Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012 November 29

= November 29 =

Captures in chess
Why are there two conventions for writing captures in algebraic notation: using the "x" or using a colon? What's the reason for each convention? Double sharp (talk) 05:15, 29 November 2012 (UTC)


 * Well, X's are a long-standing symbol for death, as in X's drawn for eyes on dead cartoon characters. On the other hand, it's not as easy to distinguish from K, Q, B, N, R, and P as a colon is, especially if using all upper or lowercase. StuRat (talk) 06:35, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
 * But why a colon in particular, and not some other punctuation mark, for example? Double sharp (talk) 15:04, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
 * How common is the colon notation (which is mentioned in Algebraic_notation_(chess))? I'm not a big follower of chess, but I don't think I've ever seen it. FWIW I've always vaguely assumed that the x (which is also used in descriptive notation) is related to the idea of the captured piece being "crossed out". AndrewWTaylor (talk) 10:08, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Personally I prefer using the colon with long algebraic, to avoid a long string of letters and to make the delimiting between the starting and ending squares clearer (Nf6xe4 vs. Nf6:e4). I also sometimes use it with short algebraic (when I don't have to worry about the style as I have to in, for example chess games on WP). Ralph Betza (prolific chess variant inventor) tends to prefer the colon for some reason. The colon seems more popular in German than in English. Double sharp (talk) 14:20, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
 * I think there's been a historical preference in wire-service copy (going back to telegraphese) for using alphabetical indicators rather than punctuation marks for standard lists such as election results (e.g. x over * for incumbents), sports scores (e.g. x, y and z over asterisks and daggers for winners, champions, qualifiers and non-competers) and even crosswords; chess reports and problems would fit into this category. One could easily see in theory (although I don't know how much it's true in practice) a similar preference for similar reasons even on the Internet, since punctuation often turns to gobbledygook (while the 52-letter + 10-digit alphanumeric set stays stable) when switching between different character encodings on a screen (e.g. ASCII, Unicode, ISO, Windows.) There's also the practical consideration that a colon is more easily lost or obscured than x by paper, printing, display or visual irregularities. —— Shakescene (talk) 05:46, 2 December 2012 (UTC)


 * You should ask User talk:Bubba73, who is a resident chess expert. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:13, 29 November 2012 (UTC)


 * See Algebraic notation (chess). A lower case x is most commonly used.  A colon is also used, perhaps to save space.  Sometimes it is omitted.  Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 22:01, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

paypal invoice
trying to write my first paypal invoice and I have no idea what to do. the 'invoice due date' is that the final deadline for payment or something else? how do I set it so they pay the paypal fees as well as the total amount I want? What is the difference between the invoice date and the date for the specific item being paid for?

86.15.83.223 (talk) 18:16, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
 * I would suggest you contact paypal via the contact points on their website to find your answers out - they are more likely to give you correct answers... gaz hiley  09:46, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Percent of Non-Religious People Who Abstain From Sex Until Marriage
I am an atheist who wants to abstain from sexual intercourse (all kinds) until marriage. Does anyone know what the percent data for similar-minded non-religious people (atheists, agnostics, et cetera) who have a similar mindset to mine is? I'm interested in seeing it. I think that it would be very low, but I'm wondering if anyone has exact stats. Futurist110 (talk) 22:36, 29 November 2012 (UTC)


 * Have you googled the subject? I was thinking that the famous Kinsey Report, for example, might have asked that type of question, though I've never heard of it being discussed. And even forgetting marriage, there could be all kinds of reasons, regardless of faith (or lack thereof) for absention. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 03:40, 30 November 2012 (UTC)


 * Even if it did, social attitudes between the 1950s and now changed a lot. Futurist110 (talk) 09:56, 1 December 2012 (UTC)


 * 95% of Americans have premarital sex. Since nearly half of Americans are religious, I would take that to mean nearly all religious people also have premarital sex. For a more confined sample population, our article Virginity pledge describes studies showing that youths who take such pledges are just as likely as their nominally sinful peers to have sex. Biology > religion. Someguy1221 (talk) 05:05, 30 November 2012 (UTC)


 * I think that the percentage of Americans who are religious to some degree is 80+%. Futurist110 (talk) 09:56, 1 December 2012 (UTC)


 * We have only to look at the Palin family for guidance on that matter. And the "half" part of 2 1/2 Men, whatever his name is, Angus-something, has gotten religion and announced he's still a virgin. When someone announces that, my first thought is, "Are you bragging, or complaining?" As I said, there could be many reasons to abstain, having nothing to do with religious beliefs. Wanting to make sure neither you or your partner has some dread STD is certainly high on the list. One thing about STD's is that they couldn't care less about the religion, or lack thereof, of their carriers. Like you say, biology. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 05:59, 30 November 2012 (UTC)


 * In addition to STDs, there are also unwanted pregnancies and unwanted forced child support payments. Futurist110 (talk) 09:56, 1 December 2012 (UTC)


 * STDs prefer religions which ban condoms. And Angus T. Jones is your man, or half man, as the case may be. StuRat (talk) 06:04, 30 November 2012 (UTC)


 * The converse is more interesting, how many people won't marry unless they've had sex first? Wouldn't want to find out on your honeymoon you'd made a huge mistake. μηδείς (talk) 17:36, 1 December 2012 (UTC)
 * Here's an antique: "What's the difference between a Catholic girl and a Jewish girl? ... The Catholic girl won't have sex before marriage. The Jewish girl won't have sex after marriage." However, I knew at least one Catholic who was going through the premarital counseling process, and the questionaire (an excellent idea, by the way) included questions that, by their nature, presumed premarital sex, or at least premarital sexual interaction of some kind. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 05:27, 2 December 2012 (UTC)