Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2017 February 17

= February 17 =

Bold
When adding an answer to a Ref Desk question I accidentally hit a semi-colon instead of a colon, and my text appeared in bold. Why does that happen? Wymspen (talk) 08:48, 17 February 2017 (UTC)


 * Like this! Wymspen (talk) 08:48, 17 February 2017 (UTC)


 * It's part of WikiMarkup, intended to be the headline of a list: Help:Wiki_markup. Someguy1221 (talk) 08:51, 17 February 2017 (UTC)


 * (ec) See "Description lists" in Help:Wiki markup for what it's intended for, and why it shouldn't be used by itself. Rojomoke (talk) 08:56, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

Permanently removing an image from Google's servers
So I uploaded a photo in a blog post on my (private) blogger account and published the post. I changed my mind after a while, and deleted the image from the post. However, I can still access the image with the old image url. Is there a way to permanently remove the image from Google's servers, or is this image going to be forever accessible to anybody with the url and all the Google folks? La  Al qu im  is ta  17:30, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Does this help? -- Jayron 32 17:56, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

Actually, I realised that there's a slinky little corner in your Google photos that preserves all legacy uploads, which is why the url still works. I removed the photo from my Google photos account so it no longer shows up on a search. But I bet some bloke at Google can still access it. Thanks for the link though! La  Al qu im  is ta  15:08, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

Cutting hair against the grain or with the grain
Does cutting hair against the grain or with the grain produce visibly different results? --Llaanngg (talk) 19:30, 17 February 2017 (UTC)


 * Hair has a grain? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 21:57, 17 February 2017 (UTC)


 * I would guess you are talking about shaving, and mean shaving against the direction it grows or in the same direction. OR: In this case, you want to shave against the direction it grows, as going in the same direction just pushes the hair flat and doesn't shave it.  (Note that electric razors with rotating discs shave in all directions, the idea being that they will eventually hit each hair in the proper direction to cut it.)  StuRat (talk) 22:38, 17 February 2017 (UTC)


 * No, it's best to shave with the hair's growth to avoid razor burn (per the article you linked to). Hair growth varies in direction (on my face it's generally downwards but turns lateral and back on the sides of my neck) and when I was younger and didn't know better shaving downward on my entire neck caused a very mild abrasion that I hadn't noticed except for the opportunistic staph infections (about 1/3 of the population are staph carriers) that scarred my neck. --Modocc (talk) 23:12, 17 February 2017 (UTC)


 * Razor burn is a sign of a dull blade. Try shaving against the hair growth direction with a new blade, and see if that causes any razor burn.  I never get razor burn when using a sharp blade.  StuRat (talk) 23:46, 17 February 2017 (UTC)


 * Mmk, but the first article you linked to mentions "grain" twice: "Note the direction of razor travel is the same as the direction of the stubble hairs or 'grain" (caption of the second image) and in the subsection on "Razor burn": "The condition can be caused by shaving too closely, shaving with a blunt blade, dry shaving, applying too much pressure when shaving, shaving too quickly or roughly, or shaving against the grain." ---Sluzzelin talk  23:49, 17 February 2017 (UTC)


 * It does say that, but I don't see any sources for those statements. I've also labelled my original statement as OR.  StuRat (talk) 23:50, 17 February 2017 (UTC)


 * For me, the laying down of the hair without the razor cutting is one of the the first signs of a dull razor. My razors are and were sharp, but my hair is thick, grows quickly and I could not ever shave upward against the grain without burn. In fact: "Most men’s skin is too sensitive to stand up to an against-the-grain shave without redness, razor burn, and even ingrown hairs, but if you can deal with it, go gently."  The issue with the infections on my neck was not obvious, but I've been free of infections there for a decade now since I corrected my strokes to go more with the grain there. --Modocc (talk) 00:21, 18 February 2017 (UTC)


 * The original poster has not said that he/she was talking about shaving. I am no expert in the subject, but I read it as being about barbering. --76.71.6.254 (talk) 18:42, 18 February 2017 (UTC)


 * Yes, but in that context, what could cutting with the grain or against it mean ? StuRat (talk) 23:44, 18 February 2017 (UTC)


 * Indeed, I was asking about cutting hair, that's why I said cutting hair. Why someone assumed it was about shaving hair? I don't know. Against/with the grain refers to the direction you cut the hair using a Hair clipper. Either you cut in the direction it grows, or against it. --Llaanngg (talk) 01:16, 19 February 2017 (UTC)
 * The term "against the grain" is widely connected with shaving; see Should I shave against the grain, Shaving Against the Grain: Do or Don’t?, Why you should shave with the grain, Face shaving tips - against the grain, and so on for several Google pages. Alansplodge (talk) 08:56, 19 February 2017 (UTC)


 * How do you determine what that "grain" is? If it had an actual "grain", would you still need a comb? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 01:20, 19 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Are you helping here? The Rambling Man (talk) 22:44, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
 * More than you are. If you have a source that explains what "grain" means in reference to the hair on your head, feel free to post it. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 23:47, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
 * No, you and StuRat are just posting anecdotes and ramblings, ironically. Of course "grain" means the direction of hair growth.  That much is patently obvious from any of the references provided by Alansplodge or me.  Clear enough for you?  The Rambling Man (talk) 09:53, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Where is a reference for what "grain" means regarding hair on the head? As opposed to the face, which is not what the OP asked about. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 15:48, 21 February 2017 (UTC)


 * I believe they cut hair at as close to a right angle as possible, presumably to prevent split ends. With hair clippers used close to the skin, however, you are limited in which direction you can approach from.  StuRat (talk) 03:58, 19 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Stop using anecdotes. Facts please, with references, this is the "Reference" Desk, the clue is in the title.  The Rambling Man (talk) 22:44, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Then give us a reference for what "grain" means regarding hair on the head. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 15:49, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Sure, here you go. Now you do something positive for a change, and perhaps leave these threads to people who prefer fact than storytime.  The Rambling Man (talk) 15:54, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Had you provided a reference in the first place, things might have gone differently. Now you do something positive for a change, instead of being a nattering nabob of negativism. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:03, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
 * And you've provided precisely what to this, other than personal attacks? The Rambling Man (talk) 16:06, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
 * I raised a fair question, which you finally tried to answer... after issuing your standard personal attacks. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:14, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
 * The only personal attack here was yours, on me. Noted.  The Rambling Man (talk) 16:24, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Because when you make personal attacks, they're factual? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:28, 21 February 2017 (UTC)

Gillette, the "best a man can get" (outside the anecdotal nonsense here at the ref desk), actually say that going against the grain, or near to it, can produce results. The BBC also looked into this and came to the same conclusion I would anecdotally suggest, that it's quick wins against the grain, but long-term loss due to irritation. Much like many of the responders here. Budget answers, long-term irritation. The Rambling Man (talk) 22:47, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
 * You've posted a redlink. Are you really helping here? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 23:48, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Yes, I am helping, by posting references to articles in answer to the OP question rather than just posting little anecdotes and stories and odd supposedly corollary questions. The Rambling Man (talk) 09:53, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Even if the OP already stated he is not talking about shaving? --FlyingAce (talk) 15:41, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
 * The OP's thread was somewhat hijacked, it's true, by people suggesting he meant something different. But because you're all doing so well here, I'll post a reference once again.  The Rambling Man (talk) 15:54, 21 February 2017 (UTC)


 * Don't mind TRM. He's just trying to save face. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:14, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Not at all, I'm actually responding to the user in question, unlike you. Please desist.  Last word is yours.  I'm not feeding you any longer.  The Rambling Man (talk) 16:24, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
 * The user in question was yourself, as you began this paragraph. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:31, 21 February 2017 (UTC)


 * The question is not about shaving. Using a cutter/trimmer/electric razor to cut hair is common. As an example, I get a #3 on the sides and scissors on top. The #3 refers to the razor guard thickness. Hopefully that is enough to make it clear that this is not about shaving. As for the grain, hair on top of the head tends to grow downward. So, cutting from the neck up is going against the grain. Cutting from the crown down is going with the grain. Now, the answer: According to the manual for hair cutting for Virginia College, you use a razor from bottom to top (against the grain). I assume that if you have extremely curly hair, it won't matter much. I have extremely straight hair. If you go from top to bottom, you won't cut anything. My hair lays flat to my head. You must go from bottom to top to have the guard pull my hair away from my head so it can be cut. Therefore, I asked one of the Virginia College instructors and she said that if she is cutting hair with an afro style, she actually goes sideways, front to back. But, for straight hair, going bottom to top (against the grain) is necessary. It won't work the other way. 209.149.113.5 (talk) 13:38, 22 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Yes, yes, a link has already been added. The Rambling Man (talk) 13:40, 22 February 2017 (UTC)