Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010 November 20

= November 20 =

usx stamp on smith wesson 38 caliber pistol
I have a smith and wesson 38 caliber safety hammerless pistol which has the letters usx stamped on the left side. I'm trying to find out what the usx stands for. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.129.93.124 (talk) 03:15, 20 November 2010 (UTC)
 * It is supposed to stand for "United States Express Co." But the best way to learn about the gun is to contact S&W with the serial number. Rmhermen (talk) 03:51, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

Printed form of Ars Technica
Does anything similar to Ars Technica exist in magazine form? Something like Popular Mechanics, but with a little more emphasis on science news and less on gadget reviews. --The Dark Side (talk) 09:26, 20 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Possibly New Scientist magazine, though that may lie further towards the 'discoveries' and too far from the 'applications' ends of the spectrum for your tastes. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 08:19, 21 November 2010 (UTC)

Multiple TV News Readers
It now seems to be the norm for newsreaders around the Globe to come in sets of 2, usually with a member of each gender making up the team, and each of them speaking one sentence at a time. Why is that practice necessary? It adds nothing to the news item being reported, it doesn't make it more interesting, and for me at any rate, it is extremely annoying. Imagine if that was how you were spoken to at work or in the pub - you would explode. And it is a sheer waste of money. But maybe the news stations think we dim folk who are watching can only absorb their news items in one-sentence soundbites. Or am I missing something here? Ta. 92.30.229.2 (talk) 15:32, 20 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I don't know why, but you are free to not watch those news programs that you find offensive or uninformative, and even to seek your news from other media modalities altogether.  Wiki Dao  &#9775;  (talk)  15:36, 20 November 2010 (UTC)
 * See also the answers to your previous Nil Einne (talk) 15:49, 20 November 2010 (UTC)


 * Thanks Nil - I had forgotten I had already asked this question. Mind you, it was late first time around and I had had a few G+T's. Cheers (hic). 92.30.229.2 (talk) 15:56, 20 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I don't think I have ever seen a news show where they alternate sentences. And I can think of many which have only one anchor. Perhaps you need to search for a different channel? Rmhermen (talk) 18:59, 20 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm not an expert on the subject matter, but I would guess that with a man and a woman, you're appealing to a broader audience. Similarly, it's common for local newscasts in big cities to pair a black person and a white person (known as "salt and pepper" in the industry), presumably for the same reason. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 20:31, 21 November 2010 (UTC)


 * I think that there's a difference, in the UK at least, between the regular scheduled bulletins and 'rolling news', like BBC News 24. The regular bulletins have a single newsreader because they're usually tightly scripted beforehand and the newsreader has a pretty good idea of what's coming up.  Rolling news is necessarily more reactive with new scripts arriving on the desk as the broadcast takes place.  The dual anchor format allows the off-camera presenter to read ahead and organise the next article (which he or she may never have seen before the start of the broadcast) or put a newly arrived interviewee at ease while the other drives the show.  Blakk and ekka 17:18, 24 November 2010 (UTC)

Vehicle identification
Hello fellows!

Does anybody know who is the manufucturer of these two vehicles and which type is it. Thanks for helping. Cheers, High Contrast (talk) 16:41, 20 November 2010 (UTC)
 * File:CU-Juggernaut crane on a flatbed railroad car.JPEG
 * File:Wheeled bulldozer in 1973.JPEG


 * Answered on the Science Desk - please avoid double-posting. Alansplodge (talk) 09:00, 21 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I did this because this topic does not fit ultimatively in one of those categories that are offered at the reference desk. Vehicle identification is not really science, so I decided to put it in here, too. --High Contrast (talk) 08:52, 23 November 2010 (UTC)

Was/Is Smokey Bear effective in reducing human-induced forest fires?
I'm looking for studies on the subject.--72.178.134.134 (talk) 18:55, 20 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Judging by this the simple answer is yes: "For 60 years, Smokey Bear has successfully championed fire suppression in the United States, but his success has come at considerable cost." As you can see, from that, it isn't necessarily a good thing though. Here's another paper that may be of interest. SmartSE (talk) 12:55, 21 November 2010 (UTC)