Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012 August 18

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August 18

African shop selling boubou Toronto

Is there an African shop that sells boubous in Toronto, Canada? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.92.154.66 (talk) 04:35, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

You can ask at http://toronto.askalo.ca (main page http://www.askalo.info).

—Wavelength (talk) 04:47, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

Boubou (clothing). μηδείς (talk) 04:54, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

You can have a bespoke one made in Mississauga. Deor (talk) 16:20, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

A conversion machine

For my research, I am seeking information pertaining to a machine that converts liquids into solids. I require such simple information, such as: 1.Where is such a machine located? 2. Does this specialized machine exist in the US or overseas? 3. A contact name and address for such machine. Len, Miami Beach, FL--108.227.212.125 (talk) 13:38, 18 August 2012

What liquid into what solid? --Tango (talk) 13:58, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

I can freeze liquid water into solid water with a machine in my kitchen. Is that helpful? Tom Haythornthwaite 14:45, 18 August 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hayttom (talk • contribs)

I can leave hot bacon grease in a old tin can on my kitchen counter and it turns into a solid. Does that make the tin can a solid-making machine? --Jayron32 17:52, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

In addition to cooling a liquid to where it freezes or congeals, you can also make a liquid into a "solid" by increasing the pressure, evaporating the liquid component (so saltwater becomes salt), adding gelatin to form a gel, etc. Which methods did you have in mind ? StuRat (talk) 18:59, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

Or indeed by hydrogenating fat, to turn a liquid fat into a solid fat. 86.157.148.121 (talk) 20:49, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

I can do that myself with my digestive system, specifically my colon. Not so good with toxic waste though! Caesar's Daddy (talk) 07:35, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

Olympic track and field

I noticed that there were a lot of runners, from multiple countries, wearing fluorescent yellow / green shoes; most of the time they did not match the uniform colors. Was there some kind of deal between the shoe company and the athletes? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.72.224.251 (talk) 17:35, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

Olympic sponsors routinely supply athletes with free gear, for the advertising it generates. However, the athletes would be reluctant to use substandard gear, since that would prevent them from winning. Thus, those were probably rather high quality running shoes. (Although I could imagine somebody with little chance of getting a medal taking a cash bribe to wear substandard gear.) StuRat (talk) 18:54, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

According to this article, the yellow-green Nike shoes designed for the US 2012 Olympic team have proved popular with other athletes too. There is a whole range tailored for different events. They seem to be used out of preference rather than sponsorship. "Really Nike are pas stupide: Adidas may have beaten them out to be Official Sportswear Partner for London 2012, but running shoes are counted as equipment not uniform and are therefore exempt from brand sponsor protection. So designing techno yellow shoes that can be seen from one side of the Olympic Park to the other was a pretty savvy move."[1] Alansplodge (talk) 19:49, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

This just seems to be a current fashion colour. Kids and adults in Australasia are wearing it too. HiLo48 (talk) 06:33, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

Yes but Google "Nike yellow olympic" and see what happens. Alansplodge (talk) 19:39, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

How to identify quality stitching ?

I regularly have comforters fail because the stitching gives out, far more often than the fabric wearing through or tearing. So, how can I tell, before I buy them, if the stitches will last ? Specifically:

A) Are some thread types better than others ? I've noticed that clear "plastic" threads don't seem to last. Is that nylon ?

B) Does double stitching help much (two close, parallel lines of stitches) ?

C) Does having tighter stitches (each hole closer to the last) make it last longer ? StuRat (talk) 21:41, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

I've had similar problems before (mostly clothes) and I solved it by getting a sewing machine. The machine pretty much paid for itself after the first year. A8875 (talk) 05:32, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

I considered sewing them, but replacing all of the stitching on a comforter is a lot of work, even with a sewing machine. Instead, they get relegated to "dog blanket" status. StuRat (talk) 07:10, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

To de-Americanise this a little for those who speak a different form of English, a comforter is a type of blanket, a bit like a quilt. HiLo48 (talk) 06:31, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

I think checking the price tag would help determine if the stitching was good quality. The stitching is a significant part of the construction of a comforter, the quality is likely to be compromised in cheaper examples. Further, if you pay a going rate for an article you have a clear case if the article fails within a reasonable period. Caesar's Daddy (talk) 07:32, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

Sorry, but I'm not the type to buy something expensive in the hope that it will be quality. I will only pay a premium if they can prove that it's quality beforehand. StuRat (talk) 08:16, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

Hello old chap, this bunch - [2] - offer a lifetime guarantee on theirs, perhaps this would solve the problem? Quintessential British Gentleman (talk) 12:19, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

OK, but this guy knew what he was talking about, read his quote under his photo, just sayin' Caesar's Daddy (talk) 15:02, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

The problem is, if everybody buys the most expensive item, assuming it to be higher quality, this will result in companies which make low quality products selling them at premium prices. There needs to be a way to determine quality ahead of time, or this will result. Even a good brand name isn't always a good indicator, as the Chinese are glad to buy the name of a US company from them and use their good reputation to sell cheap crap at a premium price. StuRat (talk) 22:49, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

You don't need to be able to tell it is good quality as long as enough other people can. As long as the seller can't figure out that you don't know what you're doing and raise the price (which can happen in some situations) then you can rely on them having to set a reasonable price for the quality or not get enough business due to too many people knowing enough. --Tango (talk) 23:43, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

A search of the internet just finds businesses named Quality Stitching, or the like. One of my grandmothers was a seamstress, both and my mother sewed and knitted. I remember being taught that small, tight and regular stitching was good stitching. μηδείς (talk) 01:45, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

Oh, and yes, double stitching is always better than single stitching. And I too just threw out a favorite pink high-count cotton comforter rather than ruin my Singer trying to repair it. μηδείς (talk) 01:47, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

Or you could do as I do and make a dog blanket out of it. I've yet to have a dog complain that the stitches have come out. StuRat (talk) 02:06, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

I am a British Savile Row trained Bespoke Gentlemen's Tailor who knows nothing about comforters - other than women, but who knows that there should be 8 stitches to the inch using a mix of 80-20 cotton /polyester thread made in Paisley in Scotland by Coats thread manufacturers in order to provide a strong seam, resistant to body fumes and sweat. Hope that helps. Oh, and by the way, chain stitching and overedge stitching are far less superior to lock-stitching - and NO, more stitch density does not mean higher strength - in fact quite the opposite - more stitches mean more punctures with resultant loss of seam strength. 82.41.229.241 (talk) 11:31, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

The bespoke gentleman 82.41 is right on the money - the details matter. Well-made items are expensive for a reason: quality takes time and costs money. Unfortunately, the overwhelming vast majority of people who can afford quality items either don't care about quality enough to pay for it or vastly underestimate the cost of quality. The Coats thread 82.41 rightly recommends would cost more than $25 for a full-size quilt, yet there are people who think that the difference between a cheap quilt and a quality quilt should be the difference between a $20 quilt and a $75 one.

Basically, if you want quality, you should be prepared to pay for it - and to be realistic about how much that quality should cost. Don't be the person who sees a knitter finishing a pair of socks and magnanimously offers $20 for them - the yarn probably cost more than that, and the knitter spent twenty hours on them. (Amazing how people will sit staring out into space on the bus for half an hour, then see a knitter across the aisle and accuse her of having "too much free time". Harrumph.) --NellieBly (talk) 20:28, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

Is Ben Wedeman Jewish?

Is Ben Wedeman Jewish? His last name sounds like he is Jewish, but I'm unsure. Futurist110 (talk) 22:19, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

Does it not occur to you at least to link to this person? μηδείς (talk) 01:04, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

It did, but I forgot to actually do it. I did it right now. Sorry. Futurist110 (talk) 01:07, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

Links in titles cause a problem with archiving, so I fixed that. μηδείς (talk) 01:35, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

OK, thank you.

Does anyone know the answer to this question? I really couldn't find much about his ethnicity and religion. Futurist110 (talk) 02:10, 22 August 2012 (UTC)

Of course there are people who know the answer, but the salient question is: why does it matter to you?

That's not a salient question. It's an obtrusive and impertinent question. People don't have to justify their right to ask questions here. Whether we can answer them is another matter.

OP: It seems nobody here knows, and that would square with the apparent lack of information on the public record that you've already discovered. (I assume you have actually done your own searching; you didn't make that explicit.) -- ♬ Jack of Oz ♬ ^{[your turn]} 04:19, 23 August 2012 (UTC)