Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2016 March 19

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March 19[edit]

Does March Madness have a known Redskins Rule?[edit]

With so many random number generators in one place the basketball tournament seems like a ripe place to hunt for presidential election "predictors". Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 18:34, 19 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]

There are hundreds of Division I college basketball teams, and only a handful have won over the course of time, so it's unclear what such a "rule" would be based on. One thing for sure, the NCAA's own "Redskins rule" would be that teams called "Redskins" are not allowed in the tournament. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 22:46, 19 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Maybe something about the seeds? Like if the 8 (9) seed from the East (W, MW, S) wins its first game the Republican (Democrat, incumbent, non-incumbent) wins otherwise the opposite wins or something like that. Mix and match as needed. If that doesn't work then maybe something like if the (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16) seed of the (E, W, S, MW) beats the spread then the (Democrats, Republicans, non-incumbent, incumbent) wins.. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 23:10, 19 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Requisites[edit]

Mandatory things required for travelling, disregarding the seasons; a list of things would be beneficial. Regards. -- Apostle (talk) 22:53, 19 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]

You really need to say where you are travelling and by what method. (Road flares are not recommended if you plan to fly.) But some general items are non-perishable food, water, clothes, first aid kit, meds, toiletries, identification and maybe a passport, money in multiple forms, maps, your itinerary, cell phone, & laptop (electric items may require a 110/220 conversion adapter). StuRat (talk) 23:09, 19 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Nearly all modern portable electronic devices come with flexible-voltage power adapters, in particular notebooks, tablets, cellphones and digital cameras. Explicit voltage converters do exist, but are heavy, expensive, and quite rare. Nowadays, you usually can do with a simple travel adapter that will only bridge the mechanical differences, not change the electric properties of the mains supply. Travel adapters can vary in price and quality, but are usually smallish (unless one of the sides is the British "we use the same plug for connecting nuclear power stations and electric toothbrushes" monster plug) and lightweight. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 20:11, 20 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Googling travel necessities will provide you with many links. As StuRat says, though, you would be best served by narrowing down where you're going and by what method. By that, I mean you could simply put those words into Google and read the results. Matt Deres (talk) 12:57, 20 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]
The question is really too vague to provide a good answer. "A credit card and a spare pair of socks" will suffice as a bare miniumum for some kinds of travel - but if you're planning to travel up the north face of Everest - then you may need to be better equipped! Please tell us where you're going, and by what mode of transport. It might also matter what time of year you're going ("Take skiing equipment") for how long you're going, whether you're prepared to do shopping when you get there. What baggage restrictions you might have. Probably a whole bunch of other stuff too! SteveBaker (talk) 15:41, 20 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]
The word mandatory is rather odd in this context; it usually means required by some rule or law, not just important to have. I wonder if the OP is asking something other that what has been answered so far. When crossing national borders a passport is usually required, and an entry visa may also be required. In certain countries specific types of identity papers may also be required. Drivers license requirements vary by country. But obviously without knowing which countries you will be visiting, we can't answer questions about the legal requirements for travel in those countries. CodeTalker (talk) 17:45, 20 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Technically, the only thing "mandatory" to get from point A to point B is a means of getting there, be it walking, pedaling, driving, riding, sailing or flying. The specific mode of travel will likely be situation-dependent, as will everything else you need (or don't need). ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 21:08, 20 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]
  • This is just more of the usual trolling by Russell.mo--just scroll over his newest disguise signature "apostle" and you'll see. μηδείς (talk) 22:25, 20 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]
We can always hope for a conversion on the road to Damascus. Except, given what's going on over there, a conversion may not be a desirable thing. -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 22:34, 20 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Unfortunately, that would a conversion from "live" to "dead". ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 22:48, 20 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, only a dumb-ass cuss would go there now. StuRat (talk) 00:43, 21 March 2016 (UTC) [reply]

-- Apostle (talk) 21:41, 21 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]