Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 February 19

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February 19

Digital Tv for Handheld TVs?

How will handheld (i.e. less than 3 in.) TVs be affected by the Digital TV switch in 2009? I live in a hurricane-prone area, so its kind of important that i could get information from small tvs without a large converter box. Porpise of Life (talk) 00:11, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

It'll be the same as for anything else -- if the TV doesn't have an ATSC (digital) tuner, it won't be able to receive signals. — Lomn 02:43, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

I suggest a waterproof crank radio that tunes into to emergancy and weather bands. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 15:14, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

How Asylum Smackdowns Start

How do insane asylum smackdowns start? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 01:49, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

What? Google has no meaningful references for an "asylum smackdown"; you need to clarify what you mean. — Lomn 02:46, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

No worries, one of a plethora of Eric's unanswerable questions. --Ouro (blah blah) 14:34, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

As I understand, it's a WWF reference - to a specific series of shows. I don't however, know the answer. Steewi (talk) 23:48, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

ipod repair

how much does it cost to repair the screen on an ipod? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.101.53.141 (talk) 04:18, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

It depends a LOT on the kind of iPod it is. A quick google search found this. It looks like prices are between $30 and $80 for the parts if you can do the repair yourself, and an extra $40 if you want to send it in and have them do it. They don't seem to hae parts for the older models, thought. (I have absolutely no idea if these prices are typical or if this service is reputable.) APL (talk) 17:20, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

its a dragon

okay i thot this question wud have gone but when i visited the site where i got it from it said it hasnt.the question was put fire and thunder together and u get me the new clue was that its a dragon.am like whooa!there was sumone in wikipedia who had hinted tht it cud be a dragon.so please if he/she can help..the animals first part is a dragon and the second u have to fuse in the thunder n lightning stuff. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.49.87.152 (talk) 05:35, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

chimera? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.101.53.141 (talk) 05:42, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Is this a plug for Flamos? According to list of fictional dragons "the book is expected to be coming out around summer of 2009" (in which case it shouldn't even be in Wikipedia). There, now I've gone and plugged it!--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:47, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps you could give us the URL of the site you're visiting. You'll be aware that you're barely explaining yourself; it might be easier if we cut out the middleman. --Tagishsimon (talk) 08:57, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

If "the animals first part is a dragon and the second u have to fuse in the thunder n lightning stuff" (I assume you still mean "fire" though, not "lightning"), then bird might still apply, see dragonbird. The most obvious choice for an animal formed by adding the word "dragon" to another animal, would be dragonfly, (firefly and thunderfly). ---Sluzzelin talk 09:26, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

macro economics help

hi

i desperately need link(s) where i can find

MCQ bank & solved practice qestions for

Functions , demand ,supply (& determination ) of MONEY IS-LM ANALYSIS AS-AD ANALYSIS OF EQUILLIBRIUM IN GOODS/MONEY market

and FE line —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.128.4.231 (talk) 09:51, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Early statue of Oliver Cromwell

It appears that before the current statue of Cromwell in Parliament Square, there was a different one installed temporarily (a photograph can be found on the English Heritage Viewfinder website). Does anyone know any details about this (e.g. who sculpted it, when was it set up and removed, and what happened to it)? Jon Rob (talk) 10:04, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

The statue in the photo on the English Heritage Viewfinder web site[1] looks like it might be the same statue of Oliver Cromwell, sculpted by Matthew Noble in 1875, that's currently on display in Wythenshawe Park in Manchester.[2][3]. That statue had for a while also been in front of Manchester Cathedral until 1967. If that's not the same statue, it's certainly at least a very close copy. MrRedact (talk) 04:55, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

whey protein (yes, it's me again)

What is the best brand of whey protein powder? Some brands have more protein per servings than others, but have different amounts of amino acids? Anyone know? --AtTheAbyss (talk) 14:40, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Define "best". Note that the ref desk os not for discussions ... your question may not be appropriate &c. --Tagishsimon (talk) 14:52, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm not looking for discussion. And by 'best' I mean the type which is most likely to induce the most muscle growth the fastest. I'm going to enlist after the summer and I need to get in shape. --AtTheAbyss (talk) 14:57, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Who told you that eating protein induces muscle growth? If you don't understand nutritional issues yourself, I recommend not going to the "health food store". There are any number of kooks there who will feed you all kinds of bad information. Calories, including protein, are all well and good, but they're not going to magically give you muscles. Try eating a healthy balanced diet and exercising. Friday (talk) 15:17, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

PS. For more info on specific issues involved, try articles like food energy. These supplements are loaded with calories, and if you do nothing to burn them, that extra energy will be stored as fat. 3500 extra calories means 1 extra pound of fat. Friday (talk) 15:32, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

I know simply consuming protein won't give me muscles; I work out regularly, and always heard that extra protein combined with regular excercise helped to build muscle. --AtTheAbyss (talk) 15:47, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, be careful. If you continue working out as you've been, but you start taking in more calories, this will generally become fat, not muscle. The article food energy isn't great but it addresses this basic issue. It's a matter of energy in versus energy out. This is an oversimplification of course but the basic idea is accurate. Friday (talk) 15:51, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

That said, building additional muscle mass takes energy too. This has to come from somewhere, so yeah, you're right in this respect. However have you already been exercising enough that your body is trying to build muscle mass, and it's unable to do so because of a lack of food energy? This would generally be a self-correcting problem- you'd feel hungry, and you'd eat more. Unless you've been starving yourself, eating MORE calories probably won't help. Friday (talk) 16:00, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Just as a quibble of detail: proteins are long chains consisting only of amino acids. Different proteins consist of different sequences of different amino acids, but a given weight of protein will always consist of the same weight of amino acids. (Whey protein comes from the non-fat part of milk.) SaundersW (talk) 16:58, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

We do not have good coverage of the digestion & absorption of proteins, amino acids & their derivatives. The best I can find is at Protein in nutrition#Digestion of protein. What is there is not well phrased. Any contributions &c... --Tagishsimon (talk) 18:53, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

So then should I completely forgo the whey protein? I'm pretty skinny and I'm trying to build some mass before I go to MCRD.--AtTheAbyss (talk) 13:08, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

No whey!!!! Edison (talk) 16:13, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Ummm...do you actually mean I should quit using whey protein or were you getting at a pun and saying I should continue to use it? --AtTheAbyss (talk) 13:10, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

This is where a knowledge of the use of commas is useful. If Edison had meant "No, use the whey", he would have written "No, whey". Without the comma, it can only be interpreted as a pun on "No way". [I've made about 20 assumptions here, but I assume they don't need to be explained (that makes 21).] :) -- JackofOz (talk) 04:06, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

I see your point, but people online often times care little about spelling, and less about puncuation/grammar. --AtTheAbyss (talk) 15:24, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

Water

I live in Abq. and I bought some bottled water from the Rio Grande.The other day I went to drink it and it looked like something black and living was in it.To drink or not to drink that is the question. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.80.31.19 (talk) 15:10, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Mayhaps a picture is in place for those that are interested. 81.93.102.185 (talk) 15:51, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

I'd say "no" if there was something either black or living in the water. But since this is both, a "hell no" is in order. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 16:59, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Was it something Black and Something living or somethingt that was both black and living. Either way i agree hell no! Cryo921 (talk) 22:35, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Unless you have absolutely no other access to water for a few days. Then you have no choice, but I would reccomend taking whatever it is out first. HS7 (talk) 14:38, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Filter it through something like medicinal gauze. --Ouro (blah blah) 17:31, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Put vodka in. Observe the dance. Drink. Works for me and I am a CEO of a Fortune 500. Paul.

WWII

When soldiers were stationed to a place, lets say Jan was sent to fight in Italy in '43, his army would have kept records of where he was and his movements. Where can I find these records, I wish to know where in Italy my grandfather was, and what he did while he was there. He was Namibian German fighting for the Allies and liberation of europe, but seemed to be a bit angry and fucked up by the time he got back.

Most countries store military records in their national archives. Your grandfather would have served with the army of South Africa, since present-day Namibia was then in effect a colony of South Africa. You could research your father's army unit in the National Archives of South Africa. You would of course need to know the name and/or number of the larger and smaller units that he belonged to (army, corps, division, brigade, regiment, troop, and section), since different units were deployed in different areas and engagements. Most likely you will need to physically visit the archives in Pretoria, since these records have mostly not been digitized, and you will need to plan on several days of leafing through dusty papers. Marco polo (talk) 18:56, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

If you are not able to visit the archives yourself, I have found this list of private researchers whom you can hire to conduct the archival research for you. Marco polo (talk) 19:04, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Terrorism

We have all seen the videos on the news of terrorists going into some or other rant before killing some poor civilian who has been kidnapped. However, we very rarly get to hear the whole speach. Are these made available for the commonpublic so we can evaluate thier stance and help to combat their extremism better. Also, can they be viewed legally with out people thinking one has logged on to this or that site for fundemental reason. Thanks 12.191.136.2 (talk) 15:49, 19 February 2008 (UTC)Patriotic British Christian

You could probably Google-up some martyrdom videos pretty easily, but you're right -- it's entirely possible that one or more government agencies in one or more countries might notice this. See honeypot. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera might have some. Also, you might enjoy the movie Paradise Now which deals with this exact topic along with the rest of the lead-up to a suicide attack.

Atlant (talk) 19:04, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Sites like Liveleak will often have the whole things. Not for the faint of heart. --Sean 21:38, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

The fear of a government spying on what you read or what you watch merely increases the power of that government over you and further weakens our right to freedom of the press and freedom of thought. Whether you decide to watch these videos online and how you do it is a personal moral question. --S.dedalus (talk) 23:06, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

It might also matter to your employer should you decide to view them at work.

Atlant (talk) 23:21, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Same goes for other things though. --S.dedalus (talk) 04:10, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

In the UK just now, we seem to have a couple of conflicting cases. There are the Five students win terror appeal chappies who led the lord Chief justice to opine "Nobody should be jailed for reading extremist literature" [4], versus the Terror manuals woman avoids jail, whose "library" of extremist Islamist literature led to a conviction under the Terrorism Act 2000. --Tagishsimon (talk) 23:30, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Does the U.S. government keep a list of people who have viewed terrorist videos from terrorist-linked sites? Edison (talk) 16:10, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Who knows? They've made it clear they won't tell us who they're spying on or why. But based on their practices since Bush was elected, better safe than being tortured in Guantanamo or some far away country, ehh?

Atlant (talk) 23:55, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Pakistan Politics

In Pakistan, which party stands for liberalism and which for coservatism and which are between, and to what degrees thanks, basically, should we be happy that musharaf has lost the election? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.191.136.2 (talk) 16:52, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

For the first part of your question, I suggest you start with our article on the 2008 Pakistani general election, which links to all the relevant parties. The latter part is outside the purview of the Reference Desk, though I am of the general opinion that a defeated incumbent is representative of a fair election. — Lomn 17:04, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

The PPP is considerably more liberal than either the PML-N or PML-Q. - Carbon ^[Nyan?] 08:31, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

I strongly suggest that you not assume that all political parties in the world can be accurately place on a single line between 'liberal' and 'conservative'. DJ Clayworth (talk) 20:23, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

Blondi

Those are some cute-ass dogs. Now dead, shot by Sergeant Tornow.

Was reading the article on Blondi, Hitlers dog, it says that she had 5 puppies. what happened to them? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.191.136.2 (talk) 17:17, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, considering that its been about 60 years now, its pretty safe to say that they are dead right now. But really, on our wikipedia article on Blondi, it says that one of the puppies died, and that it is unknown to anyone what happened to the last four.--Dlo2012 (talk) 18:06, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

We have an article on Hitler's dog!!?? Amazing! -- JackofOz (talk) 22:23, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

As a literary reference: The novel "Dog Years" by Günter Grass is, as the title indicates, about dogs, one of them the late Fuehrer´s canine. Unfortunately, our article on this great novel is not even a minute stublet. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:42, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia has articles on a great many dogs and cats which were in the vicinity of prominent politicians. Chief mouser to the cabinet office discusses cats at 10 Downing Street. List of United States Presidential pets provides a navigational tool to reach all the articles about every animal which lived in the White House. Sixteen of the pets presently have their own stand-alone articles. 150 of them thus far lack individual articles. Edison (talk) 16:09, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

According to a Russian report based on eye witness accounts, Hitler's dog-handler, a Sergeant Fritz Tornow, tested out the cyanide pills on Blondi before Hitler was supposed to take one himself (he ultimately decided on a bullet instead, paranoid that the pills had been switched). Tornow then started drinking to get some Dutch courage before he took the four pups from the arms of the Goebbels children, who would play with them, and shot them in the garden of the New Chancellery bunker (the pups that is, not the children). He then injected Eva Braun's two dogs and his own dachshund with cyanide. He, Tornow, was later captured by the Allies. Rockpocket 08:35, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

Can you give the ref for that Russian report, Rockpocket? SaundersW (talk) 09:52, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

What do you think this is, a reference desk or something ;)?? The report was called File No. 462a, but was published in the West as The Hitler Book: The Secret Dossier Prepared For Stalin From The Interrogations of Hitler's Personal Aides, Edited by Henrik Eberle and Matthias Uhl and translated by Giles MacDonogh, Public Affairs, 2005, ISBN 1586483668. Its a chilling read. Rockpocket 18:34, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

Thank you, good sir! I will append the reference to your contribution (also now added to the article) (unless somebody else has already done so). SaundersW (talk) 09:17, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

Xbox 360 in 1080p

I have an older 360 premium (w/ component cables) and just recently purchased a flat panel tv that is capable of displaying 1080p. I previously had one that displayed only 1080i and the 360 and tv did so without any trouble. Now I have tried to enable the output in 1080p under the dashboard option and it does not display, however the new tv displays 1080i without any trouble. Is there a step I'm missing switching from 1080i to 1080p?Z28boy (talk) 18:06, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

It's a bit unclear, but Xbox 360 seems to suggest you can get 1080p with HDMI cables. Friday (talk) 18:33, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

That would definitely be an option, but unfortunately, being an early adopter, my 360 has no HDMI port. And the dashboard option still exists-- which makes me think there must be a way. Z28boy (talk) 19:38, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Various stories suggest that, for legal reasons, the 360 does not allow 1080p over component video, only over VGA or HDMI, and that VGA is pretty bad. — Lomn 20:25, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

When using VGA the display options are at 'monitor resolution' eg 1920x1024, 1024x768 etc - so how come the article thinks they can use VGA for '1080p'..? see VGA

As for the original question - have you (if you are able to) got the recent updates via x-box live ? maybe it's just a software problem...87.102.72.46 (talk) 11:40, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

According to this article http://uk.gear.ign.com/articles/735/735860p1.html some TV's only accept 1080p through HDMI and not through their component inputs - does your TV have HDMI - could this be the case here?

As a long shot -when you change to 1080p have you tried resetting the TV - ie changing channel away and then back - maybe the TV is confused by the sudden change of format (unlikely)

If none of this helps you could ask again but tell the TV model number and make, this should help to find out if the issue is with the TV or not.

The only reliable solution is to buy a PS3, which comes with inbuilt 1080p and inbuilt awesomeness.

Well I ended up calling Toshiba and they said that my TV will only accept 1080p through HDMI, which sucks. It would seem to me that if companies are pushing "Full HD" so hard, they would make it a little more accessible to people. Oh well thanks for everyones help. Z28boy (talk) 14:44, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

Embargo

Now that Castro's retired, is the goverment going to lift the embargo? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.118.79.173 (talk) 19:42, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

It is to be doubted. I would guess the US government would want democracy and, for all I know, reparations for nationalized industries. However wikipedia is not the place to ask for political speculation. We (try) only (to) do facts. --Tagishsimon (talk) 19:44, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

I probably should not speculate, but while I think that it is almost certain that George W. Bush will not lift the embargo, and it is unlikely that John McCain would lift it if he took office next year, I think that it is fairly likely that a Democratic president (Clinton or Obama) would lift the embargo after taking office next year. Most Americans are indifferent about the embargo, a growing number of Cuban Americans oppose it, and many U.S. businesses would like access to business opportunities in Cuba. Marco polo (talk) 21:02, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

The embargo may only legally be lifted under certain circumstances. Either a provision of the Cuban Democracy Act must be met (which boils down to "the US President must certify to Congress that Cuba is run on democratic principles and that they've accepted capitalism"), or the act must be repealed. There are various other laws that would need to be dealt with as well (Helms-Burton Act, etc.). --Sean 21:52, 19 February 2008 (UTC)