Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 July 8

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.

July 8

Request a Bio on Wikipedia

My question to Wikipedia is how do I get a bio that can be looked up on your site. Not only am I a published author "The Road to Austin by Matt Garrett", but I am a Girls Basketball coach that has won three state championships; have coached 20 national records; I speak at coaches conventions all over the place; have been named Texas Coach of the Year twice. One of the more notable events in my life is the birth of my son. He was born between State Championship games and the Texas State government flew me back and forth between games so that I could make his birth and coach in the State Championship.

I would be happy to sit and visit with any staff member to give them all the information they need for an entry. I can be available by phone upon request (I notice it said not to leave any contact information on this request). — Preceding unsigned comment added by Coachgarrett (talk • contribs) 02:30, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

When it comes to writing articles, there is no staff, everything is done by volunteers who freely contribute their time. The main criterion for having an article about a person is the existence of substantial independent coverage by reputable published sources, for example news articles about you, reviews of your books in major publications, etc. Usually publications that have a purely localized distribution are not considered adequate to establish the notability needed for a Wikipedia article. Assuming that good sources exist, anybody who wants to could write an article about you. That includes even you yourself, but people writing articles about themselves is discouraged, because experience shows that, for obvious reasons, they often find it difficult to be neutral. Such articles tend to be "puff pieces", and the process of making them neutral can be emotionally painful for the person involved. Looie496 (talk) 03:06, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Requested articles is one place to start if you think a topic deserves an article but don't want to write it yourself. --Colapeninsula (talk) 09:45, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Since you mention a notable event, an article to read is WP:N which is the guideline to notability as understood in Wikipedia. A suggestion: you can have full control of your bio on your own website. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:46, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

If you should decide to author an article about yourself without being certain that it satisfies Wikipedia's requirements for notability, you should be aware that the article could be deleted. WP:DP describes Wikipedia's deletion policy. Even if the article is not deleted, it will almost certainly be edited for bias or to remove statements not supported by reliable sources, as well as for clarity, grammar, and so on. Marco polo (talk) 14:38, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

about hair remover products or technology

hi..I m 19 years old boy.I have a problem that there are a lot of hairs in my body like in chest,stomatchand other parts of body which is not usefulto me....so i wanted to know that: Is there any good permanent hair removing process which works without any side effects?...may it permanent remove my unwanted hair forever? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Littil.tornado (talk • contribs) 03:01, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

An answer to this question would constitute medical advice, and we are prohibited from giving medical advice on the Reference Desks. Looie496 (talk) 03:08, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

No, most hair removal methods do not require a doctor, so discussing those is not medical advice. StuRat (talk) 14:42, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Besides which, most women dig a man with a hairy chest. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:42, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

OR ? Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:37, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Or? Quite a few men prefer men with hairy chests, as well. ;) Tevildo (talk) 18:43, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Whatever floats yer boat. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:42, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

Our page Hair removal has lots of information and links to pages on individual methods. Most common and effective hair-removal methods are temporary, although the page does discuss some more permanent methods that may or may not work. --Colapeninsula (talk) 09:47, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Permanent hair removal/reduction is expensive and works to varying degrees, as you can see in our articles linked above. Laser hair removal and electrolysis are the two main options. I've been lasering off some of my hair lately using the Tria, which seemed to me to be the best combination of not-crazy-expensive, small risk of side effects, and reasonably effective. (It's also probably the most popular option.) It seems to be working somewhat, but not amazingly--consistent with its very mixed reviews on Amazon. Professional salon lasers are stronger and more effective, but they also cost a fortune. Lasers also are only for reduction, rather than total removal of hair. For total removal you have to go individually hair by hair using electrolysis. This is very expensive and slow for large areas, and doing it at home (or with an untrained operator) risks scarring etc. So unless you have a lot of money and time to invest in treatments, and a high tolerance for pain (the Tria can hurt like hell, and I think other methods are similar), there aren't a lot of good options. In theory, yes, you can have permanent hair removal, but in practice maybe it's not worth it. Calliopejen1 (talk) 15:53, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

I'd add that at 19, you might not realise that this hair is normal for a guy. Men typically have hair on their chests, stomachs, and other areas. Some have more or less than others, and that's completely normal, and some don't grow this hair until they are older, meaning they are more 'boyish' right now, while you are showing more obvious physical signs of manhood. Traditionally, being hairier has been considered more masculine, more 'manly', although cultures vary. I would definitely wait for a few years before exploring permanent options, to see if you feel the same way once your friends get hairier. And, obviously, I would check with a doctor before permanently altering your body. 86.164.161.164 (talk) 15:56, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

A 19 year old "boy"? Most places would regard a 19 year old as an adult. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:42, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

For buying alcohol? HiLo48 (talk) 18:31, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

Typically not. But there are plenty of things you can do at 18 that you can't do at 17: you can vote, you can get credit cards, you can be tried as an adult... all sorts of useful stuff. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:43, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

Typically you can buy alcohol at 19 or earlier everywhere in the world except your bizarro-land country. Adam Bishop (talk) 20:26, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

You can be tried as an adult at 17 in many U.S. states. Some states even had or have no age limit: 1997 in Michigan (11 years old), 2010 in Pennsylvania (12 years old) Neutrality^talk 22:43, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

Yes, to both comments; the laws defining adulthood vary from state to state. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:32, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Many editors here at the Reference Desk have been looking for an effective hare removal product for years. Try as we might, the techniques used have only had temporary results. Please let us know if you find a more permanent solution. 66.87.81.245 (talk) 19:36, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

What is this plane?

What am i?

I thought this was a Fairchild C-123 Provider but our article says the USCG doesn't use them anymore. So, anyone know what this is? Beeblebrox (talk) 07:07, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

It is a Lockheed HC-130H. --Daniel 07:27, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Does appear to be a Lockheed HC-130. Now we just need to figure out why they were offloading a SUV at a civilian airport... Beeblebrox (talk) 07:36, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Confirmed HC-130! - Ahunt (talk) 10:51, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Kempton Bunton

When did he die? Kittybrewster ☎ 13:31, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

According to ancestry.co.uk there is only one death record for a person of that name. Kempton Canwon Bunton (b c. 1904) died Apr-Jun 1976 in Newcastle (or that's where the death was registered). It says he was born Jul-Sep 1904, also in Newcastle.--Phil Holmes (talk) 16:40, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Adding speakers

I bought a package deal (all Samsung) from an electronics store that included a TV, a Blu-Ray player, and a sound system (amp plus speakers). Now, I have the Blu-Ray hooked up to the TV and I have a standard DVD player, an X-Box360, and a Wii also attached to the TV (remember the days when TV only had one or two inputs?). Now that we're sure we don't want to shift the TV around, it's time to attach the sound system. Since everything plugs into the TV, it would seem an obvious choice to connect the TV's output to the amp so that I could use the amp with any of the devices. My question is, is there anything to be lost by doing so? By going through the TV first, am I losing anything? Or, to put it the other way, are there any gains to connecting the amp directly to the BD player instead? Obviously I would lose the ability to use my other doodads in conjunction with the amp, but that wouldn't be a huge hardship for me. Suggestions? Anything else I should consider? Matt Deres (talk) 13:56, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

How will your tv screen know that your preferred default tv input setting at switch on is tv? Kittybrewster ☎ 14:29, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

The TV has an input select function. When it comes to switching to the BD player, the switching is automatically done as soon as the disc starts playing. Likewise, the BD player turns itself off when I turn off the TV (and the TV turns on when I load a disc in the BD player). That part is all part of the design. Matt Deres (talk) 15:21, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

With each new connection or component there's the potential for more interference. Whether that actually occurs to a noticeable degree is for you to determine. Note that going through the TV does have one benefit, you can now use the TV remote to control the volume (and maybe balance and treble/bass). If you have no other means of controlling the volume (or just none via a remote), then this is fairly important. StuRat (talk) 14:38, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

There are a host of different inputs and outputs to choose from (digital audio, RCA plugs, etc.). If I use the DAC, would that be less likely to have interference? I'm assuming (perhaps wrongly) that RCA plugs would be analog and therefore more susceptible to that kind of thing. Matt Deres (talk) 15:21, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Yes, RCA connections are analog, and perhaps more susceptible to minor EMF interference than digital (but with major interference, digital can drop out entirely, while you still get something with analog). However, much more basic forms of interference, like an intermittent contact at the connector, will affect both. StuRat (talk) 04:35, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

Thank you for the help. Matt Deres (talk) 23:56, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

Hopefully you're using HDMI to connect the Bluray and 360 to the TV and not component. (Or, heaven forbid, composite.) In that case it could be digital all the way through. Does anybody know if TVs convert the audio to analog for some reason before re-outputting it to the TV's digital audio jack? APL (talk) 09:12, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Car insurance

This is a question that probably has an easy answer, but my Googling was not coming up with it. ("How to get car insurance when buying a new car" is a commonly searched for phrase, apparently, but none of the answers that come up seem to actually answer my question.)

I don't have car insurance. I don't have a car.

I'm buying a car. I need to have proof of car insurance to buy the car. I need to have a car to get car insurance. Is this right?

So how do I buy both the car and the insurance simultaneously? (Obviously I've never bought a car before; I'm sure this is hardly an unusual situation.)

This is in the United States, in Washington, DC, or Virginia, or somewhere around there. (Exact car dealership not yet determined.) --Mr.98 (talk) 15:12, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Slightly related, though not actually answering your question, is this. Bus stop (talk) 15:18, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, that's if you already have insurance and if you are wanting to find out how much a new car is going to raise the rates (by model). That's not so much a concern. --Mr.98 (talk)

Oh, I read it fast. Bus stop (talk) 15:30, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

If you are expecting to go to a car dealer, pay cash, and drive your car away immediately, then it is possible to arrange short-term car insurance over the phone - here is a UK example; I am sure there are similar services in the US. Search for "day cover", "temporary cover" or "drive away cover". I imagine the insurance company will be able to fax or e-mail a copy of your policy to the dealer if they want proof that you are insured before they give you the keys. Alternatively, if you are going to visit the dealer, sign a contract, and then collect your car a few days later, then you have time to arrange longer term insurance - car insurance policies are typically for one year at a time. Note that you don't actually have to own the car to arrange the insurance - you just need to provide registration, make and model and explain when you are collecting the car, and the insurer will arrange for your cover to start from that date and time. Gandalf61 (talk) 15:44, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

You can actually purchase car insurance for a car before you have completed your purchase of the car. Insurance companies are happy to take your money in a situation in which they may end up with no liability! Do some comparison shopping for car insurance before you buy your car. Talk to a reputable agent (e.g., one recommended by an older person who has had years of experience with this and/or other insurance agent). Then buy the policy that suits your needs when you have identified the car you will purchase. You can have the agent (or the insurer) fax a certificate of insurance to the car seller or dealer. Marco polo (talk) 16:15, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

That is what I expected the case may be, thanks. --Mr.98 (talk) 20:07, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

And if you get really desparate, call any car dealership or auto insurance agency, and ask them how it works. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:39, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

I've done this before. First talk to an insurer or broker and tell them what car you want buy and insure, and agree on a price. They'll need to know the make and model and your personal info to give you a quote. Next step is to agree with the dealership on the basic purchase details; they can then supply you with the VIN and other info the insurer needs to complete the insurance transaction. Insurance is now in place, go to the dealership, take delivery of the car and drive off (probably to the Department Motor Vehicle to get the car registered and have license plates issued). In some cases, you may need to pick up a temporary license plate from the DMV before you can drive your new car off the lot. Your dealership will advise you on that. And it's a good idea to have insurance in place from the first moment you own the car; people have been known to crash their brand new cars on their way out of the lot.--Xuxl (talk) 19:55, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

I changed insurance carriers when I bought my last car. It took me all of ten minutes to sign up for a new policy with a new company, while the car lot was gathering their paperwork to have me sign. By the time I was done autographing a thousand pages, the faxed declaration page of my new insurance policy arrived. Foofish (talk) 02:38, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Portable thing - identification

There's a rock festival near where I live at the moment, and the town centre is full of long-haired leather-clad young persons. In addition to the normal rucksacks, groundsheets, etc, many of them are carrying the subject of my query. It's a fairly small round thing, about the size of a bicycle wheel and two or three inches thick. It's obviously some sort of portable item of domestic furniture, but - what exactly is it? Tevildo (talk) 19:22, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

More detail needed. What material or color was it? How was it used, positioned, or carried? How common were they? Also your question seems really circuitous in its phrasing. It took me a while to parse your meaning. i kan reed (talk) 19:27, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

They're generally in a nylon bag with webbing straps, carried either as a suitcase would be or over the shoulders underneath the rucksack. I would say about 60% of the festival-goers have them. If I'd seen one out of its bag or actually in use, I'm sure I wouldn't need to ask what it was. ;) Tevildo (talk) 19:35, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Sounds like a kind of folding chair to me. A perfectly sensible thing to bring to an outdoor concert. i kan reed (talk) 19:38, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

I've never seen a folding chair in a round bag. OP, what makes you think that it's a piece of domestic furniture? Could it be a portable hibachi? Something like this perhaps? Dismas|^(talk) 19:40, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Well, it may not be furniture - it's something that's apparently useful to have at a rock festival. They _might_ be portable barbecues, although they seem rather too prevalent for that, and the dimensions are wrong - they're much thinner (in relation to their diameter) than the pan in your photo. A chair is certainly a more reasonable hypothesis (although in my young day we used to sit on the floor!). Perhaps I should disguise myself as a rocker and ask somebody tomorrow. :) Tevildo (talk) 20:01, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

No no no... it's a POP-UP TENT! - I didn't know - I had to ask some teenagers :-) Alansplodge (talk) 20:45, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

That is the beastie! Thank you so much. They can get a tent into a bag that size? I feel (a) old and (b) overawed by the miracles of modern technology... Tevildo (talk) 20:49, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Indeed. This is my kind of tent with proper wooden poles and pegs - the youth of today etc etc... Alansplodge (talk) 21:26, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

They can now listen to the music with intent. I know, terrible!! Richard Avery (talk) 07:09, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

Their joy will be in tents. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:29, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

A word of warning: these pop-up tents are wonderfully easy to erect but very hard to pack away. If you're thinking of using one then experiment with it beforehand. Check on YouTube for a video of how to pack one away. The diagrams on the tent packaging were (for me) insufficient. --Frumpo (talk) 23:08, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

I have the exact same problem with my sleeping bag, it came all compressed in a tiny bag for convenience, and I've yet to get it back in the bag, no matter how tightly I roll it, it just won't fit--Jac16888 ^Talk 14:37, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

With many modern sleeping bags you don't roll them to get them into the stuff sack. Just stuff it into the bag (large end first) and keep stuffing and it will go in. DuncanHill (talk) 08:58, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

And so we get left with this. Richard Avery (talk) 14:40, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Is the town of Kamakwie the most northern town in Sierra_leone?

Is the town of Kamakwie the most northern town in Sierra_Leone? Neptunekh2 (talk) 19:57, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

At the top right hand of the Kamakwie article you will find a set of coordinates in a link. If you click on that you can find those coordinates on Google Maps or another mapping site. There you will see where this town is located exactly. Does it look like it is the northern most town? Since Sierra Leone's northern most border is perfectly latitudinal there are likely multiple towns right on the border and thus no single Northern most town. I am curious why you are interest in this topic, you have asked questions about it multiple times. --Daniel 20:11, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

Falaba is more northern. Basically go on google maps and search Sierra leone (that's what I did) ny156uk (talk) 20:12, 8 July 2011 (UTC)