Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2013 October 24

= October 24 =

Reading an electricity meter
Imagine you have entered a place where the laws of physics, logic, reason and common-sense no longer apply, "It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge", you've just crossed over into The Billing Zone. cue The Twilight Zone theme music (season 2+).

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me what this electricity meter reads here, which I have posted to flickr. I'm quite sure I know, but an unearthly visitor from the Billing Zone seems to violate logic, reason and physics to disagree. (nb. There are no 'legal' (or illegal!) 'activities' of any sort connected in any way to this query. ;-) 220  of  Borg 07:46, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * If I had to guess intelligently I'd say it was 7179.8ish.  Market St.⧏  ⧐ Diamond Way 08:06, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * And I'd say 07079.6 Dmcq (talk) 08:36, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm going with 07079 (ignore the last dial). See http://www.edfenergy.com/products-services/for-your-home/my-account/how-to-read-your-electricity-meter.shtml. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 09:10, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Than you gentlepersons for your replies.
 * • I think Dmcq & Cucumber Mike get to share the Kewpie doll! :-)
 * • Marketdiamond on the other hand may have to be banished to the Phantom Zone. (You never worked as a meter reader did you? ;-)) You do realise that the meters don't all turn clock-wise? The '1000' & '10' dials go anti-clockwise. The only disputable one as has been noted is the'100' dial. You need to note the lower reading, which in this case is zero, not one. A very easy mistake to make!
 * • Consider this also, If 7179 was correct, then the needle on the 100 dial would have to be closer to 2 than 1 on the dial. And it isn't!
 * Sorry about the pic. quality, I had to use my tablet with only a 5 mega-pixel camera which I am not proficient with. The other picture may be clearer?
 * This particular meter is only for an external sensor-light with an energy saver fluoro lamp. I was therefore rather miffed when after the dials had barely moved for 12 months or more, they suddenly 'jumped' from 7068 to 7168, 3 months ago. (~A$25 at 24.9¢ per KW/h) Since then in 3 months, only 11 Kw/h has been used. 220  of  Borg 16:05, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * I've just got about 15 emails from power companies that want my "special skill sets" lol, banished? hardly lol.  Market St.⧏  ⧐ Diamond Way 19:41, 24 October 2013 (UTC)

Weight loss
When someone loses weight, where exactly does the excess weight go? Is it converted into energy?--86.157.138.182 (talk) 14:44, 24 October 2013 (UTC)


 * No, it is not converted to energy. Mostly it comes out as water and carbon dioxide, which result from respiration and cellular respiration. This nice radio program (NPR science friday ) discusses this exact question, and many misconceptions surrounding it. SemanticMantis (talk) 15:09, 24 October 2013 (UTC)


 * And urine contains much of the waste from cells burning fat. StuRat (talk) 16:14, 24 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Converting weight ("mass" if you're a physicist) into pure energy requires a nuclear reaction - E=Mc2 and all that stuff. The amount of energy that would produce would be truly spectacular.  A modest diet plan should allow you to lose about one pound per week.  One pound of fat, rapidly converted into pure energy would produce a 10 megaton explosion - more than enough to level a large city and leave a crater a mile across!  So it's safe to say that the weight you that you lose when dieting is not "converted into energy"!


 * When looking at where the weight actually goes, I find this image useful (it comes from a NASA study). Notice that each day, you consume about 2.5 lbs of food - but you only poop out 0.3 lbs of solids.  Notice also that more water goes out than comes in - and the weight of the gasses you breathe out exceed the weight of what you breathe in.  The total in and out adds up to the same number (at least when you're not putting on weight or dieting).  So right there, it's clear that about 85% of the food that you eat turns into water and is combined with the oxygen you breathe to make CO2.  When you lose weight, the amount of food coming in goes down - but the amount of CO2 and water coming out stays about the same...so you lose weight.


 * We talk about "burning calories" and that's (roughly) what happens. If you consider sugar - it's a "carbohydrate" - which is a word that basically means "carbon and water".  It has a chemical formula of C12H22O11 - which is just carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.  When you break it down to produce energy, you end up with 11 molecules of water (H2O) and 12 atoms of carbon - which, when combined with 24 atoms of oxygen from the air you breathe makes 12 molecules of carbon dioxide.  That's also what happens if you burn a sugar cube.  Fat is a similar deal.  Fats are also "carbohydrates" - and they break down in a similar way - producing CO2 and water...and that's where the weight goes.


 * SteveBaker (talk) 16:51, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Great to see you are back. Miss Bono  [hello, hello!]  17:07, 24 October 2013 (UTC)

Fights, etc
Is there any web site or something that rates the best places to develop a fictional fight [this question sounds weird to me but maybe you can understand it better than I do]  Miss Bono  [hello, hello!]  19:03, 24 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Your question is unclear, but there are often scandals in the US where people of authority; prison guards, teachers, babysitters, even parents; force prisoners, students and children to fight for the purpose of betting or filming for the internet. If you want a voluntary fight, then any boxing club and some martial arts clubs will do. μηδείς (talk) 19:19, 24 October 2013 (UTC)


 * I mean a fight between a man and a woman. I don't know where I heard that the location for a certain scene is, sometimes, the key of the whole thing. So I wanted to know what would be a good location for a fight.  Miss Bono  [hello, hello!]  19:22, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Where do men and women fight? In the home (domestic violence). At work. In the street. In a cafe or restaurant. But if it is fiction, you can choose something unusual. In a theatre dressing room, in a bank, on a submarine, in the queue for a tourist attraction, on a fishing boat, in a barn, under a bridge, in an airport baggage reclaim, at the dentist's. And old favourites: on a rooftop, in an underground carpark, in a cellar, in an abandoned factory. Itsmejudith (talk) 19:53, 24 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Are you talking about an argument or a physical fight? Also, the phrase is et al. -- Dismas |(talk) 19:57, 24 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Argument, no punches or kicks or anything else and... as Jack advised the other day... thank you.  Miss Bono  [hello, hello!]  20:00, 24 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Dismas, I don't follow your last comment. Which phrase should have been et al?  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  20:46, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * The question title was originally "Fights et all". Usually et al is used to mean 'and other people', so it should really be etc. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 21:13, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * What he said, she said. Dismas |(talk) 21:50, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks. The perils of being longitudinally challenged wrt the real world (not to mention latitudinally).  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  23:41, 24 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Perhaps they could offer hostile opinions at an internet reference desk, end up being blocked after a week of incivility, then meet in person and have make-up sex? μηδείς (talk) 21:49, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * WP:MakeUpSex is a policy I musta missed, in more ways then one apparently :-(.  Market St.⧏  ⧐ Diamond Way 23:55, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * It has to be preceded by WP:MakeUpFight. Itsmejudith (talk) 07:33, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
 * We're not allowed to make up, that would be WP:OR. (this pun may rely on a british idiom, not sure if make (things) up has the same meaning in the US) MChesterMC (talk) 08:28, 25 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Pretty sure it's the same over here (Britain). Make-up (cosmetics) and make up (repair / create / fabricate / lie) are common usage. Thanks ツ Jenova  20  (email) 09:02, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Aw now we have to get all gussied up for it, that's no fun.  Market St.⧏  ⧐ Diamond Way 10:48, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
 * I must have missed something, because I can't understand the joke... Ohhh, now I wish I was an English native speaker.  Miss Bono  [hello, hello!]  12:22, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
 * The jokes are based on puns. "Make up" can mean "become no longer angry at each other after a fight", or "create a false story" or "cosmetics that a woman wears on her face". Duoduoduo (talk) 15:07, 25 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Oh, righty. Thanks. Still trying to decide which place will work better.  Miss Bono  [hello, hello!]  15:14, 25 October 2013 (UTC)


 * So, Miss Bono, how does one say "make-up sex" (sexo de reconciliacion) in Spanish? μηδείς (talk) 16:15, 25 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Sexo de reconciliación, al menos yo lo digo así.  Miss Bono  [hello, hello!]  16:22, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Muy Buen! and that is a double entendre! <sup style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> Market St.⧏ <sub style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> ⧐ Diamond Way 08:28, 26 October 2013 (UTC)
 * It is said: Muy bien :) and why is that a double entendre? <span style="font-family:'Arial',cursive"> Miss Bono  [hello, hello!]  13:21, 28 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Wouldn't an argument between a celebrity and his girl in front of other people be weird and unlikely??<span style="font-family:'Arial',cursive"> Miss Bono  [hello, hello!]  13:48, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

Was Actress Audrey Hepburn Saved By Jesus?
My name is Mr. Silber. Please tell me if actress Audrey Hepburn was saved by Jesus? I know she was a christian. Can you get back with me without sending you my email? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 169.139.19.143 (talk) 20:35, 24 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Nobody on Earth can possibly answer this question. Where do you expect anyone would find the answer?  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  20:43, 24 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Nobody on earth indeed, but as Mr Silber will already know, I have sent him a telepathic message, without needing email addresses, and without the involvement of the NSA and all that bother, confirming that Audrey Hepburn was indeed saved by Jesus! Greetings from the hinter-life, and welcome, when your time comes. Wikipedian in the Sky (talk) --20:58, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * That's odd, I thought she'd been saved by Prof. 'Enry 'Iggins. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 01:07, 25 October 2013 (UTC)

It might be wiser to clarify with 169.139.19.143 what exactly is being asked, perhaps 169.139.19.143 meant she was 'born again' or some similar verifiable meaning, but I am happy to know we have wikipedians capable of telepathy. <sup style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> Market St.⧏ <sub style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> ⧐ Diamond Way 21:36, 24 October 2013 (UTC) Apparently several 'earthlings' have "possibly answer[ed] this question", here and here but user 169.139.19.143 might best respond if this is the material they were inquiring about. <sup style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> Market St.⧏ <sub style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> ⧐ Diamond Way 21:45, 24 October 2013 (UTC)


 * The simple answer is no, she died of a rare type of cancer of the appendix in 1993. μηδείς (talk) 21:47, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * I took the question to mean that 'saved' wasn't the status of her physical health. <sup style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> Market St.⧏ <sub style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> ⧐ Diamond Way 21:54, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * It's up to the OP to explain himself clearly. We can provide facts according to standard usage. I linked to our article, which the OP did not do.  If he is using some esoteric sectarian term he should clarify his meaning. μηδείς (talk) 22:18, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * That's the most disingenuous thing I've read all month. When people say "Jesus saves", nobody believes they're talking about being made physically immortal.  It's about Salvation (Christianity).  That is the "standard usage" in this context.  Surely you know that.  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  23:22, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, no Jack, Catholics certainly don't talk this way, nor do Muslims, although they believe in Jesus. If you or the OP want to assume everybody holds the same beliefs as you, y'all might want to move to Texas. μηδείς (talk) 00:09, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Keep this important fact in mind: Jesus saves. Moses invests. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 01:05, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Irrelevant whether Catholics or Muslims use this terminology. The point is that people who do use it, almost always mean the same thing by it, which makes it standard usage. --Trovatore (talk) 00:16, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
 * How many wikipedians does it take to debate the meaning of an OP lol. . . <sup style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> Market St.⧏ <sub style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> ⧐ Diamond Way  23:53, 24 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Not many, if the OP bothers to follow up and clarify. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:24, 26 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Hint, hint, OP...& yes thank you for being more direct (after some suitable time allowance) with my subtle hint Bugs. <sup style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> Market St.⧏ <sub style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> ⧐ Diamond Way 20:54, 26 October 2013 (UTC)
 * According the unreliable nndb, she was a Christian Scientist. In which case, according what everybody knows whoever means whatever they mean by what they mean, the answer is probably no.  According to Francis, however, even atheists can go to heaven. μηδείς (talk) 01:27, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
 * That's good. I'd like to at least visit... HiLo48 (talk) 01:33, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
 * The page List of Christian Scientists (religious denomination) says her mother was a "devout" Christian Scientist but that Audrey "chose not be attached to any particular religion". The cited source doesn't appear to be particularly reliable. Hack (talk) 08:40, 25 October 2013 (UTC)


 * According to the biographer and theologian Donald Spoto, in Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn (2006), page 159, Hepburn was never a traditional observer of any religion. This suggests that she probably was not "saved"; we don't know her interior life, of course, but if she had identified herself as having been "saved," then it is likely that she would also have identified herself as a Christian and that her biographer would have known about and mentioned this, particularly in light of her biographer's interest in theology.  John M Baker (talk) 14:48, 25 October 2013 (UTC)


 * folks… when somebody leave his contact info in a desk… or... he expect that somehow he will be notified, he won’t come again until he get notified!
 * So… maybe there is a pretty big chance that we’re talking to ourselves here
 * Years ago when I asked my first question here (a homework), I left my email and spent the rest of the week thinking “oh man, what informal and rough people!” and then, weeks later when I come back and saw that my question wasn’t here haha “very very rough people” that happened in my first year at college and I guess I came back again at the endings of the fourth
 * Iskánder Vigoa Pérez (talk) 15:29, 26 October 2013 (UTC)
 * When I first came here I thought the same, has my mind changed any? lol. Oh and there are many editors here that enjoy the conversation "with themselves" & yes I do have to look in the mirror occasionally. <sup style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> Market St.⧏ <sub style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;"> ⧐ Diamond Way  20:54, 26 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Market and Iskánder My first question was about writing fanfictions and they were not so nice to me. Then, with my following Bon-uestions Medeis thought I was a troll :P <span style="font-family:'Arial',cursive"> Miss Bono  [hello, hello!]  13:41, 28 October 2013 (UTC)