Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010 October 31

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October 31

Second UG degree

Suppose someone in the UK got a degree in a scientific subject, for example, Physics, and as such his previous qualification might be science based (e.g. A-levels in maths and sciences). If he then wanted to get another degree in something completely unrelated where his A-Levels wouldn't usually allow him to get such a degree (say Law or Music) does it matter or does the fact that he already has degree mean Universitys would be likely to accept him? If not what options would such a person have? --81.23.48.100 (talk) 00:06, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Doing a few courses in Open University would prove the capability. --85.76.79.148 (talk) 00:17, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Specifically for Law, you can do a one-year CPE/GDL, commonly known as a law conversion course [1] They are (supposedly) open to graduates with a degree in any subject. Be warned though, they are extremely intensive. the wub "?!" 11:00, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

There are many courses where the subjects of A-Levels aren't really an issue. I took Physics, Chemistry and Biology as A-Levels back in the day, studied Chemistry at the University of Warwick, worked in a geotechnical laboratory for a few years, and just this year enrolled into a BA History of Art course with no problem whatsoever (though the fees the second time around are a lot higher). GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 22:29, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

Nazis

1. I'm looking for a video on a video sharing site (like YouTube) with English subtitles, where Hitler attacks the Jews on his speech. I didn't manage to find such one.

2. Have they ever called themselves 'Nazis'? I notice they are using the term 'National Socialist' instead. 89.138.55.205 (talk) 00:43, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

(2) According to this and this, Nazi meant "a foolish person, clumsy or awkward person" around that time. In spite of that, the first reference claims the Nazi party tried it out (as a "despite-word"), but gave up on it. Clarityfiend (talk) 01:13, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

(1) His excellency refers to the Jewish people 3:20 (video) Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:50, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Is it a joke? That's not Hitler... 217.132.79.141 (talk) 14:07, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Asking if Charlie Chaplin is joking is like asking if John Wayne is a tough guy. Richard Avery (talk) 14:55, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

They haven't helped much with the speech you wanted have they? I found the sountrack of "Hitler's speech to the Reichstag of January 30, 1939" which has as its theme Der ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew). It has the transcript in both German and English. More background on the speech here[2] (the second item down). A notable speech because of the "annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe" hint. A video of the same speech is on YouTube[3]; at least I hope it's the same one, because my computer is refusing to play videos at the moment. Alansplodge (talk) 16:20, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

First link is not a video and in the second that's not Hitler talking... Is it true that Hitler rarely attacked the Jews in his speech as a Fuhrer? That's my impression. 89.138.100.60 (talk) 23:29, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

That certainly is Hitler speaking, and the text is also provided at the first link:

"If the international Jewish financiers, inside and outside Europe, succeed in plunging the nations once more into a world war, then the result will not be the Bolshevisation of the earth, and thus the victory of Jewry, but the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe!"

Which, especially given subsequent developments, certainly could be taken as a "veiled threat" and as such an "attack". I do not think Hitler made much of an effort to hide his feelings about "Jewry" in his speeches, either as Fuhrer or before that.

Regarding your 2nd question, our Nazi Party article explains:

"The National Socialist German Workers' Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), abbreviated NSDAP), commonly known in English as the Nazi Party (from the German Nazi, abbreviated from the pronunciation of Nationalsozialist), was a political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945."

So, yes, "Nazi" was the German abbreviation of the party's name and what party members themselves would have used in referring to it. WikiDao ☯ (talk) 01:53, 3 November 2010 (UTC)

Drachmas

Were modern (20th century) Drachmas still made from silver? --75.33.217.61 (talk) 01:03, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Minted in silver until 1911, replaced by cupro-nickel from 1926 (though silver 10 and 20 drachma were still issued) (see Greek drachma#Modern drachma), following the collapse of the Latin Monetary Union. A silver 20 drachma was issued in 1960. DuncanHill (talk) 01:16, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

(ec)According tp the Krause World Coin Catalog, the kingdom issue drachma from 1910 to 1911 was .835 silver. The republic isse was not silver until the 10 drachmai coin of 1930. The kingdom restoration issue of 1940 had a gold proof 20 drachmai coin (rare). 20 drachmai coins were issued for circulation in 1960 in silver, and in mint sets in 1965 in silver. The republic issued several 100 drachmai commemorative coins in 1978, 1981 and 1982. No real silver coins for circulation were issued after 1960 though, it appears. Collect (talk) 01:23, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Why did they stop making silver Drachmas? --75.33.217.61 (talk) 01:54, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Because the value of the drachma fell to the point where it was no longer worth its weight in silver. Most monetary authorities will not issue currency at a loss. Marco polo (talk) 02:29, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Municipality of Baliwag,Bulacan, Philippines

Where can I get a factual information on Socio-Political and economic statistics of Baliwag,Bulacan including Elected officials from 1946 to present? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Baliwag (talk • contribs) 01:47, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Have you tried contacting the Provincial Government of Bulacan? WikiDao ☯ (talk) 02:00, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

foreign settlement

hey, i'm from india, and i wanted to know about the careers that are sure-shot chances of getting me settled abroad. i know that in every career, i have to work reeaaally hard, but still what sort of careers give me the most opportunities to be "settled", not just go on business and return back, but actually "settled"? i asked my friends and they had two options - IT and architecture. but i also value wikipedia users' opinions a lot. so, please help!

thanx —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.197.236.129 (talk) 05:45, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

This sounds like a request for opinion. But that aside, tell us what field are you currently in - no real use settling for architecture as a way to earn a living if you don't know a pillar from a column. --Ouro (blah blah) 06:54, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

The two most obvious routes are to work for the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (or equivalent), or to work for the United Nations or any one of the dozens of international organizations affiliated to it. For the former, you probably don't need any specialist training, you would join as a general civil servant. For the latter, the UN also employs generalists, but offers careers in all sorts of specialist fields as well. Getting into the UN is not easy, though. You might want to consider an unpaid internship as a way of getting a foot in the door. --Viennese Waltz 09:31, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

I don't know about the demand for architects might be in other parts of the world, but in the United States an architecture degree is ( with apologies to architecture grads ) about as sure a route to working in a coffee shop as there is. Our schools graduate far more architects than can possibly be employed in that profession here. I'd recommend you try to discover something you really enjoy, and let that guide your search; try to find some way to put an international spin on something you'll like. You'll probably be a lot happier ( and be more successful, too ) that way; it's hard to be very successful or happy in a line of work that's wrong for you, that doesn't suit your personality, or that you don't really care very much about for its own sake. Good luck,  – OhioStandard (talk) 13:25, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Another view is that whatever you do, you will dislike or at least be indifferent to it after a coupl;e of years of forced work on it. 92.15.26.46 (talk) 13:48, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

. Not true in my case, anyway, 92. Comet Tuttle (talk) 16:40, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Surely, you have this the wrong way round. You shouldn't pick a career based only on what will get you out of India, but choose a career based on what you are good at (or if you are lucky, something you enjoy as well). Astronaut (talk) 13:42, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

You want skills that are in demand around the world. Nursing and medicine for example. Accountancy perhaps, although differing national standards make this more problematic. 92.15.26.46 (talk) 13:46, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

You also want language skills. Good English opens doors, but if you know where you would like to settle (i.e. not just "anywhere but India") there may be another language you can learn, alongside your career studies, that would enhance your chances of a long-term job and resident status in the country of your choice. Karenjc 14:39, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Hi, this is just my opinion, but I think you should pick a career pertaining to science or medicine. If you want to feel "settled," a career based in the sciences will usually be more in demand than say, a career such as English literature. Since you have indicated that you want to have a sure-shot chance of going abroad, how about a career in medicine? I was just reading an article that told of how doctors were leaving South Africa in droves for Canada. Doctors will always be needed, regardless of the economy, and many countries will pay the relocation expenses in order to aquire their expertise. I am not very familiar with architecture, but I would suspect that if the economy is down, there wouldn't be much money to furl a demand for drafting building designs, so it wouldn't always be stable. I don't know much about the IT field, but perhaps it is the same with regards to the economic hiccups of the world. Were I the one in India, I would choose the doctor route if I wanted to feel the most "settled" within my career. AdbMonkey (talk) 00:48, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Japan

When did Japan become so cool? --75.33.217.61 (talk) 14:13, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Some time after the 70s, according to our Big in Japan (phrase) article. Vimescarrot (talk) 14:47, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Hmm. But The Japanese Album was 1978, and that was kind of cool because it was different to make something in Japan. And there was Yoko Ono. I'm not sure what point I'm making here. 213.122.11.1 (talk) 14:54, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

I've heard that people living in the Japanese countryside are often remarkably out of touch with the modern world, and what we think of as "Japan" is in many cases really Tokyo, so it might in fact be pretty uncool, on average. Apart from that, I'd say it happened in 1970, when they started marketing pocket calculators. 213.122.11.1 (talk) 14:50, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Technically winter in Japan starts in December, though it may cool down well before this and local variations will exist. --jjron (talk) 14:52, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

November 3, 1954. Haus^Talk 17:59, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

When John Lennon said so. DOR (HK) (talk) 09:13, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Japan gradually became regarded as cool in the West after the ending of Sakoku in the mid 19th century. This led to the rise of Japonism, leading to things like the Japanese Village, Knightsbridge. I would guess that it stopped being regarded as cool around the second World War, and has gradually recovered it. Japonism is a type of Orientalism. 86.164.145.242 (talk) 10:15, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Yes, a "major influence" on the rise of Impressionism; whether this equates to the modern concept of "coolness" is another argument. Alansplodge (talk) 16:42, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Well, even without the impressionists, Japan and everything reminiscent of what English people thought Japan was became incredibly fashionable in England in the 19th Century, which I'd put down to it appearing 'cool' :) 86.166.42.171 (talk) 22:51, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Agreed; Gilbert and Sullivan were jumping on a bandwagon when they wrote The Mikado. Alansplodge (talk) 09:53, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

Webcam timer

Is there some kind of cheap "computer" I could buy and plug into a webcam, to do only 3 things: tell the webcam when to take a picture, supply power, and save the images? Aaadddaaammm (talk) 15:45, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

How cheap is cheap? --Phil Holmes (talk) 17:08, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Hmmm, not sure about that. An alternative would be to get a compact Canon digital camera, an AC adapter, and install the CHDK custom firmware on it. That can be programmed to take pictures at regular intervals, or when it detects movement. the wub "?!" 17:12, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Unlikely that you'll find anything better than a netbook (minimum cost around $200) for this purpose -- and many netbooks have a webcam included. Looie496 (talk) 17:24, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

I think my Linksys WL500G router, that I bought five years or so ago, has custom ("homemade") software available that makes this possible. Other commonly-sold routers or other network units might have similar capabilities and be significantly cheaper than a netbook (though you'd have to buy the webcam separately). Jørgen (talk) 19:36, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

If size of the computer was not an issue, I am sure a computer from 5 years ago (e.g. a Pentium III) could do this just fine, and could probably be picked up for free on Freecycle or Craigslist. I suspect you could probably find a 5 year old laptop that could do the same for free or almost nothing. If you're not invested in getting something new, there really is no bottom, since what you are asking for only really requires that it has a USB port and very minimal hardware specs. --Mr.98 (talk) 19:38, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

A basic nettop running a cut-down Linux, booting off a USB flash stick, is a decent solution. Some searching Google's shopping thing found:

Foxconn N270 £92

1GB DDR2-400 £18

4GB USB flash drive £6

So £116 plus the cost of the webcam. Run Ubuntu Netbook Edition (or a similar small Linux distribution), with the GUI packages removed. That gives you a little flat box (about the size of a book), wall mountable (about 800g), fanless, silent, low power, and essentially maintenance free. With a headless configuration of Linux, that should leave plenty of space free on the usb stick for still pictures. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 20:33, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

There are many small Linux devices that could be made to do this, (NSLU2, Gumstix, Beagleboard to name a few.) But for cheapness I agree with Mr98 that picking up a used five year old computer would be the way to go. You could probably even go as far back as ten years ago if you're careful about what USB version you need. (Tip: Do not trust a ten year old harddrive. It might be fine, but it's cheap to replace.) APL (talk) 03:46, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Coin collecting

How much is a German 10 Pfennig coin from 1875 worth? --75.33.217.61 (talk) 18:52, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Generally speaking, eBay is a good place to check if you want to see what things are going for, though it is not always accurate for specialty markets. There are a few coins like what you describe on there now (I would link but Wikipedia seems to think eBay is spam); they seem to be listed from $10-20 or so, though it's unclear if that is optimistic or not (since almost all are "buy it now" sales indicating that they don't think a lot of bidding is going to take place). It's not bad for one coin that was probably fairly common when it was issued. --Mr.98 (talk) 19:17, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

It also depends on the grade. If uncirculated / in mint condition it may be EUR 60 (no idea what the US market would bear), if scratched and splotchy it may fetch under EUR 10. A numismatic collector´s shop in your area may be best. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 20:48, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Is it possible to be bored to death?

Has anyone heard of any cases where someone has died from reading a textbook, for example? If someone put a person in a small room in solitary confinement, but gave them enough food and water, would they eventually die of boredom? AdbMonkey (talk) 23:15, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Mental state in terms of challenge level and skill level, according to Csikszentmihalyi's flow model. (Click on a fragment of the image to go to the appropriate article)

See [4] --Belchman (talk) 23:31, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Yeah that was enlightening. Thanks. AdbMonkey (talk) 00:04, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

That was a pretty good link in response to your question, I thought.

Here's a pretty cool graphic (it's clickable!;) I found in the Boredom article:

And that article also says:

"Consistent with the definition provided above, recent research has found that boredom proneness is clearly and consistently associated with failures of attention. Boredom and boredom proneness are both theoretically and empirically linked to depression and depressive symptoms."

So, it seems boredom could "lead to" (though correlation ≠ causation) suicide if sufficiently severe and/or poorly coped with. WikiDao ☯ (talk) 01:02, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Eastern State Penitentiary might be pertinent. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 01:07, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

(Um, that's not really leaping out at me, Gadget... WikiDao ☯ (talk) 01:19, 1 November 2010 (UTC))

Maybe Gadget has it in for you and wants to drive you to boredom. The perfect crime! Clarityfiend (talk) 01:54, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Or make my head "explode" in confusion...? WikiDao ☯ (talk) 02:43, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

I would guess Gadget is referring to stuff like this "It was widely believed (then and now) that the policy of keeping prisoners in intense isolation, rather than leading to the spiritual actualization and social reform it intended, induced significant mental illness among many of its prisoners instead." Nil Einne (talk) 09:21, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

I saw that, but it is an awfully specific response to a question about, not isolation, but boredom. You do not have to be isolated to be bored, nor in that prison to be isolated. And there was nothing in that article about dying from either isolation or boredom. So I'm confused about what "might be pertinent" in that article. WikiDao ☯ (talk) 10:19, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Well the people were isolated and likely rather bored since they had nothing to do other then achieve 'spiritual actualisation' which lead to significant mental illness. No mention of death although given the conditions they were kept in I presume suicide wasn't easy but there are plenty of other refs here mentioning affects sort of death so I don't see any reason to single out Gadget's answer. Nil Einne (talk) 05:47, 5 November 2010 (UTC)

I think it just creates insanity, not death: see Sensory deprivation#Negative effects. 213.122.50.15 (talk) 03:33, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

I just want to say that the best part of that graph is the point at the center. With the correct balance of challenge and skill it should be possible to hit all eight emotional states at once. APL (talk) 03:38, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

You bet - happens to me all the time! :)

No, seriously, I just thought it was a neat "non-boring" graphic. I have no idea what world-view it is meant to depict, but I imagine that the point is that at the center, for both average "skill level" and average "challenge level" one can easily end up having any (not all) of the given kinds of experience. WikiDao ☯ (talk) 10:26, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

So you wouldn't be apathetically aroused? 65.121.141.34 (talk) 18:14, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Yikes! Now I'm scared! Nice graphic though. AdbMonkey (talk) 21:53, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Um, not to hijack this thread or anything, but what is that ridiculous picture, apparently copied from some random self-help book, doing in an encyclopedia article? Is there any hope of getting rid of it? -- BenRG (talk) 01:57, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

Too late! I'm going to dedicate my life to balancing my skill and challenge until I can hit the octuple-point and experience all those emotions at once. APL (talk) 14:58, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

Seriously, though, that svg file was based on a jpg file by user:Dr.enh. I've dropped him a note. APL (talk) 15:04, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

Note that the graphic does come with a reference, which is listed as "Csikszentmihalyi, M., Finding Flow, 1997." It also appears in our Flow (psychology) article.

I posted it here for entirely frivolous reasons (I was just bored, basically;), I do not personally either endorse or condemn the "philosophy" it is meant to depict, and have no argument to make about how relevant it may or may not be to the OP's question (except for the poor excuse that I did find it in the Boredom article). If anyone feels real uncomfortable about its perceived "ridiculousness", it could be removed from this thread with no hard feelings on my part (the OP did seem to like it, though). WikiDao ☯ (talk) 16:07, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

Where did you find that reference? Even after you pointed it out I honestly cannot find it. APL (talk) 16:11, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

Oh wait, I found it. It's part of the template, it puts a citation in the caption. (Broken, on the ref-desk.)

I was looking for the citation to be on the image's page. APL (talk) 16:28, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

A {{reflist}} tag on this page is required for it to appear here; it appears correctly at the Boredom article. WikiDao ☯ (talk) 16:29, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

For what it's worth, we used very similar diagrams when studying educational psychology during my PGCE, although I forget which theorists it was connected to. So, I think it is a real thing, in that serious psychological researchers propose it, rather than a random self-help thing. 86.166.42.171 (talk) 17:10, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

I found this. Oda Mari (talk) 04:56, 3 November 2010 (UTC)