Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010 May 31

= May 31 =

question about breathing
recently bought an inflatable chair, and have just spent a few minutes blowing it up. Afterwards I had a slight headache for a moment, felt a little dizzy. but then I noticed something strange, any time I went to move, raising an arm to brush hair out of my face for example, whatever I wanted to do seemed to happen automatically, without having to think about it, everything seemed to be much easier for a while, whilst my brain seemed somehow disconnected from the rest of me, as though I wasn't actually thinking anything. A little strange, though the feeling went away after a while, I was wondering what might have caused this. Too much breathing perhaps, more oxygen flowing around than usual, or maybe breathing too fast, not giving my body time to extract enough oxygen, or maybe something more to do with overusing the muscles involved? Anyone have any ideas?

148.197.114.158 (talk) 09:45, 31 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Hyperventilation may help you (the article not the action!). Caesar&#39;s Daddy (talk) 10:30, 31 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Sounds very much like the same effect that we used to do no each other when we were kids: One person would hold their arms straight diwn tight to their body while standing upright. Then that person would try and spread their arms using all their muscle power while another person would block this, holding the first person's arms in place with their hands. After about half a minute the second person would let go and the first person would relax their arms. What happened then, almost always, was that the arms would rise almost magically, without any muscles being employed, at least to a 45&deg; angle. After a little while the effect would wane. __meco (talk) 11:28, 5 June 2010 (UTC)

wood floor installation
hi i have been installing wood floors for the past 8 years all of my work has been domestic work eg private houses ;;;; i have been asked to install a solid floor in a gym this floor is been fitted as follows rubber strips fixed to battons battons layed out on concrete floor 18mm plywood fixed to battons 18mm solid wood secret nailed on to plywood the floor area is 16m by 37m what do i need to waych out for eg expansion thanks you Heffo7 (talk) 10:10, 31 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Heffo7, you have already asked this question just up the page and seemed to have got some reasonable answers. Are you looking for some specific advice that you have not yet received? Thank you for not shouting this time ;-) Caesar&#39;s Daddy (talk) 10:26, 31 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Why not just ask Junckers or Boen who provide reasonably priced solutions for this sort of job? I'm pretty certain they'd be quit happy to provide installation advice. Dmcq (talk) 16:17, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

Shrooms
I have eaten magic mushroom on a number of occasions inmy life in places where it was legal. However I have wondered for years, if I eat some today and feel the effects, tomorrow I can eat as many as I like and will not feel any effects. Why is this, Why is it that one has to wait several weeks to eat them again and feel effects. Further more, can the active ingredients be transfered via the spores, as I have found in the past, (I am older and wiser now) that whenthey are in the deepfreeze, in the same room as me, I can get quite stoned from them, just by being in the same room. Thanks p.s. I would strongly advise anyone not to do these ever as years later I still have flashbacks, which can be very bad especially if one is at work, or in a church etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 11:35, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
 * From Psilocybin mushroom I read that "they do create short term increases in tolerance of users", which would explain why they have little effect when used a second time. A similar statement is found at Psilocybin As for "why" this is, I'm not sure. Buddy431 (talk) 16:37, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

Fastest Animal
We all know that the Cheetah is supposed to be the fastest land animal. What I would like to know is what speed to crayfish move at? When you go crayfishing, they can move incredibly quickly! I have been told, although I am not sure if I should beleive it is that they are the fastest animal over all, not land animal. This is plausible as they are FAST! Even if only over a very short distance eg half a meter or so. So, how fast do they move and are they faster than a cheetah? or is there any non land animal that is faster than a Cheetah? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 11:38, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
 * If you like crayfish and quick things, you might want to read up on our article about the mantis shrimp - a distant relation. Locomotion-wise, they're nothing special, but they're able swing their claws with an acceleration of 10,400g - 102,000 m/s2 - quick enough to generate a shock wave capable of stunning or killing the little beasties it preys on. Matt Deres (talk) 13:37, 31 May 2010 (UTC)


 * If you follow the link Fastest animal you'll find the same information that used to be in my kiddie science books


 * Cheetah: Fastest land animal
 * Peregrine Falcon: Fastest animal (in diving flight)
 * Sailfish: Fastest animal in swimming
 * 86.163.2.99 (talk) 14:06, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Are you talking about fastest in terms of raw speed, or in relation to body size? Falconus p t   c 15:42, 31 May 2010 (UTC)


 * I always thing the Peregrine Falcon thing is cheating - it hits 200mph - but it's basically just falling. On that basis, humans win because Joseph Kittinger hit 615mph in a high altitude free-fall jump.  Anyway - as to the crayfish...the problem with judging speed is that people are not good at relating speed to size.  Small animals always look like they are moving fast - and big ones, slowly.  If you watch an airliner flying across the sky, it looks like it's hardly moving - when in reality, it's probably going at 500mph.  Your crayfish look fast because they move quickly relative to their body size - I don't doubt you could easily out-run them. SteveBaker (talk) 15:46, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I suspect that Joseph Kittinger had some mechanical help in reaching the altitude from which he achieved this speed, but I agree that birds cheat when they dive to achieve a record. What is the fastest bird in level flight?    D b f i r s   16:24, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
 * The White-throated Needletail, a species of swift (aptly named!), which can zip along at 170 km/h. Matt Deres (talk) 16:47, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks, so it is 50% faster than the cheetah without using gravity to cheat!   D b f i r s   07:30, 1 June 2010 (UTC)
 * Cheat, shmeat. Okay, so you can go just as fast by jumping off a cliff; peregrines also survive the bump at the end. Could you say the same? :) Matt Deres (talk) 00:46, 1 June 2010 (UTC)


 * Possibly you mean the escape response - just to explain for others the tail of the crayfish (or prawn or shrimp) is one big muscle (it's the bit you eat) -when startled the animal contracts the tail rapidly producing rapid motion. It is indeed 'darned fast', especially considering it's moving through water. However other animals (including fish) can do the same thing - I'm not sure it will be the fastest/
 * I think this is the article about it Caridoid escape reaction
 * Vast amounts have been written on this, one example (see p7 for speeds and accelerations) also p.8 for a table - in fact the speed is less that 1m/s (thats 3.6km/h - less than walking pace) - the acceleration is very high - up to 50m/s2 (or 5G)
 * There's an article here - there are many others too if you search for "crayfish escape response"
 * If you need more info I suggest you ask on the science desk - where the biologists are likely to be. Sorry they're not faster than a cheater, but probably harder to catch.. 87.102.77.88 (talk) 13:12, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

Crossing the Atlantic ocean on a private boat
How much does it cost to cross the Atlantic (between NY and South England, for example)? There are 3435.51 miles between the two. How efficient are motor boats? Which motor boat is the smallest acceptable alternative? Which motor is the most efficient? Would crossing with a sail boat be much cheaper?--Quest09 (talk) 17:38, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I am having trouble finding fuel burn for boats. I remember from my grandparents' pontoon boat that it is not very efficient.  As for size, I don't know from a safety standpoint, but what is acceptable to you?  Do you have to have a shelter on the boat?  Also, make sure you don't get an aluminum boat.  If aluminum gets in contact with saltwater, it tends to rust extremely quickly and badly.  Sorry I don't know more about boats, but here's a site you can look at.   The biggest problem (in terms of endurance) that I can see is that some of the smaller boats only hold twenty or thirty gallons of gas.  I'm very sure that that would not be remotely close to enough fuel to even get you a good start at going across the Atlantic. Falconus p  t   c 15:55, 1 June 2010 (UTC)


 * You should not try this unless you are an experienced sailor. 92.15.21.122 (talk) 18:15, 1 June 2010 (UTC)


 * Row perhaps? It has been done.--Artjo (talk) 18:25, 1 June 2010 (UTC)
 * People have crossed the Atlantic in incredibly small boats (Gerry Spiess, Katie Spotz). Sailing across the Atlantic in relatively small boats (30-60 ft) seems to occur on a fairly regular basis (here's one such story ).  Note that none of these are going to be the cheapest way to cross the Ocean, though; sailboats are notoriously expensive.  The cheapest way to cross the Atlantic is almost certainly on a commercial airliner; several hundred to a thousand USD, depending on when you go. Buddy431 (talk) 20:35, 1 June 2010 (UTC)
 * Also, if you are determined to cross the ocean by boat or ship, the larger the ship and the more passengers or freight, the lower your cost will be. That is because you will be sharing the overhead for building, maintaining, and fueling the ship.  Also, the larger ship, the more space it has for paying passengers or freight relative to its overall size and surface area, which are directly proportional to its fuel cost.  With Cunard, you can cross the Atlantic on a passenger liner for a little more than $1,000 each way.  (This is a little more than twice the lowest airfare.) It's also possible to travel as a passenger on a container ship or freighter, but this option seems to cost somewhat more, in the neighborhood of $1,500 each way depending on your actual itinerary.  Now, buying and outfitting a small boat for a trans-Atlantic voyage would be several multiples of this cost, regardless whether it is a sailboat or a powerboat.  No one is going to rent you a boat for such a risky trip.  The boat needs to be big enough to carry all the food you will need for the trip, plus all the fuel if it is a powerboat.  I am guessing that a powerboat would need to be at least 40 feet in length and would probably have to be custom-built, since you will need a much larger fuel tank than boats that size normally carry.  I think that for this option, very roughly, you would need at least $100,000, plus someone with extensive experience piloting a small boat on the open seas.  You could probably get by with a 30-foot sailboat, but again this would need to be custom-built for this unique use and could easily cost six figures, when you include the cost of outfitting it.  Again, you would need someone with extensive experience sailing small boats on the open seas if you are not looking for a suicidal adventure, and even then it will be risky.   Maybe the most interesting way to do this would be as crew on a racing (sail) yacht.  These yachts are around 100 feet long and can make the passage in 8 days or less.  You would need to be young, athletic, and either already experienced at ocean racing or willing to spend at least a couple years training.  If you are good at crewing, you could get a free passage aboard someone else's yacht, but you would be working your way.  Marco polo (talk) 01:36, 2 June 2010 (UTC)


 * With little modification you could always use your bathtub, like these people. Astronaut (talk) 03:57, 2 June 2010 (UTC)


 * Giant oak trees from North America have been carried to England by storms, pre-Columbus. No engine, paddling or sails required, but a large store of fresh water and food would be advisable. Edison (talk) 04:58, 2 June 2010 (UTC)

Wiki Main Page
I have just noticed that the mainpage Questions button has disappeared - or am I not looking properly? If it has been taken away - why? 92.30.45.200 (talk) 18:19, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Well, there is a section under the Featured Picture called "Other areas of Wikipedia". wiooiw (talk) 18:23, 31 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Yes, I know that. That is how I got into this page. But your answer doesn't address my question which was, 'Why has the Question button been removed from the mainpage'? 92.30.45.200 (talk) 18:36, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
 * That I dont know. wiooiw (talk) 19:10, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
 * What questions button? (It's been so long since I actually looked at the main page, I have no idea what's there.)  Are you referring to the "search" feature, which has been moved to the top right?  If not, I suggest you ask at Village pump (technical).  Gwinva (talk) 23:18, 31 May 2010 (UTC)


 * It was discussed here. I noticed this several times over the past few days and felt it probably should get more discussion but was lazy to get involved and it looks like it's gone thorough. If you have comments/suggestions/complaints/whatever, either post to the original discussion or Talk:Main Page Nil Einne (talk) 23:56, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Is it now possible to see what it looked like before? By means of a screen grab or reversion or something of that nature? --Richardrj talkemail 12:59, 1 June 2010 (UTC)
 * (to get this, if you're using the new Vector skin, click on the second arrow, the second link should be history, click on it and when you get the page history look for the diff you want) Nil Einne (talk) 20:07, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

English law regarding hackney carriages
I do know how to read halsburys stautes, unfortunately I do not have the required book. I am trying to ascertain if a licensed hackney is allowed to be sub-let. That is to say can a hackney carriage also be used as a private hire vwhicle, working for a private hire company whilst also running as a hackney carriage. I am reliably informed by a driver in Manchester that it quite clearly states that a hackney carriage may not be sub-letThanking all Michael —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.148.117.180 (talk) 21:01, 31 May 2010 (UTC)


 * Licensing and regulation of taxis and the like is a power devolved to the county (and I think in some cases to metropolitan boroughs). Rules and regulations vary, and often define some of the permissible terms in the relationship between a taxi proprietor and licensed drivers ("sub-let" could mean a bunch of different things). So you need to talk to the taxi and private hire licensing department of the relevant authority; for Manchester it's the Regulatory and Environmental services department. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 22:18, 31 May 2010 (UTC)