Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 June 14

Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

June 14

Top Flutes

Which company is considered to be the "Steinway" or "Stradivarius of Western concert flutes"? Acceptable (talk) 00:23, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

I honestly don't think there is "one" company in the flute world. Here are some brands and top classical players of the Western concert flute who play them.

• Muramatsu Flutes (James Galway, Trudy Kane, Aurèle Nicolet, and Amy Porter)
• Yamaha (Irena Grafenauer, Joshua Smith, Christian Larde, Massimo Mercelli, Philippe Bernold, and Dieter Flury).
• Brannen Brothers (Timothy Hutchins, Paula Robison, András Adorján , Bart Feller, and Mark Sparks)
• Powell Flutes (Robert Aitken, Maxence Larrieu, Elaine Shaffer, William Morris Kincaid, James Pellerite, Keith Underwood, Robert Langevin, Mathieu Dufour, and Anne Zentner)

Jean-Pierre Rampal, one of the greatest flute players ever, performed on an instrument made by the William S. Haynes Flute Company. It was modeled after the famous 18 carat golden flute made by Louis Esprit Lot (1807-1896) which Rampal had been using from 1948-1958.

Note that a number of players use a headjoint manufactured by a different company (most frequently by LaFin, but also by Oleg, David Williams, Drelinger, Albert Cooper, and others) ---Sluzzelin talk 07:40, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

A standing joke in the flautist community: If you use a Powell head joint on a Haynes body, or vice versa, you will get either a Pain or a Howl. -Arch dude (talk) 02:29, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

Another golf question

So I'm watching round 2 of the U.S. Open tonight. The majority of the players played hole 18 (a par 5 with a deadly water hazard) as their final hole. However, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson played hole 9 (which, to my eyes, looked much less challenging) as their final hole of the night. I believe the announcers referred to it as their "second 9." Now, this just doesn't seem fair. Can someone please explain?--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 01:46, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

To speed up a round, starting holes are staggered. Presumably Woods and Mickelson began on the back nine (10-18) and finished on the front nine. Regardless, all golfers play all 18 holes. After the cut is made, play shifts to all golfers playing 1-18 in the usual sequence. — Lomn 03:59, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Pigs doing weird stuff

About a week ago, I was watching this show on TV about TV bloopers, and I saw one where a reporter was at a farm. It showed two really huge pigs in the background, and the larger one that was black got on top of the pink one's back in a very clumsy manner because it was so fat. I'm not sure what it was trying to do, maybe tackle the other pig or something. Anyways, the cameraman started laughing, and the reporter turned around and saw it, and she started laughing too. I don't know why they were laughing, to me it just looked kind of weird but not very funny. Am I missing something here? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 로그인 계정 만들기 (talk • contribs) 02:56, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

yes, my young innocent, they were Piggybacking. Mhicaoidh (talk) 03:54, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

In other words, they were mating. StuRat (talk) 05:11, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Not necessarily, The one underneath may have been blind and the one on top was guiding it towards the food. (after Noel Coward) Richard Avery (talk) 06:10, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

The version I heard, using dogs, was "Well, Jimmy, the dog on the bottom was just tired, so the dog on top decided to help by pushing her home". StuRat (talk)

No, the fat piggy was being the bridge, and the one underneath was playing trolls. --Karenjc 19:52, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Origin of Word

Where does the word "alphabet" origin from. Is is from Alpha and Beta, the first two Greek letters, or from Aleph and Beit, the first two Arabic letters?? 117.194.225.38 (talk) 05:44, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

The former appears to be correct. [1][2] Rockpocket 06:44, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

This is taken directly from the article Alphabet:

"The word "alphabet" came into Middle English from the Late Latin word Alphabetum, which in turn originated in the Ancient Greek Alphabetos, from alpha and beta, the first two letters of the Greek alphabet. Alpha and beta in turn came from the first two letters of the Phoenician alphabet, and meant ox and house respectively."

So, the English word "alphabet" came from a Latin word, which came from a Greek word, which came from alpha and beta. So, in a roundabout way, "alphabet" did come from "alpha" and "beta." --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 07:12, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

But, the English word "alphabet" came from a Latin word, which came from a Greek word, which came from alpha and beta, which came from aleph and beit, so in a roundabout way it can be either the former or the latter, depending on how far back your analysis goes. -- JackofOz (talk) 22:22, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

But it's unlikely to be "Arabic" in any case, it's older than Arabic. Phoenician is not a bad stab, but they probably precede that language too. Something Semitic in origin would be a half decent guess. --Dweller (talk) 20:37, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

Umm...

[3] Which WA is it referring to, Washington State or Western Australia? Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 10:50, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Did you notice that the website is Australian? Adam Bishop (talk) 11:30, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

How to activate NNM on my nokia?

[[4]]====>After seeing this I'm very interested to activate that feature on my nokia 3310. Plz tell me what should i type on my keypad or what shud I do with my phone to activate that feature....Infact I didn't Understood what is that feature & how is it useful for? So plz tell me more abt that feature & how to activate it on my phone? Plz giv me in detail How to activate....Temuzion (talk) 11:11, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

The article is shit, but appears to have a number of useful links. Is there anything they didn't answer? Nil Einne (talk) 12:34, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

I didn't got satisfactory answer.....First I want to activate it on my phone that's all! now plz tell me how to do it? 1st what is that feature? Temuzion (talk) 06:31, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

Have you tried shouting louder? Mhicaoidh (talk) 11:10, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Removing Bloodstains

Is it possible to completely remove bloodstains from asphalt (blacktop) paving? If so, does the removal process change the color of the asphalt, even slightly? RAhicks (talk) 13:47, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

If it's crimescene the police may be able they may be able to point you in the right direction now that they're done with it. In any case particularly if it's human blood, you might want to refer to a professional as you also want to make sure you adequetly disinfect Nil Einne (talk) 14:33, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Scrub the stain with Coca cola to clean it off (Yes, that actually does work), then rinse down with water. This might stain it a bit if you leave the coke too long, but if you rince it fairly quick with water you'll be fine.--Serviam (talk) 16:12, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

[5] Suggests wiping with a sponge or cloth soaked in warm or cool soapy water. You might consult professional crime scene cleaners: [6] . Edison (talk) 04:28, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

When I was in the cadets, an Army medic teaching us first aid mentioned in passing that when washing large amounts of blood out of one's clothing (as you do) it's best not to start with hot water as this "cooks" the blood into place rather than rinsing it away. 81.187.153.189 (talk) 21:24, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

And for small amounts of blood, few things are as effective as spit. There's a specific agent present in saliva which helps, but I forget the name. 77.44.13.145 (talk) 10:49, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

Alternating DC questions

In the US, the District of Columbia was set up for the location of the capital, Washington, so that it wouldn't be placed in any existing state. The concern was, that if they put it in an existing state, like Virginia, then that state would have disproportional power. So, my questions are:

1) Have any other nations done something similar ?

2) If not, how have they dealt with the concern that the state/province/region housing the capital may gain disproportional power ? StuRat (talk) 14:57, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Many other federations have a distinct territory that is not a state that is home to the capital. For example, Malaysia has 3 Federal Territories of Malaysia, the first set up for the capital, the second is an offshore banking facility and the third set up as a new administrative capital in an effort to reduce congestion in the current capital (amongst other things). Similarly Australia have the Australian Capital Territory. India set up (admitedly only in 1991) the National Capital Territory of Delhi which has always been one of the seven Union Territory (although our article claims, unsourced, it is one the way to statehood). Obviously for non-federations, without states, this isn't so much of an issue. However Wellington was made the capital of New Zealand partially due to concerns the distance of Auckland from the South Island (not entirely the same thing but some similar concerns perhaps Nil Einne (talk) 15:45, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

It was for similar concerns. At the time Wellington was made capital, NZ had provincial governments, similar to those still operating in Canada - also at the time the country's economic power was all in the southern South Island, due to the Otago Gold Rush. Grutness...wha? 00:55, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Another is the Distrito Federal in Brazil, which is occupied only by the capital, Brasília. Deor (talk) 19:57, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

The ACT is physically inside New South Wales, although administratively and legally separate from it. The Constitution came up with a solution to the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne, by specifying the seat of government was to be at least 100 miles from Sydney, but still within the borders of NSW. The payback was that, until such time as the capital Canberra was built, the parliament would meet in Melbourne, which it did for the first 27 years of federation. -- JackofOz (talk) 22:15, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Alternating DC sounds like a contradiction in terms, electrically speaking. Edison (talk) 04:19, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

I think it was an intended pun. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 12:33, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes, I find it's easier to recall the titles I give questions if I make a pun out of them. And, if somebody gets a charge out of them, all the better. StuRat (talk) 13:53, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Watt are you saying? That's revolting! (Oh, m aybe I shouldn't've said that, for fear I'd be resisted.) --Anonymous, 22:22 UTC, June 16, 2008.

Well it's the same thing for the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and of Putrajaya although KL is part of the Klang Valley and isn't exactly far from most of the key centres of the Selangor state. (Kuala Lumpur wasn't built for the purpose, it was seperated from Selangor after the establishment of Malaysia, Putrajaya was however purpose built.) Similarly Putrajaya is next to Cyberjaya and a number of other key areas of Selangor. In Malaysia, at least traditionally there hasn't I think been as much concern or rivalry between the states (at least after Singapore was kicked out), the greatest concern has probably been about the dominance of West or Peninsular Malaysia by East Malaysia (part of Borneo) and there are a number of safeguards there (for example, immigration controls) which were put in place upon the formation of Malaysia. I believe (although I'm not really sure) that Labuan was formed partially for that reason Nil Einne (talk) 02:01, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

Mexico and Venezuela also have separate federal districts coextensive with their capital cities. Corvus cornix_talk 21:04, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Mexico City disagrees: "The Federal District is coextensive with Mexico City: both are governed by a single institution and are constitutionally considered to be the same entity". --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 01:00, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

Um, I think that agrees with what I said. Corvus cornix_talk 02:03, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

Brain fart on my part. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 13:17, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

Most federations have a separate entity for the capital city. Canada is unique in that Ottawa is in Ontario. But while Canadians sometimes fret about the power of Ontario, that's because Toronto is there, not because Ottawa is. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:56, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

Are cell phones making it impossible to turn the camera shutter sound off?

I just bought one (Toshiba) and couldn't turn it off. I don't get it. Who would want a loud sound every time you take a pic? GoingOnTracks (talk) 17:57, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes, that is annoying. On my old Sony Ericsson K750i, I could switch the phone to silent mode and the camera would be silent too. My new K850i however, keeps the camera sound on no matter what - I can however modify the sound to be a more discrete "tennis ball" sound. If you want it to be totally silent, there are some sites on the internet which give info about flashing the phone's memory, but at the price of potentially invalidating the warranty or permanently breaking your phone. As to why phone makers are doing this, perhpas it's something to do with privacy concerns or copyright issues in galleries, theatres, etc. Astronaut (talk) 18:14, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Toshiba make cell phones? I didn't know that. Perhaps they're not available in Europe. Astronaut (talk) 18:33, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes, it does. see. The thing with flashing the phone's memory seems like too dangerous. The phone is brand new. Anyway, I am not trying to make upskirt pics of schoolgirls, so for me is just annoying, but no deal breaker. GoingOnTracks (talk) 19:31, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

For a workaround, how about putting your thumb over the speaker holes when you snap a pic ? StuRat (talk) 00:04, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Or for another workaround, does the phone allow you to save sounds and use them for various actions? If so, you could record a "blank" sound and assign that to the shutter noise. By "blank" I mean just recording a half second or so of just ambient noise. In a quiet enough room, the sound file won't be very loud when recorded. So when taking the picture in a relatively noisier place, the sound will just go unheard. Dismas|^(talk) 02:44, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps you could use a small sample of 4′33″?

Atlant (talk) 13:56, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

This is indeed quite common, and as Astronaut suggested it's due to concerns about people taking surreptitious photos in changing rooms and the like. I'm not certain, but I have a feeling that in some parts of the world it's required by law. Then, of course, it's easier to add the mandated feature to all devices rather than making special models for those countries, and the rest of us get it to. 81.187.153.189 (talk) 21:21, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

I've read that in Japan it is mandatory. You know, all that old men were taking pics under the skirt of schoolgirls in the subway. They have to do something against it. GoingOnTracks (talk) 15:51, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Greatest Mexican

Who do you think was the greatest mexican of the 20th century? and also who is the greatest mexican scientist of the 20th century? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.170.104.24 (talk) 21:42, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Regarding your second question, Mario J. Molina is the only Mexican to have won a Nobel prize in a Science (Alfonso García Robles won the Peace Prize and Octavio Paz won the Literature Prize). Rockpocket 21:50, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Though such speculation is widely frowned upon at the Reference Desk, for the first question you could make a pretty good case for Frida Kahlo. Or her husband, for that matter. Grutness...wha? 00:47, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Or even Emiliano Zapata depending on what you consider of the 20th century and what you consider great. GoingOnTracks (talk) 02:34, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Though it is difficult to argue with a Nobel prize, Luis E. Miramontes is the first name mentioned in the article on combined oral contraceptive pill, which in turn often appears in lists of "the most significant invention of the 20th century". Since this is also an opinion question, and 'cause I can, I will add Consuelo Velázquez, who, at the age of fifteen, wrote one of the catchiest and most successful tunes of 20th century popular music. ---Sluzzelin talk 03:14, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Well in that case, 'cause I can, I will submit Mil Máscaras. Greatness is in the eye of the beholder sometimes, and Mil is way, way up there on my list. Mitchell k dwyer (talk) 07:49, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

My pick is Luis Barragán for Mexican architects, though Octavio Paz is a fave as well. Plus Frida who seems to have long range fame, since people tend to say, Diego who? but Frida's a different story. |:-) Julia Rossi (talk) 07:01, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

What is a prostitute?

Is it fair to call a woman a prostitute if she earns no money from a relationship, but demands/expects that her partner earns/has money? GoingOnTracks (talk) 22:59, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

Whether it is fair or not is a matter of opinion. Our article on Prostitution explains the various meanings of the term. Technically, your scenario probably doesn't fall under those. I would suggest a more common pejorative term would be Gold Digger (the song of the same name explains why). Rockpocket 23:18, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

I wouldn't call such woman "gold diggers" if they are not trying to earn money from the relationship. It looks much more like a form of classism to me. Perhaps internalized classism. I wouldn't call that prostitution. And probably it is not fair to call a woman a prostitute just because you think she is one. 217.168.0.245 (talk) 23:34, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

If the woman contributes nothing but sex to the relationship, and expects money in return, and also has sex with others, then I'd call her a prostitute. However, money is only one way to contribute to a relationship. Housekeeping, raising children, hosting parties, etc., are other ways which women have traditionally contributed. StuRat (talk) 00:01, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

I agree with StuRat. It all depends on how this relationship is constructed. Is it a win/win situation? Is she leeching the partner? Consider that all this extra contributions (raising children, housekeeping, ...) don't bring money directly but also have an economical value. (there is certainly some scholar who analyzed the value of this kind of non-retributed services). Prostitution is normally the exchange money-sex or privileges-sex. In a healthy relationship is much more involved, beyond this simple exchange, something is being built. 217.168.0.245 (talk) 00:11, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

On the other side of the coin, so to speak, the OP might also be interested in the term Sugar Daddy. Dismas|^(talk) 02:38, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

I can't see how it could possibly be fair to call such a woman a prostitute. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 12:24, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

I think that is exactly the point. The OP has never said that the woman had any commercial interest in the relationship. Just that she prefers men with at least some property/income. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.6.118.85 (talk) 15:26, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Not a prostitute. Sounds like a description of 1950's US values - wife at home, and husband the bread winner. Women sought men who could provide, and men were expected to provide for their families. Things have changed since then in general, but still there are plenty of couple who conform to this older model.Mattnad (talk) 17:25, 19 June 2008 (UTC)