Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012 December 12

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December 12

Listed in Wikipedia

Dear Staff, How do I get my name, book and get listed as a resource in Wikipedia? What is the process of getting included in your encyclopedia? I appreciate your time and consideration on this matter.

Judith G. Smith — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.12.143.57 (talk) 03:03, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

You need to meet the guidelines for notability. If you are notable, you can request an article at WP:RA RudolfRed (talk) 04:26, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia doesn't have listings, as it is not any kind of directory. It has neutrally written articles, referenced to reliable sources, about topics which have already been substantially written about elsewhere. --ColinFine (talk) 12:44, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Tale about three-minute eggs

It seems trivial, but it has been bugging me for quite some time. I remember reading a story in which a business oligarch, who lives with a butler, firing his personal cook for not cooking perfect three minute eggs. Anyone read such a story before? Thanks. Bonkers The Clown (Nonsensical Babble) 07:47, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Phileas Fogg, the protagonist of Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days, was extraordinarily meticulous about the precise time his eggs were to be cooked, the precise temperature of his bath, and so on. His butler's job depended on getting these things exactly right, every time. Before the story starts, he had dismissed his former valet for bringing him shaving water at 84 °F instead of 86 °F. That's some tough boss. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 12:38, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Howard Hughes, even before he went really off the deep end, had OCD-like tendencies when it came to the preparation of food, and at one point apparently did try to teach his personal cook his "perfect" way for cooking scrambled eggs. (Details here in this rather lurid but amusing book that I read awhile back.) I don't know of him firing anyone over eggs, though. --Mr.98 (talk) 14:45, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Eyes Changing Colour

Is this a known phenomenon? My eyes are occasionally blue, and then green. They change colour (they were grey when I was a kid). One ex-girlfriend actually said she saw them change. What causes this? KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 09:01, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

I would imagine that eye color could shift somewhat with varying amounts of Rayleigh scattering, but I'm not sure how consistent Rayleigh scattering is in eyes. Ks0stm ^{(T•C•G•E)} 09:06, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Yes. I hear many people have blue eyes as a child and the color changes later. – b_jonas 09:13, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

And actually, while we're on personal stories...my blue eyes I have noticed to change shades depending on lighting, especially the color of light that I'm around. Ks0stm ^{(T•C•G•E)} 09:18, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Sometimes irises can change colour for medical reasons: for example, eyes can turn green as a sign of gall bladder problems, or blue eyes can turn brown as a result of injury. If this concerns you, see a doctor. --TammyMoet (talk) 10:18, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for the answers. I am not at all concerned about it, and I was not asking for medical advice. I was just interested. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 10:58, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Mine go between shades of blue and green. I think it mostly depends on lighting. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 12:39, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

@ Tammy Moet, have you got a mainstream medical reference for that assertion? Sounds interesting but I have never heard it before. Richard Avery (talk) 14:54, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

This is not Tammy's point, but as the article Lumigan#Side effects says, this prescription eyedrop medication for eye pressure "May eventually cause permanent darkening of the iris to brown." Duoduoduo (talk) 15:06, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

@ Richard, I can't find one besides the one below from Wikipedia, but I have a friend whose eyes changed from blue to green a few years ago. He was in a cafe when a man came up to him and said "Excuse me saying this to you, but have you always had eyes that colour?" As the conversation developed, it turned out the man was a liver specialist and recommended he get his gall bladder checked out: vivid green eyes in this case was a result of the excess bile being deposited in Lou's blue eyes. Lou had his gall bladder removed a few weeks later. I shall continue to research this. I have also found Wilson's disease, which deposits copper in the eyes. There is also the case of David Bowie, whose odd eyes are supposed to be the result of him being hit so hard beside his eye that it changed colour. I don't know about this, but I do have a workmate who was in an RTA and came back with one eye three-quarters brown because of the blood that went into the iris. Apologies for the OR! --TammyMoet (talk) 18:34, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

A recent documentary programme about David Bowie on the BBC (not sure which channel - I saw in on the iPlayer) explained (with the aid of close-up photos) that his irises are in fact both the same colour, but that the injury in question resulted in one pupil being permanently dilated, making that eye appear darker. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 84.21.143.150 (talk) 13:55, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

From Eyecolor#Changes in eye color:

Changes (lightening or darkening) of eye colors during puberty, early childhood, pregnancy, and sometimes after serious trauma (like heterochromia) do represent cause for plausible argument to state that some eyes can or do change, based on chemical reactions and hormonal changes within the body.

Studies on Caucasian twins, both fraternal and identical, have shown that eye color over time can be subject to change, and major demelanization of the iris may also be genetically determined. Most eye-color changes have been observed or reported in the Caucasian population with hazel and amber eyes.[23]

The article also discusses eye color changes in infancy. Duoduoduo (talk) 15:12, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Also: from Eye color#Medical implications:

Eye color may also be symptomatic of disease. Aside from the iris, yellowing of the whites of the eyes is associated with jaundice and symptomatic of liver disease, including cirrhosis, hepatitis and malaria. Yellowing of the whites of the eyes in people with darker pigmented skin is often due to melanin being present in the whites of the eyes. However, any sudden changes in the color of the whites of the eyes should be addressed by a medical professional. A white, gray, or blue ring around the eye may be arcus senilis.

Unfortunately this passage is almost entirely about the whites of the eyes, yet it does say "aside from the iris", possibly suggesting that iris color may also hint at disease. Duoduoduo (talk) 18:51, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

@ Tammy, interesting, thank you. Richard Avery (talk) 08:46, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

"Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue?" StuRat (talk) 09:02, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

finding 5 pictures on a page

these pictures are on a same page on wikipedia..nd i need to find which...it could be in picture gallery.. neville longbottom in harry potter philosophers stone nazi ufo the world is flat buffalo apples and oranges — Preceding unsigned comment added by 182.71.213.50 (talk) 12:28, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Quite the collection. Buffalo like the animal or like the city? UltraExactZZ ^Said ~ Did 15:05, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Or the verb. Mitch Ames (talk) 07:51, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

I think this must be Wikipedia:WikiProject WikiWorld...it definitely has buffalo, nazi, UFO's, flat-earth and apples and oranges. I don't see the Neville Longbottom connection...but you might need to look more carefully than I did. SteveBaker (talk) 21:49, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

General alternative women's magazines

Basically, I'm looking into possibly getting a subscription/s to general alternative women's magazines for my twin sister for one of her gifts for Christmas or Birthday. Or at least pass it on to her since I already have gifts for her for both holidays. Anyway, shes pretty much more self-absorbed then me and always has been into the general mainstream women's magazines as long I can remember. So, this yr. I'm thinking of changing it up from yrs past, but have no clue where to look and etc.

Thank you, again, in advance. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mybodymyself (talk • contribs) 16:29, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

It would be useful to know roughly where your sister lives, and what her main interests are. Thanks. AlexTiefling (talk) 16:45, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

The general region, that is. For example, Garden & Gun magazine would be a hard to acquire and useless gift for someone in Scotland, but not so much for someone in the American South. Ian.thomson (talk) 16:50, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for both of your answers to my question here. Basically, both of us still live under the same roof in Metro NY NJ side of it. Her interests are mainly fashion/style, health/fitness/beauty, may be more and which I'm really not sure of at the moment.--Jessica A Bruno (talk) 20:34, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

We have a list of fashion magazines here, a List of health and fitness magazines here, and a category of American women's magazines. Since I am a male who could probably ask homeless people for change and get away with it, I cannot provide any suggestions as to which magazines might be good. Does the likes part of her her Facebook profiles list any thing in the interests? That may be a way to at least eliminate magazines that she already has, or provide you with some alternatives. Ian.thomson (talk) 20:47, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for your answer to my question, Ian. And I will look into it when I have more time.--Jessica A Bruno (talk) 04:46, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

When I think of "alternative" women's magazines, Ms. jumps to the forefront; it definitely isn't a fashion mag, but it is aimed at women. No idea if your sister's politics matches theirs, but it would be something different than, say Cosmo. --Jayron32 05:17, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

Depending likewise on your sister's age and interests, Bust might be of interest. AlexTiefling (talk) 10:24, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

Consequences of radiator melting extension cord?

I live in North America and have a 3-pronged grounded extension cord running across my room. This extension cord is of the typical outdoor/garden use variety with a rubber coating. I also have an old, metal radiator that gets extremely hot when I turn it on. Several times, the extension cord has fallen on the radiator and the radiator managed to melt through the outer rubber coating in a short amount of time.

Hypothetically, if I let the radiator melt the extension cord all the way through, what would most likely happen? Since it is grounded, would the extension cord trigger the circuit breaker in my home? Or would it start a fire?

Unfortunately, re-positioning the set-up is out of the question, what are some other strategies I can use to protect the extension cord from the radiator? Would wrapping the cord in aluminum foil help in the event that it falls onto the scorching metal radiator? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 19:01, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

First, you should never use a damaged electrical cord, even one with a ground wire. There's just too many variables, and there is still the potential for the cord to start a fire and burn your house down. Spending the twenty dollars or so to replace it is the only responsible advice. Regarding preventing the cord from landing on the radiator in the first place, any home improvement store or megastore should carry things which can be attached to the wall that will keep the cord off of the radiator. You can bypass the radiator entirely that way, anything from small plastic conduits backed with double-back tape that you stick up out of the way: like this, to hooks you can screw into the wall (sometimes called cup hooks: [1], other hooks that adhere to the wall without a screw or damaging glue: [2], to clips or staples you can attach to the wall: [3]. You have lots of options. But you should definitely do something to avoid letting the cord rest on the radiator in any way; it is far too sketchy and dangerous. --Jayron32 19:13, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

The ground wire and the circuit breaker are designed for precisely that sort of thing (they aren't actually dependant on each other - the circuit breaker will trip if there is a current spike regardless of the ground wire, the ground wire is there to take the current away safely if it doesn't). However, they are emergency devices, which means you should pretend they don't exist. Replace the cable. Aluminium foil will protect the cable against getting hot from being close to the radiator, since it will reflect the heat, but it won't be much help against actually touching it. Some kind of cable tidies, like Jayron suggests, would be a good way forward. --Tango (talk) 21:44, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

we cannot offer predictions on how not to kill oneself while doing unsafe things
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
I think this ha been well answered. μηδείς (talk) 21:49, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Another option, assuming that's the only outlet in the room, is to run an extension cord from another room. I have an old house here (1920's), with absurdly insufficient outlets, so snake extension cords all over the house to get power where I need it. They can represent a trip hazard, though, and taping them down to the floor could make them overheat, so I run them along walls and only tape them down, on bare floors, where crossing a hallway. Using thick extension cords also makes them less likely to overheat. I've also cut a little notch in the bottom corner of one door, to allow the door to be closed with the extension cord in place. StuRat (talk) 06:25, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

9/11: Real-time spectacle

In some ways, the attack on the twin towers can be considered as a real-time media spectacle because Al-Qaeda knew that after the first plane hit, many cameras would be aimed at the second tower and so if they attack again, the event will be captured live. Has there been any previous examples of such a "real-time" terrorism phenomenon where terrorists performed some sort of attack and immediately followed up with a secondary attack while camera were rolling? Acceptable (talk) 23:36, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Yes, it's a common tactic to plant a bomb, then set off another when the ambulances arrive. Of course, they do their own taping, so they can put it on their own web sites. StuRat (talk) 06:29, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

Dawson's Field hijackings are one example. I remember seeing an interview on TV with a BBC journalist who was covering the event and the hijackers made sure the cameras were rolling before the explosions. --TrogWoolley (talk) 16:24, 13 December 2012 (UTC)