade or more old that I can play to some degree on my computer, but if one of them decides to play silly buggers, they don't have forums I can turn to to ask the community...that I know of, anyway. These errors seem to be the kind that a community would be familiar with and be able to point me to the answer, but without a forum or something...Was just wondering if anyone knew someplace I could go. Perhaps a repository of ancient troubleshooting tips. Vimescarrot (talk) 18:29, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * On the offchance that anyone has any ideas, my options in Worms World Party won't save, and it won't let me go above 800x600 resolution. Vimescarrot (talk) 18:36, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Communities involved with abandonware and dosbox come to mind. Sorry to be vague. If you can find the actual game listed on a site like abandonia.com, there will be a discussion there about getting it to run nicely. Possibly such a site will have a forum where you can post questions about any old game. (Actually it won't be on abandonia, which is exclusively DOS games, but both the underdogs sites - hotud.org and homeoftheunderdogs.net - have forums.) 81.131.42.1 (talk) 20:09, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Alrighty. Thanks Vimescarrot (talk) 11:18, 3 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Here's the GameFAQs page for Worms World Party (PC version): it makes the slightly obscure statement "If you want your weapon and game settings to be registered, save it. They will be saved into .WSC files, and they can be found in user/schemes/." I'm not sure what "registered" means (does it mean "permanent"?), and I'm not sure what "it" is referred to (a game in progress?), and I'm not sure what you're supposed to do with the WSC files (browse for them within the game somehow and open them?) ... but maybe this is some help. I noticed in passing that on the GBA version you can't save anything. I also found a single reply to the question on a forum: "LOL. YOU DOESNT SAVE THE GAME. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA". Exactly what this means, I couldn't say (you have to make a save in order to retain the options? You can't save games at all?) but I submit it for your attention. 213.122.46.162 (talk) 13:29, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

Wiki Pages
Is it possible to set some kind of vigil on a particular Wiki page to see how many people have seen it, and also from what part of world they were ? Jon Ascton   (talk)  19:49, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Yes (for the first question). Choose your article, click on the History tab at the top, go to External tools: Page View Statistics, then choose the month you're interested in, and voila!  Here's June 2010's graph for this page, for example.  I must say I disbelieve there were zero views on the 26th or the 28th - or any other day you care to name - but that's what we're being told.  As for where the viewers are from, no, there's no possible way of judging that afaik.  --   Jack of Oz    ... speak! ...   20:46, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Zeros on those graphs are almost always due to technical glitches. Even the most obscure pages tend to get a few views every day. --Tango (talk) 00:24, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

It may be worth going to Statistics Department and asking on the talk-page/somewhere in the more 'inner workings' pages. I'm not sure if it is possible for Wikipedia but my Flickr pro account lets me see 'where' incoming viewers of my photos are coming from (both within Flickr and outside - so for instance today i've have visits from people searching on google images for 'cute dog'). Maybe Wikipedia has some similar capability? ny156uk (talk) 23:02, 2 July 2010 (UTC)