Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2015 March 26

= March 26 =

Website to host travel blog, preferably using MediaWiki
Hello :-)

I would like to write a travel blog, with pictures I will take, on an upcoming holiday. I don't think Wikivoyage allows this sort of thing so I am looking for a website to host the blog. Ideally I want to use MediaWiki (the software that powers en.wiki and en.wikivoyage) as I am comfortable with it. Are there any websites that meet my needs?

Otherwise I will use a website like boards.cruisecritic.com.

Note: I have cross-posted this at Wikivoyage but I think I will get more responses here.--Commander Keane (talk) 01:55, 26 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Have you looked into Wikia? -- Jayron 32 02:25, 26 March 2015 (UTC)
 * I just had a quick look at Wikia, there is http://travel.wikia.com/ which I have asked a question at, or should I consider starting a new Wikia - I am not sure how it works?--Commander Keane (talk) 04:21, 26 March 2015 (UTC)
 * In answer to my own question, Wikia has "blogs" which it says "Blogs are used by wiki communities for fan fiction or original work, news and announcements, questions or recommendations to the community, or reviews or op-eds" so that suits my needs. Of course if there are any other options, apart from Wikia, I would like to hear about them.--Commander Keane (talk) 06:01, 26 March 2015 (UTC)
 * You need to get yourself a blog hosted at Blogpost or Wordpress. I prefer Wordpress.  --Viennese Waltz 09:52, 27 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Is Blogpost like Blogspot? — I once had dinner with the founders of Blogger/Blogspot. At the time, I didn't see the point. —Tamfang (talk) 08:20, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

Pilots of Germanwings Flight 9525
Have any sources published the name of the pilot and co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525 and any biographical information? Thanks. μηδείς (talk) 04:04, 26 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Names have not yet been released by the airlines, or the German or French authorities, although the airline has said that, "the captain was a 10-year veteran with more than 6,000 hours of flying time in A320s".
 * Of course, the internet being the internet, there is ample uninformed speculation about the identities, mostly reflecting the the biases of the commentators with names like "Muhammad" and "Malaysian pilot Anning Wong" being thrown around. Note that I am mentioning those two names only because they are so obviously wrong, with the latter being a fictional pilot in an online air traffic simulator VATSIM. We should be very wary of mentioning names of potentially real persons, unless they are backed by very, very solid sourcing. Abecedare (talk) 08:27, 26 March 2015 (UTC)
 * How obviously wrong would depend on the actual names. Hack (talk) 09:01, 26 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Some sourced names are now in Germanwings Flight 9525. -- ToE 13:10, 26 March 2015 (UTC)

It's all over the press today. I only heard rumors on the radio last night. Thanks. μηδείς (talk) 17:18, 26 March 2015 (UTC)

Pumpkins
Is it possible to get pumpkins (small ones) this time of year in the UK? I have searched all round my local markets, and can't find any. They only seem to be in the shops just before Halloween. I'm not bothered about carving them into faces and putting candles in them. I actually like eating them. KägeTorä - (影虎) ( もしもし！ ) 12:03, 26 March 2015 (UTC)


 * If fresh pumpkins are not in season in your area, you may be able to get canned pumpkin: . -- Jayron 32 12:34, 26 March 2015 (UTC)


 * My local branch of Lidl was selling trays of pre-prepared squash and sweet potato yesterday. RomanSpa (talk) 13:23, 26 March 2015 (UTC)


 * As for why they are likely less common/available right now: If you're getting live small pumpkins grown in the UK, they are from last fall. I suppose theoretically they could be fresh if grown in certain parts of the world, but I'm not sure if anyone is growing pumpkins in S. America for export to UK. No curcurbita spp. bear fruit in the early (local) spring. SemanticMantis (talk) 15:20, 26 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the answers. I'm looking for an actual whole pumpkin, not processed or canned, for a specific recipe I have for soup (with soy sauce, sugar, sake, garlic, and assorted vegetables), and a side dish of the seeds fried in salt and light soy sauce until they are crispy. But I only want a small one, because I'll be the only one eating it. KägeTorä - (影虎)  ( もしもし！ ) 16:32, 26 March 2015 (UTC)


 * It seems that effectively the entire UK pumpkin crop (most of which is grown by Dave Bowman in Spalding, Lincolnshire) is used for carving ("95% will be carved into hollowed-out lanterns for Halloween") with no market after Halloween ("there’s just no market for them after the 31st").  That Farmers World article says the UK is the EU's largest producer of pumpkins; this lists the world's leading pumpkin producing countries. There doesn't seem to be the usual market gardening supply chain (from greenhouses in NL, and warmer places in e.g. Spain and Africa) that supplies the UK with produce like tomatoes outside the UK season - that's not surprising given how little demand for eating pumpkins the UK has.  You could grow your own, with the harvest being Sep->Nov. -- Finlay McWalterᚠTalk 17:14, 26 March 2015 (UTC)

Pumpkins grow on a large vine that takes all summer to mature, (at 40 lat N) so they're most likely almost non-existent out of season. But it might be possible to get a cooking pumpkin from South Africa or Australia, given it's the end of their summer now. μηδείς (talk) 17:24, 26 March 2015 (UTC)


 * But on the other hand ripe pumpkins will keep for months if stored in a cool dry place. Tesco have butternut squashes available right now. Richard Avery (talk) 07:34, 27 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Your recipe sounds Japanese. Do you have any Japanese groceries within range of your home?  You might phone first to see if they have what you want.  I shop at a Chinese market near me, but I must say I don't recall seeing pumpkins recently.  As others have said, they are out of season in the northern hemisphere.  Marco polo (talk) 19:01, 26 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Come to think of it, I have seen pumpkins at the grocer here in TX, USA, where they are also out of season. But November wasn't that long ago, and a small pumpkin for eating should be able to be stored for a few months... so OP may have some luck yet :) SemanticMantis (talk) 19:04, 26 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Assuming you can't find an actual pumpkin, I'd go with the earlier advice to use canned pumpkin. It is designed for cooking pumpkin pies and such, therefore is rather unprocessed, so it can be used in any recipe (if they added sugar and spices in a certain ratio, that would make it unusable for recipes with different ratios).  I am assuming your recipe doesn't call for cooking the intact pumpkin.  You also won't have the fresh pumpkin seeds, though, so will need to wait for autumn for that part.  Also, if you haven't cooked using a whole pumpkin before, I have to warn you that scooping the innards out is very messy.  I'd do it outside, to minimize the mess.


 * Another option, as alluded to earlier, is using squash. Some types of squash are very similar to pumpkins, so could be substituted in the recipe.  This option might be best if the recipe does call for cooking an intact gourd. StuRat (talk) 16:37, 28 March 2015 (UTC)