Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2016 July 17

= July 17 =

Directories for door-to-door solicitation
I live in the United States and whenever people come to my house and knock on my door trying to sell something or promote a political candidate, somehow they already know my name. They appear to be referencing some directory on the tablet computers, but I don't even own the house, I rent. How do they have my name? 2602:30A:2C51:9390:E45E:F53D:B108:345B (talk) 03:01, 17 July 2016 (UTC)
 * The FBI. Muffled Pocketed  06:54, 17 July 2016 (UTC)
 * In the UK, the electoral roll is publicly available and routinely used by marketers to target residents. I don't know if the same is true in the US.  Rojomoke (talk) 09:07, 17 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Ditto in New Zealand. Also, if you've ever bought a product or expressed interest in one and agreed to receive promotional material, your address and personal details may have been onsold by the company. Akld guy (talk) 09:16, 17 July 2016 (UTC)
 * A quick check shows that US voter registration lists should only be available to elected officials and candidates for elections - so those trying to sell you something must have got the names from another source. Those standing for political office obviously have a right to know who the voters are, so that they can contact them and try and convince them.Wymspen (talk) 11:15, 17 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Yes, this is correct. I'm a registered U.S. voter and politicians and campaigns have access to my registration info, which I know because I get unsolicited communications from them. --71.110.8.102 (talk) 21:37, 17 July 2016 (UTC)
 * In Ireland, you can specify that your details be excluded from the "edited register". They will still be on the "full register", which is publicly available but cannot be used by marketers. Election candidates can use the full register to mass-mail their election leaflet, but they can't use it to find out your name when their canvassers call to your door. Of course the canvassers can call to your door anyway without knowing your name. jnestorius(talk) 14:51, 20 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Same in UK; when you register you are given the option of not appearing on the edited register.--Ykraps (talk) 16:04, 20 July 2016 (UTC)


 * If your name is in the phone book, then they've got you. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 12:03, 17 July 2016 (UTC)
 * US phone books have addresses with the numbers? 86.28.195.109 (talk) 13:42, 17 July 2016 (UTC)
 * I can't say they "all" do, but for every one I've seen over the years, the answer is "Yes". It's a simple matter to collect that information and then sort it by address or phone number. There are many websites that have already done this, usually pay sites. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:48, 17 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Most countries include addresses in their telephone directories, including Wales where you geolocate to. How else would you know you had the right David Jones?--Ykraps (talk) 16:04, 20 July 2016 (UTC)
 * "What's a phone book?" --71.110.8.102 (talk) 21:37, 17 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Read Telephone directory for an explanation. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 22:43, 17 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Companies like LexisNexis hoover up and store all kinds of information about people and sell it. When renting, your landlord likely did a background check on you through one of these services. There are all manner of other places they get data as well. Got any bank accounts? Ever applied for life insurance? You would likely be surprised at how much data they have; LexisNexis generally will have a record of every residence you've lived at in the U.S. You can actually request all the information they have on you at no cost. See Fair Credit Reporting Act and . Many Americans know about credit reports, but other "reporting agencies" are covered by the same law. --71.110.8.102 (talk) 21:30, 17 July 2016 (UTC)
 * If you own your house, your deed with your name on it is publicly available information (at the local county clerk's office or similar). shoy (reactions) 13:41, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

Dead dynamic page
In Incirlik Air Base there are two sources provided for the runway's length. The first ref is archived, but still it requires logging in (so it's useless). The second says it's a category E runway, 1490-4800m long.


 * 1) This is a good time to ask about linking dynamic pages, like the ones the provide data only upon typing it in a box without redirecting to a subpage (POST requests). How to deal with those? Are they allowed?
 * 2) What about the specific reference? It's not directly linking to the material, and moreover it requires credentials.

—Hexafluoride Ping me if you need help, or post on my talk 07:43, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Question about "Open Carry - Firearm" Laws in the United States.
I'm all in favor of Open Carry for Firearms. My question is, do these privileges (or rights?) apply only to firearms? What about martial arts weapons, swords, nunchucks, etc. ..

I'm sure this issue has been addressed already. Is there any lobbying going on for "Open Carry" of Battle Axes and what not? Thanks. Zombiesturm (talk) 17:47, 17 July 2016 (UTC)


 * The answer would depend on the wording of the laws in each of the 50 states. You could start with Open carry in the United States, and bear in mind that none of those items you mention would stand up well to gunfire. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 17:59, 17 July 2016 (UTC)


 * That article is not authoritative (Wikipedia after all is not a specialised legal journal), but the article does clearly state that "Open Carry" pertains to firearms only. Zombiesturm (talk) 18:16, 17 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Wikipedia, technically, is not authoritative on anything. As to swords vs. guns, here's a classic illustration: ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 18:20, 17 July 2016 (UTC)


 * I googled "does texas open carry include swords" and here's an item that came up. As of last fall, at least, swords and clubs as weapons are illegal in Texas. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 18:24, 17 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Then we need to change that law. Zombiesturm (talk) 18:33, 17 July 2016 (UTC)


 * If you live in Texas, you could write to your state representative and/or state senator and propose it. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 18:34, 17 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Or you could carry a baseball bat.


 * (Quick anecdote: an ex-Royal Navy friend once went ashore in (I think) Savannah, Ga. with half a dozen crewmates, and all bought souvenir baseball bats with their names burnt on. Next one of them decided he needed to draw some cash, so they all ambled into the nearest bank with the bats carried over their shoulders. This caused a degree of consternation until their innocence (and naïvety) was established. The subsequent remark by the bank's security guard was very amusing but too racist to repeat here.)


 * The point being, many innocent items can readily be used as weapons – some asian martial arts weapons are merely modified agricultural implements. That said, police generally have legal avenues to arrest people "acting suspiciously" by carrying items they deem inappropriate to the situation. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.105} 2.123.26.60 (talk) 19:10, 17 July 2016 (UTC)


 * And wasn't it Maxwell Smart who occasionally said something like: "I'm required by law to warn you that these hands are registered as a lethal weapon"? -2606:A000:4C0C:E200:9559:2AAF:B103:4945 (talk) 23:04, 17 July 2016 (UTC)


 * "Frankly, Mr Smart, I find that difficult to believe." ... "In that case, would you believe they're registered with the National Association of Pedicure Customers ?". StuRat (talk) 20:33, 18 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Would you believe that catchphrase was an established part of Don Adams' schtick before Get Smart was created? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:36, 19 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Yes I would, as many comedians bring their old routines into their shows, from Bob Newhart to Drew Carey and Ray Romano. StuRat (talk) 02:09, 20 July 2016 (UTC)


 * He might well have said it, but he wasn't the only one. I googled "hands registered as lethal weapons" and got a variety of hits, most of them saying it's a pop-culture myth going back to at least the 1950s. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:11, 18 July 2016 (UTC)


 * When Ralph Malph said it, the other guy blandly replied, "So's the chain in my pocket." —Tamfang (talk) 08:00, 18 July 2016 (UTC)


 * As mentioned here, swords and other bladed weapons are often regulated under laws traditionally aimed as knives. The article suggests that open carrying a sword is okay in some jurisdictions (including apparently California) but that one can often get in trouble if you try to concealed carry (so no cane swords).  Other jurisdictions, prohibit any carrying of any "knives" longer than a certain size in public, whether or not they are held openly.  Some jurisdictions have exceptions for items used for religious, ceremonial, and martial arts purposes, while other jurisdictions do not.  See also knife legislation.  Ultimately, it seems likely that the answer is going to be very jurisdiction specific.  Dragons flight (talk) 08:18, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Newspaper The West Australian as a source for the article.
Dear Editors, I have just started an article and need to find an issue of the newspaper The West Australian (1998). Can someone help me this task? Regards, Chris Oxford.Chris Oxford (talk) 21:10, 17 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Try WP:RX. --Viennese Waltz 07:08, 18 July 2016 (UTC)