Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2013 July 4

= July 4 =

Flagpole Statues of the New York Public Library
Do the statues at the bottom of the flagpoles (2 poles) have names? If so what are they? The artists/designers are listed but not the names of the statues.


 * Typing the title of your question into Google produced this as the first hit. It explains in wonderful detail who the artist was, how they were cast and by whom and so forth. SteveBaker (talk) 02:58, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

Paint thinner and latex paint
I'm painting a room and using a brush that says it's designed for "all paints and stains." I used an oil based primer sealer, then washed the brush with paint thinner. Now that the brush has had paint thinner on it, can I use it to paint with latex paint or will it ruin the latex paint when I dip it in the bucket? Can I wash off the paint thinner with soap and water?


 * Yes. That's the right approach. HiLo48 (talk) 03:45, 4 July 2013 (UTC)


 * Yes, or a cheap detergent to get rid of the paint thinner, then dry thoroughly before re-use.   D b f i r s   07:54, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

Idenfication of an old game
Hey, I use to play an old game that I would like to find again, I was hoping someone might put a name to it.

It was a old game where you had a Fighter jet of sorts, where the screen kept advancing and you moved around the screen and killed enemy aircrafts in normal fashion.

But in addition to that there was alot of upgrade features, such as shields and power generator, and alot of weapons such as beams lasers rockets and normal projectiles.

Between each mission you would earn money which you could then use to buy these upgrades.

I played it on a PC but it might have been ported over from some console.

Has anyone heard of it?

Joneleth (talk) 13:38, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Category:Combat flight simulators might give you some leads. -- Jayron  32  14:29, 4 July 2013 (UTC)


 * It wasn't Tyrian (video game) was it? Alternatively, you might find it in Category:Scrolling shooters. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 14:30, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Another possibility is Raptor: Call of the Shadows, but the question could describe the entire scrolling shooter genre. MChesterMC (talk) 15:52, 4 July 2013 (UTC)


 * How old is old, roughly? And does the screen advance toward you (cockpit view), to the left (Gradius style) or down (like 1943: The Battle of Midway)? InedibleHulk (talk) 15:53, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

It was Tyrian, thanks alot I've been looking for that game for years. Joneleth (talk) 17:06, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Yay, nerd points to me! Tyrian is awesome - well worth a play after all these years. You might like to try Dosbox, which should get it running nicely on a modern PC, or the Android or iOS ports. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 17:27, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

Thanks i found a Win7 compatible version on piratebay. Joneleth (talk) 17:51, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

facebook messages
I'm wondering, since my facebook friends come from a few different areas, would it be possible to divide them into groups and post messages specific to one group or another, that wouldn't pop up in the news feed of any of my other friends? would be a lot of help in organising things on that site.

thank you,

213.104.128.16 (talk) 17:00, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Sure, you can organize your Facebook friends into lists and then restrict postings and status updates to appear only to certain lists of your friends. On the left menu bar, select the light gray "FRIENDS" link (you may have to select "MORE" first if you have a lot of apps).  That will bring up a new page.  From that page, there's a button titled "Create list".  You can create as many lists as you want, and can have the same friends on multiple lists even.  Once you've created lists, when you write a new status update, before you post it, click the little blue down triangle to the left of the "Post" button, and you'll have the option to select who sees that post.  Select any lists you want to see the post.  If you have a lot of lists, you may have to select "See all lists..." to get them all.  But that's how you do it.  -- Jayron  32  18:22, 4 July 2013 (UTC)


 * I found it, thanks. Though, I am wondering, a friend I rarely talk to responded within moments when I tested this out, might it have made the post appear more prominently on his page, given that it was shared specifically with him, amongst others? Oh, and I also found that I can open the list page to view messages only from those people, and send statuses of my own automatically just to them, which is helpful :) 213.104.128.16 (talk) 19:04, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

route of the transcontinental railroad in Nevada in 1869
I have been trying to find the route of the transcontinental railroad at it's completion in 1869. I am specifically interested in the section through Nevada and from Nevada border to San Francisco. I found a map on the Union Pacific RR site but it was too small to read. Any help would be appreciated. If someone knows of one in a book I can order from a library that would be appreciated also. (disabled & getting out is difficult) thanks in advance for your help. Patarmom (talk) 17:52, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Do any of these serve your purposes? -- Jayron  32  18:13, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Also here is the route marked with virtual "pushpins" on Google Earth. -- Jayron  32  18:15, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * And here is the one hosted at Wikipedia. -- Jayron  32  18:15, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Here is a Flash Animation showing the development of the railroad in several maps. -- Jayron  32  18:16, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * This website also has some interesting information. -- Jayron  32  18:18, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

How would you handle a crying baby?

 * How would you handle a crying baby? Do you alert its parent/guardian? Do you give it food? Do you cuddle the baby? Do you change the diaper? Do all babies behave the same way? Do babies have personal preferences? (I am talking about human babies.) How do you hold a baby properly? Is it safe to hold a baby with one arm? If holding a baby with two arms, is it best to hold a baby with one arm around the chest area and one arm supporting the bottom?


 * Why does the pope kiss babies?

Sneazy (talk) 18:52, 4 July 2013 (UTC)


 * When you're in the position of becoming a parent, you can attend special classes where all the above are demonstrated to you. I suggest you have a look at a forum for parents such as Mumsnet where all the above (maybe with the exception of the very last point) are discussed in full. --TammyMoet (talk) 19:02, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * No, I mean holding a baby of someone else's child. Surely, there are some tips for non-parents and babysitters! Sneazy (talk) 19:13, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * I found these pages: and .  They both list common reason why a baby is crying and how to help it.  RudolfRed (talk) 19:30, 4 July 2013 (UTC)


 * The article on babysitting has several external links regarding childcare safety. --Modocc (talk) 19:34, 4 July 2013 (UTC)


 * The best method is to hand it back to the parents and let them deal with it. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 19:38, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * If they were around, most parents would take the baby back and look after it themselves, rather than just assuming the current baby-holder was up for the task. The question seems to assume the OP has been left in charge of the baby in the absence of the parents.  But then, the OP should have been given plenty of instructions by said parents.  So, one has to wonder where this question comes from, and what its real purpose is.  --   Jack of Oz   [Talk]  21:00, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Given the OP doesn't even know how to hold a baby, it would be irresponsible of the parents to leave their infant with him. However, there's always time to learn. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 21:39, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * What makes you assume that the OP does not know how to hold the baby? For your information, the question has the word "properly", implying there may be only one method of holding a baby while other methods are sub-standard but not too inappropriate or harmful to the baby. Sneazy (talk) 21:58, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

Why babies cry --Dweller (talk) 21:34, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * It is bad enough there are 17 questions here. Let's not move into debating them. μηδείς (talk) 23:56, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
 * And no one even addressed the Pope question. I would think the answer is that it's for the same reason politicians do it. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 01:48, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
 * He wants to get reelected? Clarityfiend (talk) 04:17, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
 * I think politicians do it because babies have fuzzy memories and no concept of sexual harassment laws. Adults are trickier to kiss against their will. The Pope's kiss is more of a religious blessing, I think. I'll look for sources. InedibleHulk (talk) 04:57, 5 July 2013 (UTC)


 * This one suggests the Pope blessed the baby after kissing it, not by. The reason (at least in Benedict's case) seems to be that he "loves babies" and simply "wanted to kiss her". Apparently, it was also in exchange for front row seats for her family. InedibleHulk (talk) 05:03, 5 July 2013 (UTC)


 * On the bright side (perhaps), those certainly don't look like sweet nothings Francis is putting in this kid's ear. More like the third secret of Fatima. InedibleHulk (talk) 05:17, 5 July 2013 (UTC)


 * This is a surprisingly deep question. Let's try to peel it back into some sub-questions:
 * How would you handle a crying baby? -- Generally babies cry for one of a few reasons, as a parent, I'd go down a mental check-list:
 * Is there an immediate pain issue? This can vary from gaping wounds to tiny "ouchies" - but with small kids, it can be just as simple as clothing pulled around and pinching or other forms of mild discomfort or whatever.  Do a quick check - if not, move on.  After a while, you'll come to tell the difference between different kinds of crying - the kind that has you drop everything and run to them to see what happened - the kind where the baby is just "fussy" and can be ignored - and all sorts of other cries between those limits.  But only experience can help you here.
 * Sick? Does the kid look a funny color or is (s)he hot to the touch?  Now you're into realms of medical advice - so we won't go there.  Call a doctor.
 * Diaper needs changing? This is testable by the "sniff" method - or by pulling the diaper out an inch or two and doing a quick peek.  Modern diapers may change color to tell you that the baby is wet - but for poop, the sniff test is highly effective!  (Experienced parents get very comfortable with the grossness of all of this!)
 * Hungry/Thirsty? Offer milk...if hungrily accepted - then we're done - if not, then move on.
 * Needs burping? After food (perhaps even as long as 20 minutes after), the baby may need some gentle jiggling and pats on the back to expel air from stomach.  If a few minutes of doing this don't produce a satisfying burp...move on.
 * Bored? Just needs a hug? This is actually kinda common - and a cuddle and perhaps a bit of playtime can help.
 * Sleepy? Sometimes kids yell because they are over-tired and over-stimulated.  Wrapping the baby in a blanket ("swaddling") and putting them down to sleep may (eventually) end the crying.
 * Meh, who knows? Well, maybe one time out of five, you get to the bottom of this mental checklist - and the little brute is still yelling at deafening volume.  You may never know why.  Cuddling and gentle jiggling may help - and once you get to know a baby, you can sometimes figure out what works - but very often, you never know why and the baby cries until falling asleep from exhaustion.  This happens - if you've tried everything else at least twice, then try not to panic.
 * Do you alert its parent/guardian? -- This depends on the circumstances! If you find a baby abandoned someplace - then that's the very first step!  If you're the appointed baby minder then perhaps you should go down the list of things first before calling them...they probably brought you in because they needed a break and may not want to be called out of the brief respite for the more trivial reasons.  If you're called upon to mind a baby - you should ask what they want you to do if the baby gets upset and under what circumstances to call them.  But if you're left in charge, then it's your responsibility - so if in doubt, call them.
 * Do you give it food? -- Only if the parents have said that you can - and told you specifically what food to give. Babies have allergies and very specific dietary needs - so care is required.  Babies can survive for quite a long time without food - but if they're hungry they'll let you know that there is a problem!
 * Do you cuddle the baby? -- Sure! Every kid likes that.
 * Do you change the diaper? -- If you've been left in charge by the parents and have appropriate diapers on hand - but see if it needs changing...as I said before - do a "sniff" test.
 * Do all babies behave the same way? -- No, they most certainly do not. Even at one hour after birth, kids are different.  At one month old, my son only liked to be rocked in one very specific motion - nothing else worked.  Our granddaughter wasn't thrilled about being jiggled around.  Our grandson has to be in near continual motion while you're holding him - but he doesn't seem to care what that motion is.
 * Do babies have personal preferences? -- Yes, and figuring out what those are (and perhaps influencing them) is what parents do. If you're left in charge, ask the parents about this before they leave.
 * How do you hold a baby properly? -- This depends on the age of the child. Very small babies have to have their heads supported at all times...as they get older, they can hold their own heads up and may prefer some freedom of movement.  I don't think we can explain this in words - you need to get parent or other expert to show you this.
 * Is it safe to hold a baby with one arm? -- Well, experienced parents do this all the time - holding a yelling baby while making up a bottle of baby formula is an art we all learn! But probably it's best to gradually work up to this.  Certainly while the baby is very young, supporting the head and generally protecting the kid is a two-handed job.
 * If holding a baby with two arms, is it best to hold a baby with one arm around the chest area and one arm supporting the bottom? -- Again, it depends on the age of the baby. Head support is important for newborns.  For older kids, there are a half dozen ways to hold them - and if you're doing it for long periods, you have to switch positions just to stop your arms from hurting and to give the kid a bit of variety.
 * SteveBaker (talk) 14:23, 5 July 2013 (UTC)