Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2013 February 27

= February 27 =

Drivers license
Recently when I renewed my drivers license, Nunavut, Canada, the woman taking the picture told me to take my glasses off. I told her that I needed them to see to drive. She said it didn't matter the picture had to be without glasses but the license would say that I required them. Of course when I got the new license the glasses requirement had been dropped, it was on the old one. I was curious to know if this, no glasses in the photo, is common or just something that got misunderstood here? CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 01:19, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I had to take off my glasses for some visa photographs recently.--Wehwalt (talk) 01:23, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * No glasses for passport photos here in Canada as well.. (though not an issue for me) – Connormah (talk) 01:29, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * The photo people submit when applying for a UK passport must not have glare from the glasses, and people aren't supposed to look sideways or smile . This is to simplify facial recognition (comparing a person's face against the version stored in the chip in their passport). I don't know about Nunavut, but the comparable institution for British Columbia says it uses facial recognition for driving licence photographs . -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 01:29, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * In the United States, there was the 2005 REAL ID Act that began to standardize the procedures for state driver's licenses and ID cards (this law continues to be controversial because of the privacy issues involved). One of the requirements does have to deal with facial recognition as well. If one does need eyeglasses or contact lenses to drive, a "corrective lens" note is generally printed on the drivers license. Zzyzx11 (talk) 05:29, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Thanks. So at least it's not some bizarre Nunavut thing. The license used to say that I needed corrective lens and it still should but got dropped. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 10:18, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

Morse code in a comic strip
The February 23 strip of Cyanide & Happiness involves a couple of the characters blinking something to eachother in Morse Code. I think it is more likely than not that it can actually be interpreted. Is anyone able to do this? Ryan Vesey 01:27, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Not really. The characters only send two or three codes to each other (one of which is the invalid ), so there would be another layer of decoding needed (from something like "ITE" "I9N") if the messages meant anything. Tevildo (talk) 02:42, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
 * The four dah character is used by larger alphabets - see Morse code for non-Latin alphabets. Zoonoses (talk) 05:42, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

I think it's unlikely the cartoonist encoded a meaningful message. He likely just wanted to illustrate the idea of Morse code for the joke to work. Here's my analysis.

The animated GIF has 62 frames at 25 frames per second. Here is the state of each guy's eyes for every frame:

orange shirt guy: OOOOOOo––oOOo––oOOo––oOo––oOOOOOo––oOOOOOOo––oo––oOOOOOOo––oOO teal shirt guy: o––oOOo––oOOOOOOo––oOo––oOOOo––oOo––oOo––oOOOOOo––oOo––oOo––oO

Key: O = open; o = partly open; - = closed

If you interpret closed eyes as "signal" and open eyes as "space", then there's no variation in the length of the "signals". They're sending all .s (or all -s). I didn't find any interesting letters:

orange shirt guy: /...././../.(/...././../.) = HEIEHEIE etc. teal shirt guy: ../...../...(../...../...) = I555 etc.

orange shirt guy: //-/--/-(//-/--/-) = *TMT*TMT etc. (*=invalid or CH?) teal shirt guy: --/-/---(--/-/---) = M000 etc.

If you interpret open eyes as "signal" and closed eyes as "space", then there's no variation in the length of the "spaces". That is, it's not clear where letters should begin or end:

orange shirt guy: -...--.- teal shirt guy: .-....-...

I wrote a small script to try every possible starting point within these symbol loops, and find every possible letter interpretation (for letters A to Z). I didn't see anything obviously meaningful. --Bavi H (talk) 04:17, 1 March 2013 (UTC)

Mechanic's finger
Has there ever been an instance whereas a person or doctor has referenced the term "mechanics finger"? I'm proposing that a form of mal-alignment of the index fingers of a long time auto mechanic be termed "mechanics finger" because of the repetive use of the digit thereby twisting. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.182.75.67 (talk) 03:19, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * There's apparently something called Mechanic's hands. A simple Google search found that.  Along with a number of results for Mechanix gloves and, for some reason, Kate Upton.  I don't see why twisting things would necessarily have an impact on just one finger though.  Who are you proposing this new term idea to?  Dismas |(talk) 06:29, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Not wishing to stray into the realms of medical advice, but see Dupuytren's contracture. Tevildo (talk) 02:47, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

Floating diamond
I just want to know what is the meaning of floating diamong — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.189.191.236 (talk) 05:21, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Without some sort of context, all we can do is guess as to what you're talking about. If you are talking about diamonds in rings, then this link may be of help.  If not, please give us some more context and we might be able to assist you better.  Dismas |(talk) 06:23, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * It appears to be a method of Stonesetting, in which as much of the diamond is visible as possible, like this (one of many Google results). The term isn't mentioned in our article, but it seems to be the same as "Prong setting" which sounds rather less lyrical. Alansplodge (talk) 17:06, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

Jewish Secondary Schools Movement
The Jewish Secondary Schools Movement was established in London in 1929. In 1944, one of its schools, the Hasmonean Grammar was opened. Can a user please let me know whether between 1929 and 1944, there were schools of this Movement in existence, and if so, what were their names? Thank you.Simonschaim (talk) 08:23, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History By William D. Rubinstein, Michael Jolles, Hilary L. Rubinstein (p.380) says that the London Jewish Secondary School was founded in 1929 by Rabbi Victor Schonfeld and subsequently named the Avigdor School after his Hebrew name.
 * A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 8: Islington and Stoke Newington parishes - Education (pp.217-223) shows under "Private schools": "In 1929 the Jewish Secondary School Movement opened a secondary school for boys in Alexandra Villas, Finsbury Park. By 1940 the headquarters of the movement was at no. 86 Amhurst Park and the school, called Avigdor House, was at no.93, both just outside Stoke Newington. The school, evacuated during the war, reopened in 1947 in Stoke Newington." Also under "Public schools": "AVIGDOR HIGH, 65-9 Lordship Rd. Opened 1947 as Jewish grammar sch. for 300 SM. Maintained by L.C.C. from 1950. Controversy 1955 between L.C.C. and orthodox Jewish governors. SG 1960. L.C.C. withdrew support and sch. closed 1961." Alansplodge (talk) 14:31, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

Thank you. Simonschaim (talk) 14:30, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
 * You're welcome. Alansplodge (talk) 17:54, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

when Thutmose_IV had a dream dream about the Giza sphinx it said it's name was Harmakhis. Wasn't Harmakhis falcon-headed god and what did it have to with sphinx?
when Thutmose_IV had a dream dream about the Giza sphinx it said it's name was Harmakhis. Wasn't Harmakhis falcon-headed god and what did it have to with sphinx? Venustar84 (talk) 15:55, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * The falcon-headed god was Horus as far as I know, and has no overt connection to the Sphinx myth. Perhaps you're confused?  -- Jayron  32  20:53, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * There's also a bit more about the dream itself at Dream Stele. -- Jayron  32  20:55, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I note, though this is an area where I'm sadly underinformed, that when one searches for Harmakhis (a deleted page) in the search box here, it asks if you mean Harmachis, which redirects to Horus. Perhaps this is the start of a thread someone could unravel to answer this question? I'm assuming that this is an alternative name for some aspect of Horus. 86.129.248.199 (talk) 21:01, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Ah. Good catch; I'm not sure then about if Hamarkhis was Horus there may be something to it.  It should be noted that Egyptian mythology covers a LONG time period, and there were often various versions and aspects of the mythos which are not always consistent across the centuries.  -- Jayron  32  21:08, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * "Harmachis was a manifestation of the god Horus, specific to the Giza pyramids zone, with his cult focused on the Great Sphinx – this royal statue, originally carved to represent King Khafre of the Old Kingdom, having become regarded as an image of Harmachis by the early New Kingdom (Zivie-Coche 1976: 307–8)."
 * The Encyclopedia of Ancient History.
 * Ooo, and the German Wikipedia has a nice little article on him, if that works for you: Harmachis.
 * 86.129.248.199 (talk) 21:11, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

Famous Italian person living in Milwaukee, WI
I need to find the name and information of a famous person of Italian nationality who is currently living in Milwaukee, WI for a research paper.15:58, 27 February 2013 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 8.9.71.254 (talk)
 * Are you looking for an Italian, or will an Italian American do for your paper? - if so, the third ward on the east side is the historical center of the Italian immigrant community, though I don't know if that is still true.  With a large Italian American community, there is Italian newspaper called The Italian Times which will probably be a useful resource for you.  Also, according to the Milwaukee article, "The largest Italian American festival, Festa Italiana is held in the city".  If you can wait until July, you can probably find an Italian at the Festa.  Astronaut (talk) 16:36, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * You could try the rather unscientific method of looking through List of people from Milwaukee for Italian surnames. Alansplodge (talk) 17:16, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * See Category:American people of Italian descent and Category:People from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You can search the category intersection by entering the category names at http://toolserver.org/~magnus/catscan_rewrite.php.
 * —Wavelength (talk) 17:47, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * See James Groppi and Gus Mercurio and Tommy Vicini and Gaetano Trentanove and Anthony J. Travia.
 * —Wavelength (talk) 17:50, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Er, Gus Mercurio came to Melbourne, Australia for the 1956 Olympics, and liked the country so much that he decided to stay. For the rest of his life, which ended in 2010.  --   Jack of Oz   [Talk]  21:36, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Literally none of those people fit the requirement of "currently living in Milwaukee..." -Elmer Clark (talk) 17:06, 28 February 2013 (UTC)


 * See WisItalia and scroll down to "Milwaukee" to find groups with contact details.
 * —Wavelength (talk) 00:03, 1 March 2013 (UTC)

IP Address and location
I would like to be one of those clever Refdesk folk who say "I see your IP address locates to Lithuania" or wherever. How is it done? Alansplodge (talk) 16:26, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * There's a "geolocate" tag on each IP's contribs page, which uses an IP address location service to try to determine where the IP is located. It's usually right on the country, but much less so for locations finer than that. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 16:30, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Click on the IP address. Up comes the 'Special:Contributions' page (e.g. here). At the bottom, where it says "This is the contributions page for an IP user", click 'Geolocate', and Robert is very much your father's brother. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 16:33, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * "Nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad." Many thanks both. Alansplodge (talk) 16:46, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * another option: enter the address into wolframalpha . Gzuckier (talk) 18:15, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

Where to list a needed project?
Where is the best place to list a project that ought to be undertaken by someone who might have the time, interest, inclination, and wikiknowledge to undertake? Most names of people with the same last name have pages listing most (or preferably all) the different persons sharing that name, which is very helpful when a reader has only the last name - or a last name with title - to search for. Such a listing would be useful for the name Zarzycki; but I am not the wikiuser to undertake it. Milkunderwood (talk) 23:44, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Typing "Zarzycki" into the search box found on any Wikipedia page and clicking the Search button will give you a list of all pages that contain the word. There are 88 of them.  Five of those are are articles about individuals:
 * Zbigniew Zarzycki
 * Jerzy Zarzycki
 * Wojtek Zarzycki
 * Ferdynand Zarzycki
 * Aleksander Zarzycki

Probably not enough to warrant a separate page. Rojomoke (talk) 00:01, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I think it's easily enough for a separate page. The type of page that would be created would be called a Set Index article.  Since it deals with a surname, the article would probably be Zarzycki (surname) (although I'm not sure whether or not they'd use the surname disambiguator).  In any case, I suggest you make a request at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Anthroponymy. Ryan Vesey 00:10, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks very much for this suggestion. Actually, I'm a little surprised there doesn't seem to be a single unified place for readers to list suggested projects or pages of all kinds. A lot of it would be useless, based on misunderstandings of how to use the encyclopedia; but surely some would be worthwhile. Not every reader or "user" has the real-life time, or the knowledge of either the subject matter or of proper wikiprocesses, to just jump in and get the project done themselves. Milkunderwood (talk) 00:38, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
 * We do have Requested articles, but I would discourage anyone from doing that because I doubt it would get done. You could also try offering a barnstar reward at Reward board. Again, it's not too active.  I'd like to see a dedicated page for questions like yours though.  Specifically, "where is the best place to..." type questions or even "where can I find a policy related to...". Ryan Vesey 01:04, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Surely the Help Desk is precisely the dedicated page for asking these questions? 86.129.248.199 (talk) 21:09, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Voila: Zarzycki. Lists like this are commonplace. Clarityfiend (talk) 02:39, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
 * :-) Thanks to both of you. Maybe someone will come up with a good place for readers to make suggestions for needed stuff in general, instead of having to figure out how to drill down to a specific and probably rather obscure page to post at. Who could possibly guess something like Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Anthroponymy? Milkunderwood (talk) 03:12, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Interestingly, I never would have known of it if it weren't for a banned user I ran across once. Sometime soon, I'll go to Village Pump (proposals) and propose something like Find it/Noticeboard.  I'm sure someone will have a better name.  I'll let you know if I do so. Ryan Vesey 03:14, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I would appreciate that. Please ping my talkpage if you get a response; the Ref Desk in general tends to badly clutter up a watchlist unless you're actively fielding questions. (I don't suppose there's any way to "watch" only a specific topic?) Milkunderwood (talk) 03:31, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
 * How about just plain Suggestion Box? Everyone knows what that is. Milkunderwood (talk) 03:48, 28 February 2013 (UTC)