Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 August 30

= August 30 =

1995 caprice engine trouble
I have had so much difficult get a straight answer from paid repairist. I have a 1995 caprice classic with a 4.3 v8. The engine is idling high then low, when I go to accelerate the engine cuts out or bogs down. I have to actually milk the pedal lightly a quick to get the car to take off properly. Also my engine light is flashing 5 (five) time when I start the car and even when I insert the key. I have been to a number of mechanics and each one give me a different diagnosis. From egr valve which I replaced to throttle position sensor which i put a new one in and did not change or fix my problems. I also put new fuel pump and filter. when I return the car to the mechanics they either tell me I doing something to the car or just tell me to leave because their instruments do lie... I just want to find out what could be wrong with the car with having to more dishonest mechanics.If some could please help me!!!!!!! desperate... — Preceding unsigned comment added by Radwords (talk • contribs) 02:01, 30 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Have you had them plug in an engine diagnostic computer to read the error code ? If so, what is the code and what text string does the computer generate from that code ?  It does sound like it's not getting enough oxygen.  Did they check the oxygen sensor ? StuRat (talk) 02:23, 30 August 2011 (UTC)


 * If you've been to several professional mechanics and they couldn't figure out the problem, the chances that we can are close to zero, especially since we have no way of reading your car's computer to tell what the check engine light is indicating. I noticed, by the way, that you posted a question about this on a different forum and said that the light flashed six times. Most likely that has a different meaning, so you should be careful about such details. Looie496 (talk) 02:26, 30 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Here is a discussion forum about the Chevrolet Caprice where you can post your question. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 07:10, 30 August 2011 (UTC)

appliances?
what percentage of a new appliance's price could I get with a unused one? 208.54.83.197 (talk) 04:08, 30 August 2011 (UTC)


 * It depends strongly on the nature of the item, whether the packaging is unopened, whether it is still available for sale on the retail market, and other factors. It is hard to even guess without knowing more specifics.  Dragons flight (talk)
 * Try 25% to 50% of full price depending on age. The guarantee may be lost.  And the buyer may not believe your second hand one is in new condition. The purchase is much more risky. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 09:39, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
 * I seem to remember a study or something which showed that very recently purchased products had MORE of a markdown (lower price) than one with a few years age on it; the idea being that people who bought something new and immediately resold it did so because of some major design flaw, where as a product which had been in use for a year or two had a better chance of being a decent product. Unfortunatly, I don't remember many more details than that, or where I heard it or read it.  -- Jayron  32  12:43, 30 August 2011 (UTC)

Is there a wiki-how-to?
Is there a wikiproject I can go to to find out how to xxx (grow onions, make a dovetail joint, hypnotise chickens, etc.)? --Anthonyhcole (talk) 05:56, 30 August 2011 (UTC)


 * There's WikiHow, but I have never used it, so I cannot say anything about its content. Good luck! --Ouro (blah blah) 06:45, 30 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I've contributed a couple pages there, and it seems decent. StuRat (talk) 06:47, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I'll take a look. --Anthonyhcole (talk) 07:09, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
 * There's also Videojug. Ghmyrtle (talk) 10:35, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
 * WP:NOTMANUAL also mentions How To Wiki and Wikibooks as sources of how-to information. Deor (talk) 14:13, 30 August 2011 (UTC)


 * See http://www.findhow.com/.
 * —Wavelength (talk) 16:00, 30 August 2011 (UTC)

Brand names which are used for both automobiles and elevators
What is the only Japanese brand name which is used for both automobiles and elevators? --84.61.156.142 (talk) 15:58, 30 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Mitsubishi --Aspro (talk) 16:02, 30 August 2011 (UTC)

Articles about 3D/360-degree product photography?
Are there any articles on Wikipedia about 3D/360-degree product photography (example: ) ? --59.38.154.204 (talk) 18:00, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
 * See panorama.--WaltCip (talk) 20:31, 30 August 2011 (UTC)


 * The link in the original question is to a Flash applet that shows an abstract sculpture from multiple viewing angles. It's not a panorama. As far as I can tell, the applet just displays 24 photographs taken from different angles, probably with the help of a rotating platform like this one. There isn't any 3D modeling involved. I don't know if there's a Wikipedia article about this. -- BenRG (talk) 01:56, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the answers!--59.38.154.204 (talk) 11:09, 31 August 2011 (UTC)

Getting from Nice Airport to Vence
On Saturday, I will be going to Nice for a holiday. I will stay with my uncle, who lives in Vence. My flight will arrive at Nice Côte d'Azur Airport at 18:50. Is there a bus connection from the airport to Vence at that time? J I P &#124; Talk 18:14, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
 * There are a few rail lines which serve both Italy and Southern France, though I don't know how the access to the Airport in Nice is; Artesia seems to go to both Milan and Venice, but it appears to run primarily through the alps, bypassing the Riviera. Elipsos is a line that runs between Spain and Italy, which should (in theory) pass through Nice.  The Trenitalia system seems to have stops in Nice, perhaps Trenitalia would be your best shot for getting from Nice to Venice.  I should note that the cities aren't exactly next door; it will likely take several hours to get between the two.  -- Jayron  32  18:33, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
 * I was talking about Vence, a town in the Alpes-Maritimes near Nice, not Venice, a city in Italy. J I P  &#124; Talk 18:58, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Nevermind. -- Jayron  32  21:04, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Meaning can be distorted both in writing and in reading by misplacement of a single character or even a punctuation mark. It helps to be attentive. One who doesn't write properly is unlikely to read properly, but is ironically often the last to know it and the first to deny it. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 23:01, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
 * @Cuddlyable3: I owned up to my mistake, and will always do so. You, however, are not welcome to correct me. -- Jayron  32  01:54, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
 * @Jayron32: the OP who is blameless here corrected you. Posturing will only increase the mess you have already made here. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 17:57, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
 * - I've just come from Vence. - That's vat I'm asking! From vence? - Wehr is my destination. - How should I know? - Later I will pay a visit to Chełm. - Whom you visit is your own affair! L ANTZY T ALK 23:24, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
 * As you can see here, there is a bus that leaves the airport at 19:54 and arrives in the center of Vence (Anthony Mars) at 20:32. This is apparently the last direct bus of the day.  Marco polo (talk) 18:59, 30 August 2011 (UTC)

Montana's bald spot
In the Google Maps satellite view, most of the Montana Rockies are heavily forested, and most of the areas that aren't show the grid patterns typical of farmland. However, there's an area, roughly corresponding to the western Flathead Indian Reservation, that appears to be bare, grey soil (not even the light brown of scrubland). Is this real, and if so, what caused it? --Carnildo (talk) 23:33, 30 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure, but it might have something to do with Glacial Lake Missoula and the catastrophic Missoula Floods. Apparently the ice dam broke right in that general vicinity. The Camas Prairie Basin, one of the "grey" areas, apparently has many flood deposits of sand and gravel, along with "giant ripple marks" caused by the floods. Pfly (talk) 00:19, 31 August 2011 (UTC)


 * And it's probably not a coincidence the reservation was created there. They were often given the worst land. StuRat (talk) 00:30, 31 August 2011 (UTC)


 * A bit more. This book, Glacial Lake Missoula: and its humongous floods, has a bunch of info about this. I only skimmed pages 33 to 36 or so, which describes the Little Bitterroot Valley. This grey area is mostly around that valley and neighboring Camas Prairie Basin and "Big Draw" at the northern end, near Niarada. These pages suggest that the area's landscape is the result of many glacial factors. Most of it was under Glacial Lake Missoula. There are thick deposits of gravel, sand, rock flour, etc. The northern part was covered by a glacial lobe. The whole area seems to have many morraines and outwash fan features. Apparently after Glacial Lake Missoula emptied winds blew a lot of the rock flour, silt, sand, etc, around, covering land, making dunes, and such (see Aeolian processes). North of Niarada there is also "the Hog Heaven volcanic pile", whatever that is. Pfly (talk) 00:57, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
 * The government appears to call this area the "Camas Valley ecoregion," not to be confused with similarly named places in nearby states. Its lack of trees may be due to it being in the rain shadow of the Salish Mountains. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 02:19, 31 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Actually, looking at this a little more I am starting to think the very grey color may have more to do with the specific satellite image. Browsing other satellite imagery of the area shows it in greens and browns (Bing maps, Yahoo maps). Google Streetview lets you get a ground-eye view, and it looks like grassland . The Google Maps image is from Digital Globe, captured by QuickBird on July 15, 2004. I'm not sure if the Digital Globe QuickBird images commonly used by Google are "true color" or not. Even if they are, the imagery may have been tweaked in various ways. In any case, there's lots of other grey areas in western Montana in Google Maps. This area has some interesting patterns. And you gotta love the giant ripples in the Camas Prairie Basin. But I think the color is mostly about the images being taken at the height of summer and perhaps some artifact of the satellite sensors and/or post-processing. The landscape is a mix of forested mountain slopes, grasslands (which turn brown, maybe even a bit greyish in the summer), and irrigated areas. It's a very scenic area—I drove through parts of it during a trip to Glacier National Park. Pfly (talk) 03:17, 31 August 2011 (UTC)