Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 February 25

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February 25

Games not played

Why do some people buy games just to leave them untouched? Also, if they have never touched the game, how do they know so much about that game? Yes, I know they might have played the game before, but what if they haven't? And I know they leave games untouched so they can sell them in mint condition, but why does the original buyer buy the games if they won't even touch them? JCI (talk) 02:10, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

So they can sell them in mint condition. It's not a game to them, it's an investment. -mattbuck (Talk) 03:22, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

An extreme example on eBay, the very rare Super Mario RPG. Useight (talk) 03:37, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Why is that game so rare? The article doesn't really say. And I'd be more convinced it was woth $1000 if the bidding had gone up to that, rather than it just being a buy it now. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 10:22, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

And I know they leave games untouched so they can sell them in mint condition, but why does the original buyer buy the games if they won't even touch them? You're answering your own question. Tomdobb (talk) 13:54, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

I'm not sure what your question is exactly, but I have occasionally bought games with the intention of playing them, then never get around to it. (I don't play them immediately, then newer, better games come out in the interim.) Leaving them still in their shrink-wrap. I've done this a lot less since I got a Gamefly Account. APL (talk) 14:04, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Quite a few have also been gifts (e.g. from relatives) at some point. Dealers then either pick them up at garage sales or from "game swap" places. 76.97.245.5 (talk) 14:20, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

For me and my family, it's mostly gifts of games we already have...the duplicates are in mint condition because we never opened them. Also, many people in the games industry (I'm a game programmer) get freebie copies of games they've worked on. Free copies are often given to people who were only involved in the most tangential manner. Anyway - most of those copies end up being unopened and in mint condition simply because if you've spent the last few years of your existence trying to get the darned thing working well - the very last thing you want to do at the end is to play it at home! SteveBaker (talk) 17:08, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

The Best Custom Online News Source

I have been using Google News pretty religiously for the past several years. I like the fact that there isn't an editor making news decisions, that nearly any news story published has a chance of making it, and that stories are displayed based, somewhat, on popularity. I also like that it doesn't really have any huge geographical biases (like say... CNN...), and instead displays only what you ask for.

I do have some sticking points. Firstly, local coverage is very difficult. Setting up a section for "Vancouver" or "Canada" often just yields the most popular stories that have those words in them, not the news that's most relevant to people who live there. And, although the layout is customizable, I think there could be better ways of delivering the content. Can anyone recommend some good, free, online news source/aggregators that have the benefits of delivering stories from the huge array of sources that Google News has, but maybe offers more features and better editing and story filtering. More generally, what sources or tools do you use to make sure that you keep up with international, local and (important to me) business news? NByz (talk) 08:01, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Well, it's a bit more labor intensive but you could get an RSS feed aggregation program and pull RSS feeds from your favorite web sites: Local, national, and international. You may be inundated with all the various stories from each periodical/web site. Dismas|^(talk) 09:12, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Your concerns will largely be addressed by looking at the website of an actual news organization, that isn't restricted to web publication. I've found http://new.bbc.co.uk to be excellent, but given your mention of Canada you may find http://www.cbc.ca/news to be more relevant. These organizations do have news editors and do make decisions based on something other than popularity. And while they aren't customizable they do have region-specific sections. DJ Clayworth (talk) 14:20, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Try [1]76.97.245.5 (talk) 16:02, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

His concerns will not be addressed at all. I am sure he is quite aware already that individual news sites exist, but like me he may feel that there is no single site that is satisfactory. Luwilt (talk) 16:40, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, my ideal would be unlimited sources (like Google News) but with unbiased editting (like no media source I'm aware of...) Maybe some HAL 9000-like super-computer?NByz (talk) 08:28, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

Mumbai query

what is dupping ground, and where are dupping in mumbai location? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.182.144.191 (talk) 13:22, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

I have added a header to differentiate your question from the one above, but I'm afraid I don't understand what you are asking for. Could you explain in more detail what you mean by "dupping ground" (perhaps "dumping"?) so we can try to help you? Thanks. Karenjc 13:34, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

If you are referring to landfill sites, here is a great page to get your information. Fribbler (talk) 14:40, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

(ec) See "Landfill". There is a dumping-ground in Mumbai at 19°08′13″N 72°50′23″E. --Milkbreath (talk) 14:55, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

U-Haul rates

Has anyone ever moved from one state to another and rented a U-Haul? I am moving from an apartment in Pennsylvania to New Jersey. I am already living in Jersey, but need to get my things back in PA (sofa, bed, desk). I figure I will only need one of these bad boys. Does anyone have an idea of the cost? It's less than a 200 mile round trip and I'd only need it for one day. Also, should I rent the truck in Jersey or can I rent it in PA and drop it off in Jersey? Which would be most cost effective? Also, what is the deposit amount? Any help or ideas of cost would be most appreciated. --Endlessdan and his problem 14:37, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Not to be a dick, but you could try calling U-Haul. Tomdobb (talk) 14:52, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Or click on "reserve now" at the link for that "bad boy" you gave us, enter all the information we don't have in the green window (left-hand panel) and follow the thread from there. They'll quote you a price right there. If you're not in the boonies a pod [2] might come cheaper if you don't have s.o. to drive your car up. They don't service everywhere. They'll e-mail you a quote. 76.97.245.5 (talk) 15:14, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Before renting it, you should determine whether your auto insurance will cover any damage to the truck. U-Haul will try to sell you insurance for around $100, so you'll need to know whether you need it. --Sean 16:02, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

What percentage of men remove their pubic hair in some way?

I'm just wondering: is it normal for men to remove some/all of their pubic hair? The articles pubic hair and hair removal give no information as to the incidence of pubic hair removal amongst men. And what about women, what proportion of them remove some or all of their pubic hair? It's actually quite an interesting topic, although would be kinda taboo as a subject therefore difficult to estimate reliably unless surveys have been done... but have such surveys taken place?--HootlePooch (talk) 17:46, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

I'm sure there's a lot of variation across age, race, culture, etc. I wouldn't call it abnormal, although it may not be exceptionally common. I'm sure Maxim or Men's Health or Cosmo has done some survey on this, unfortunately I am Google-less in my current state, but it shouldn't be terribly hard to track something down. Tomdobb (talk) 18:10, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Does "Google-less" mean you were over-zealous with the hair removal? Cycle~ (talk) 18:41, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

I imagine so. But I can't find anything on it at the moment.--HootlePooch (talk) 18:12, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Conversation with my barber:

"Hey Joe, can you take a little off the top? And trim up my sideburns a bit. Oh, and tidy up my balls for me too, wouldya? It's getting a little hairy down there." --Jayron32.talk.contribs 19:18, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Heh. I mostly cut my own hair, but when I do go to the barber (my contribution to keeping the economy flowing), I trust them to know their job, so I've rarely given instructions any more definite than "The same as it is now, only shorter" (which they knew anyway, but you've got to say something). However, in view of Jayron's comment, I'm going to be a little more precise from now on. :) -- JackofOz (talk) 20:14, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Here's an actual source, but it certainly doesn't cover much   ;-)   – 74  19:26, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Thanks. But I would like more actual information. And I'm not talking about specialised treatment, really - merely simple removal of hair.--HootlePooch (talk) 20:46, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

According to this article: "The Flinders University survey showed that 60 per cent of heterosexual men under 50 removed some or all of their pubic, back or buttock hair at least occasionally, with almost a third doing it weekly, fortnightly or monthly." – 74  22:44, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Throwing back hair in with pubes on a survey seems a bit odd. Not wanting to look like a sasquatch isn't the same as wanting to look like a member of the Vienna Boy's Choir, after all. StuRat (talk) 21:31, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

I'm curious what exemplar you would choose to represent the third category. Anyway, the survey results were published in Body Image and are available here (not free), so I don't know if that was the format of the survey or some artful interpretation by the article writer. – 74  23:33, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

A peach so moldy that it's growing "hair" ? StuRat (talk) 16:17, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Interesting to know, thanks. It's just 'cause I always kinda assumed that the only place that straight men were supposed to have hair removed was on their face, neck, and scalp. But evidently not...--HootlePooch (talk) 23:40, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Straight men will do just about anything if they think it will get women to touch their penis. Picture, if you will, a woman who said "You know, I really dig it when guys have cleanly shaven balls." 95% of straight men, upon being told that by a perspective date, would probably be figuring out whether to use shaving cream or an electric for the job. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 03:01, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Interesting that this should be asked now. Seven Days just came out with their bi-yearly Sex Issue. For the issue, they always put together a survey for people to fill out. One of the questions was, of course, about pubic hair. You can view the entire article here. Dismas|^(talk) 03:31, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Odd that there's a question about preferences (in a partner) but not about practices. —Tamfang (talk) 21:12, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

It is always hard to judge questions like this, because the sort of people who complete sex surveys may well not be representative of the general population. They may be suspected of being more open, or exhibitionistic, or boastful. There are other sources of information. One is health professionals -- urologists, obviously, but family doctors/GPs too, and family practice nurses, etc. You could ask yours when you have an appointment, or ask any you meet socially (great ice breaker!). A second source is artwork or public projects such as those by photographer Spencer Tunick. Tunick specialises in persuading thousands of people to strip off simultaneously and walk around a city naked, all turning to the right or raising their arms at his word. The artistic effect is a surreal one. His volunteers are, by definition, not shy about their bodies. The last video I saw featured people of all ages, mostly 20-50 but not all, and very very few shaven pubes. BrainyBabe (talk) 06:57, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

I shave my head once a month and while I'm doing it I shave under my arms and my public hair. Have done for about 10 years now. I don't do it for any sexual reason (I've been married for 7 years so I'm passed all that now). I do it because it makes me feel cleaner, more hygienic. I highly recommend it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.215.183.223 (talk) 10:46, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

I assume that you meant 'pubic'.Either that or it's general admission day at 121's genitals. Buy a ticket and come and join in the fun... Lemon martini (talk) 17:05, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

I shave mine too, but generally only before a date... if there's no prospect of anything happening I generally don't bother... I find it just seems more "clean" in appearance to the woman... Plus as I personally prefer a hair-less woman down there, i feel its hard for me to ask her to do that if I won't do it myself... Gazhiley (talk) 10:59, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

?! Julia Rossi (talk) 12:22, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

?! what? Gazhiley (talk) 13:30, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Don't take any of the above too seriously! Dbfirs 19:54, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

This brings me to a related question- how many men prefer women to shave their pubes and how many women actually do it? --124.254.77.148 (talk) 12:53, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Again, see the survey I posted. Dismas|^(talk) 12:57, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Groundskeeper Willie viewing a pic on upkilt.com: "Eww, this lass could do with a bit a groundskeeping... Ach ! That's Willie !". StuRat (talk) 16:21, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Per the previous response, see also (nonworksafe) Snopes on The Queen sitting next to Men Wearing Kilts. Edison (talk) 02:46, 28 February 2009 (UTC)

Lytton report

Are there any copies of (the text of) the Lytton Report online anywhere free? I had a quick search, but couldn't find anything online. I'm interested because history sources tend to paint the reports as fair and well-judged, but an overly-long tim in the making, but I'm interested to see just what it said (having influenced British thinking to a very great extent). Extracts would be a great start. Thanks, - Jarry1250 ^{(t, c)} 18:56, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

I can't seem to find an online copy. Karl Radek famously said of it that "nothing is to be learned [from it] that any reader could not learn from the Encyclopedia Britannica". But he also said "joking aside, the bad literary composition of this scientific research brigade... has nevertheless a great deal of value"; and "there is more significance in what it says between the lines than in what it states". Strawless ^(talk) 23:42, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Typing your pin in reverse at an ATM

I've just received a message from a friend on facebook which tells me that...
"When a thief forces you to take money from the ATM, do not argue or resist, you might not know what he or she might do to you. What you should do is to punch your PIN in the reverse, i.e if your PIN is 1254, you punch 4521. The moment you punch in the reverse, the money will come out but will be stuck into the machine half way out and it will alert police without the notice of the thief. Every ATM has it, it is specially made to signify danger and help. Not everyone is aware of this. Forward this to all your friends and those you care for." This sounds like a load of old cobblers (or worse) but before I reply informing them of this, I thought I'd check. Is this possibly the case? Could ATMs do this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.111.86.8 (talk) 21:41, 25 February 2009 (UTC) (Formatted: all-caps removed. – 74  23:27, 25 February 2009 (UTC))

False & False, thanks. Of course, one would hope it was true, but there we go. --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:56, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

If it were true it would be self-defeating. To be effective most people would have to know the trick. Yet to be effective it relies on any potential thief not knowing the trick. DJ Clayworth (talk) 22:15, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Not true - after all, what if your PIN is palindromic. -mattbuck (Talk) 22:14, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Perhaps the OP might consider getting rid of the shouting, now that the query has been answered. // BL \\ (talk) 23:02, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, as I thought, thanks. So what's the point of these messages? Is there something more going on behind them or are they just pointless? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.111.86.8 (talk) 22:42, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

See chain letter. – 74  22:47, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

They are pointless. I suppose what motivates people to write them is the challenge, in most cases. (In some cases, there are clear political motivations, but it doesn't seem to be the case here.) --98.217.14.211 (talk) 23:09, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Sorry about the shouting // BL \\ I didn't know how to change a block of text to lower case without re-typing the whole thing. How's it done? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.111.86.8 (talk) 23:34, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

MS-Word and many text editors can change case between five or more options - title, sentence, upper, lower, and, err, I forget. --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:11, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Fully capitalised? --Tango (talk) 00:43, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Toggle case, in case you've been typing with caps lock on. Under 'Format' -> 'Change Case'. 67.169.118.40 (talk) 01:29, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

This is just one in a wide variety of "send this to all your friends" messages. They basically qualify as computer worms - the intent is for the content to reproduce itself in the wild, and the challenge is to write something plausible enough that it will get widely distributed. One of the ingenious ones was about how Kentucky Fried Chicken changed its name to KFC because they had genetically modified their chickens so that they weren't chickens anymore. I suppose the proof of success is when you get your message back weeks later, then you know that your creation was successful. It's amazing how many people fall for the wilder stories. Franamax (talk) 02:08, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

But in this case, you're liable to get a good punch in the face when your card gets rejected the first time. Franamax (talk) 02:10, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Not all such email warnings are false. I received the following message today from a 100% reliable source and I urge everyone to heed it lest they fall victim to this devious scam...:

This warning is VERY important. Please send it to everyone on your email list. If someone comes to your front door and says they are conducting a survey and asks you to show them your arse, DO NOT show them your arse. This is a SCAM, they just want to see your arse. I wish I'd got this yesterday. I feel so stupid and cheap.

Be warned! Rockpocket 07:10, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Ahh, but - you forgot the part about "SEND this to ALL your friends". That's the difference - obviously that one was a genuine warning :) Which reminds me, this morning a slip of paper was stuck under my apartment door "We will be testing smoke alarms in all units on Mar. 2". I see now it's just another one of those scams... :) Franamax (talk) 08:17, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

You have to send it to all your friends, not just some, or you will get 100 years bad luck and/or your email account will be terminated. -mattbuck (Talk) 14:12, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

What if your PIN is palindromic? Either it will alert the police every time or it won't ever alert them. 194.100.223.164 (talk) 09:25, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Well, you say that...but it's well known that if someone is forcing you at gunpoint to ask stupid questions on the Wikipedia reference desk, all you have to do is to sneakily HIT THE CAPS=LOCK KEY AND THE HIGHLY TRAINED RESPONDANTS ON THE REF DESK WILL KEEP WHINING ON ABOUT IT WITHOUT ANSWERING THE QUESTION UNTIL EITHER THE POLICE GET THERE OR YOUR ASSAILANT GETS BORED AND GOES HOME. ALL REFERENCE DESKS AND FORUM SYSTEMS ARE BUILT LIKE THIS. SteveBaker (talk) 01:55, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Quick, somebody type up an email! We've got to get the word out and save countless lives! – 74  03:17, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

ALERT THE INTERNET! -mattbuck (Talk) 16:52, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Nah,let's tell people whose opinion actually matters.... ;) Lemon martini (talk) 17:07, 1 March 2009 (UTC)