Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012 July 11

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July 11

How do you exit out of your messaging sytem a Samsung cell phone?

How do you exit out of your messaging sytem a Samsung cell phone? Narwhalgal84 (talk) 03:44, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

press "end"? Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 ^{> haneʼ} 03:46, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

Blue-ray and DVD

What is difference between a DVD player and BlueRay player. Does a BlueRay player play standard DVD and CD as well ? Also, most DVD players, with time, slowly loose their ability to play all DVD/CDs, i.e. a small scratch on disk or a slight irregularity in disk symmetry is enough for them to give the dreaded verdict of "NO DISK". Can buying a BluRay player ( if they do play DVDs/CDs as well ) solve this headache ? 124.253.91.41 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 05:06, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

The main diff is that they use a blue laser, which can distinguish between smaller pits on the disk, allowing Blu-Ray to store more data. Every Blu-Ray player I've seen also plays DVDs and CDs, but you better read the box, just to make sure. There's no reason to think a Blu-Ray player will last any longer than a standard DVD player. I wouldn't buy a Blu-Ray player unless you actually need it to play Blu-Ray disks. StuRat (talk) 05:33, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

Is the picture quality Blu-Ray better (then DVD) enough to spend money or the difference in quality is not worth the expense...?124.253.91.41 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 05:56, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

DVDs will look exactly the same on a DVD player or Blu-Ray player. As for Blu-Ray disks, they have slightly better pictures, but, whether it's enough of a diff to justify an upgrade, that's a matter of opinion. The only place I found a noticeable difference between Blu-Ray and DVD is when trying to read tiny credits. Based on lackluster Blu-Ray sales, most people seem to think it's not worth the upgrade costs. Some other factors to consider are that Blu-Ray seems to be even more susceptible to small scratches, Blu-Ray disks are more expensive, and streaming video is replacing both Blu-Ray and DVD viewing (that's how I get my movies now). I've also noticed that Blu-Ray is slower, say when navigating through menus, since there is now more data to be loaded. Also, if you don't have a 1080 HD TV, you won't get the full benefit of Blu-Ray, either. StuRat (talk) 06:16, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

Blu-ray players playback video in HD, but conventional DVDs play only SD. HD has more video resolution and, if connected to an HDTV television set, Blu-ray will produce a sharper and more-detailed picture than DVD. --Thomprod (talk) 11:45, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

If you are getting error messages on your DVD player, run a DVD lens cleaning disk in it. If your DVD player has a cooling fan, that can draw a lot of dust into the machine.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:38, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

An esoteric theory: You die, and wake up from a nightmare in an alternate universe.

Let's say that the Lord doesn't believe that a young one who dies, has finished their calling / what they were set out to do, on this Earth. Or to various demographics, that there isn't even a God.

Either way, the theory is that anyone who dies an "untimely" death wakes up from a nightmare in an alternate universe, not necessarily being made aware that they were transported by their deaths, to said alternate reality.

Sounds nifty, but there has got to be a term for it. What am I looking for, and will Wikipedia have it? Thanks. --70.179.170.114 (talk) 12:24, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

Sounds similar to, but not quite the same as, what is contained in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, from which many New Age rebirth theories have come. --TammyMoet (talk) 12:38, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

Strictly speaking, this isn't a theory — there's no way to test it in a way that the results could be transmitted to others. I don't think there's a name for this; I would file it under "one of an infinite number of untestable hypotheses about what happens when you die." We probably don't have a name for the hypothesis that everyone who dies an untimely test is, say, turned into a grain of sand, either. There are many religions with rebirth and reincarnation theories, there are also many variations on the dream argument, but I'm not sure there's a specific name corresponding to what you've outlined. --Mr.98 (talk) 12:42, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm thinking "science fiction", or as some sci-fi writers like to call it, "speculative fiction." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:19, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

There must be a philosophical term for believing your life here is just something you're dreaming in the real universe. Clarityfiend (talk) 03:33, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

The concept was put into verse by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his poem "A Psalm of Life: or, what the young man said to the psalmist". --TammyMoet (talk) 09:01, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

Sounds similar to Zhuangzi and the butterfly dream, except in that case the question of which is the dreamer and which is the dream is left open. Pfly (talk) 09:46, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

I think I've already seen this movie. Roger (talk) 11:06, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

− I'm no expert on Kaballa, but I believe it has a concept that is similar to that which you describe, called "Gilgul". NB the mainstream understanding of Gilgul does have some differences with your description, but, like everything else in Judaism, you can find differing interpretations of varying worth. The "nightmare" bit doesn't make much sense to me... who was the person who went to sleep in universe #2 and where have they now gone to? --Dweller (talk) 11:09, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

Dweller, if the death is a particularly violent one, then they'd wake up for a nightmare. I thought of such deaths at first (gunshot, falling a great height, anything that may cause a great increase in heartrate shortly beforehand.) I suppose if someone dies peacefully in their sleep, then it's not as much of a nightmare at that point. --70.179.170.114 (talk) 14:52, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

But who was the sleeper who lay down in the bed, and where have they gone, now they've been replaced by someone from another universe [who thinks that they've had a nightmare]? --Dweller (talk) 15:51, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

More broadly speaking, the idea that reality doesn't actually exist and everything is just in your mind is a metaphysical position called Solipsism. You may also find Brain in a vat and Evil demon interesting. Vespine (talk) 00:21, 17 July 2012 (UTC)

Electricity Producers and Technical Terms

Dear Wikipedians,

I am reading about the electricity market (I really know how to make Wednesday's party hard!), and I keep coming across the terms 'Merchant Providers', 'Independant Power Providers' and 'Portfolio Producers'. What are these things and how are they different from each other? Thanks in advance, Prokhorovka (talk) 13:48, 11 July 2012 (UTC).

Power sales laws have changed in the last few decades. I think if you have a windmill or waterwheel and you put power back onto the grid. (make the meter go backwards) the power company pays you for it and this would make you an 'Independant Power Provider'. The others may be investors. They buy power at lower rates or future times and then sell it to customers in areas where the local suppliers have higher prices. They may also save money by reading your meter less often (wages of the readers) and signing you to a fixed price for 6 months type thing. Your bill may be lower if you book a price for 6 months and then the price goes up for everyone else. The person that sold you the 'future power' doesn't lose because they bought it all ahead of time at a lower price. There are probably all sorts of terms out there and some they may make up themselves.--Canoe1967 (talk) 16:20, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

got a SERIOUS problem

This is questions is beyond the scope of the refdesk, please seek advice elsewhere. Monty845 16:39, 11 July 2012 (UTC)
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
so on Saturday night I have to say I got real drunk, really really drunk and I passed out n my friend Toms room and before that I vomited all over his shoes and he was not happy about that and so anyway while I was passed out and i had taken my shoes and trousers off as well ands o then tom actually un does my boxer shorts and takes a load of pictures of my penis and then hes uploaded them to some gay cruese website and put my email address on it and now I have all these guys writing me emails and sendimg me pictures of their cocks and WHAT DO I DO???— Preceding unsigned comment added by Daniel_2010101 (talk • contribs) First, change your email to a different service, and notify your friends except Tom. Ian.thomson (talk) 15:04, 11 July 2012 (UTC) <Remainder removed - Wikipedia cannot offer legal advice - Cucumber Mike (talk) 16:34, 11 July 2012 (UTC)> All of that advice is good, but perhaps you are really young, under 18. In which case, you should tell your parents or a teacher. I know it will be difficult and you will get Tom into trouble, and perhaps be in some trouble yourself for drinking. But the guys running the website and sending the photos around need to know that a child is involved. If you are a bit older and you are a student, you could inform your college or whatever advice service for students that they have. Please do get some advice from someone near you, because we are just random strangers on the internet and we don't even know what country you're in. Itsmejudith (talk) 15:14, 11 July 2012 (UTC) Hi. I'm sorry, but I have removed some of Ian's answer since it contained legal advice, which we aren't allowed to give. Judith's advice is very good, though. Please speak to someone you trust, preferably someone in a position of authority - teachers, youth workers, religious leaders and Scout leaders will all have had training (at least in Western countries) about how to deal with exactly this kind of situation. What you have to say will not shock them, and they will not be angry, but they will be able to help - either just by talking with you or by helping you to speak to the right authorities. You've taken a good first step by asking for help, but you really need to speak to someone in person. Best of luck. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 16:34, 11 July 2012 (UTC) Not to give legal advice but you may wish to contact the webmaster of the site and ask them to remove the images and email address.--Canoe1967 (talk) 16:24, 11 July 2012 (UTC) <Removed unhelpful comment - Cucumber Mike (talk) 16:34, 11 July 2012 (UTC)>

Purchasing a phone with Verizon prepaid credit

I am in the US. I have a cheap Verizon flip phone with a prepaid account. It has more credit built up on it than I will be able to use before they make me buy more. Is there any way I can use this credit to purchase something other than games, ringtones and service? It would be nice to upgrade to a better phone, or use the credit on something that isn't phone related at all. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 17:14, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

You'd do best to contact them directly, and a storefront will be a better idea than a phone rep. But the whole idea of pre-paid phones is to make non-refundable money off a customer they assume has bad credit.

I know what you mean. Just in my family, there are those of us who run out of days first, and those who run out of minutes first. Different plans/purchase amounts can vary the ratio slightly, but not as far as we need to. One option is just to swap phones periodically, so the person short on days can use the other person's, and the person short on minutes can do the reverse. Of course, this does mean that incoming calls go to the wrong phone.

In your case, maybe you have a friend or acquaintance who would pay you something to make a long call on your phone, thus getting some benefit. Or, you could just let them use it for free, and get a "gold star" from them. StuRat (talk) 23:32, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm not sure how these things work in America, but in China buying new credit will extend the expiry date for *all* your credit (e.g. if you have $100 credit that expires tomorrow, and buy another $5 of credit, you'll still have the whole $105 in several days time). So you can just keep buying the minimum amount of credit a day or two before your account expires to get your extra 3 months or whatever. American users can probably confirm whether or not this will work over there. 59.108.42.46 (talk) 03:59, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

I can tell you from personal experience working on the other side of the counter that that will not necessarily work, you really have to contact the provider, it could be an unpleasant waste of money. A quick call or, better, visit, will be infinitely more helpful than speculation. μηδείς (talk) 04:46, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

I believe the term "rollover minutes" applies to unused minutes that don't go away at the end of the period. Some plans do this, others do not. However, even if your minutes do roll over, you may still find yourself in a situation where they continue to accrue, indefinitely, if you don't make as many calls as your plan can handle. This seems like a waste, in that you may never use those minutes. I believe that's the OP's situation. StuRat (talk) 05:51, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

Each time you put credit on the account the expiration date for the account gets pushed out. I use less money than I add to keep the account active, so credit builds up. I'm not looking for Verizon to refund it, I know that won't work. I'm hoping for services that let me pay via premium text or something like that. They have vending machines in Japan that can accept prepaid phone credit, I wish we had options like that over here. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 11:47, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

"Wanting" to do something, and being capable of doing so without cost to self, but not actually doing it

I know that there is a word that describes the state of wanting to do something or knowing something is good for you (e.g. "I know I should exercise more, and want to make a start ASAP!"), and despite being physically able to do it (we're not talking about external constraints or costs - no "but I can't because I've sprained my ankle" or "but the gym is so expensive these days") not actually doing it ("somehow I just never seem to get around to it."). I also know there is some philosophical/psychological discussion about what this tells us about the idea of volition - can I really say that I "wanted" to do it, if actually I didn't do it? Does anyone know the name for this phenomenon, I think it is originally a concept from Greek philosophy? I found it a really interesting concept, so would appreciate it if I could be pointed in the direction of good further reading. Unfortunately search-engine attempts to find what I'm looking for keep on pointing me towards blogs, agony aunts and self-help pages.... ManyQuestionsFewAnswers (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 22:56, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

Don't know about the name for it, but, according to Freud, there are multiple, often conflicting desires, named the id, ego, and superego. So saying you want to do something but don't probably means one of those is for it, but another is against it, and that one wins. StuRat (talk) 23:25, 11 July 2012 (UTC)

(A related concept is velleity, sometimes defined as "a mild desire, a wish or urge too slight to lead to action", but that's not quite what I'm looking for. ManyQuestionsFewAnswers (talk) 23:00, 11 July 2012 (UTC))

I think I have heard of the word ennui being used this way. Bus stop (talk) 04:08, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

You are thinking of akrasia. King James Bible, Romans 7:19 "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." μηδείς (talk) 04:10, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

"Inertia" could be a term to refer to that which can be said to hold one back from initiating a new activity. Bus stop (talk) 04:20, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

The OP has specifically asked for a term from Greek philosophy, akrasia (it's also used in the New Testament and attributed to Jesus) , which has been provided. I suggest we refrain from just throwing out words without links or refs, or we might find ourselves forced to drink hemlock. μηδείς (talk) 04:27, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

Beware of Greeks bearing diffs. -- ♬ Jack of Oz ♬ ^{[your turn]} 08:10, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

Beautiful. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:20, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

Agreed. μηδείς (talk) 16:26, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

Yes brilliant thanks, it's akrasia. Actually bus stop is correct to suggest "inertia" also exists as a technical term in psychology (there is a not very good Wiki article) although it is not the term I was looking for. Is there a clear distinction between inertia, velleity and akrasia? StuRat's comment about Freud was also interesting - it seems natural that Freud would consider such a thing, but if he did it doesn't seem to make it into the akrasia article. In fact there's a talk page comment from 2006 in which somebody else was asking the same question! ManyQuestionsFewAnswers (talk) 23:01, 12 July 2012 (UTC)

If your mind is telling you to act in a certain way but you're nevertheless acting in a different way, there's something else, something deeper and/or stronger influencing you. The suppositions at the core of Neuro-linguistic programming include:

• Behind every behavior is a positive intention
• People are doing the best they can with the choices they have available. -- ♬ Jack of Oz ♬ ^{[your turn]} 08:45, 13 July 2012 (UTC)

procrastination — Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.148.134.243 (talk) 10:26, 14 July 2012 (UTC)