Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012 January 17

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January 17

career guidance

sir/mam, i would like to know what are the better options to be opted after btech in ece branch?```` and how for it will favour me after my opting it```` actually i would like to go for job in us its my dream , so do suggest me in better way```` hope you would suggest me soon and help me out and make it easier to select better career soon ,hoping to get your reply soon thanking you, barbie. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Barbiedollgoud (talk • contribs) 16:33, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

You're studying for a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical and computer engineering? Assuming you want to remain in that field, you could either pursue postgraduate study or get a job. But you haven't given any indication of what sort of job you would like or what field you're interested in studying or working in. It will also matter how well you do in your current degree, whether you can afford postgraduate study, where you live, and how good your English is. Assuming you're not in the USA, You will be unlikely to get a job in the USA without special skills, meaning postgraduate study or relevant work experience. You could try contacting larger companies and colleges/universities to get an idea of what they look for. --Colapeninsula (talk) 16:53, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

'Top Gear' style challenges/races

Resolved

 – Wikipedia is not a forum. --McDoobAU93 18:05, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Hello all - if you're familiar with the sort of races & challenges they do on Top Gear I was wondering what sort of things you would like to watch/think would be fun to try - there's the obvious (car vs train over 5 hour+journey, one point to another only in hours of daylight/night) was wondering if people could suggest some? Preferable European locations, and realistic (eg watch sunset in Bordeaux, then sunrise at Nice 8 hours later is realistic, car vs plane Perth to Canberra is not). Put your thinking caps & imaginations on! :) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.33.230.34 (talk) 17:50, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

While I love Top Gear and its challenges, this is not the place to discuss it. --McDoobAU93 18:05, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

sopa

Please help me understand. You are in FAVOR of piracy? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.158.171.21 (talk) 18:23, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

If you click the "Learn More" button in the banner, you will find a clear explanation of why Wikipedia/Wikimedia is opposed to the bills. --LarryMac | Talk 18:32, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia is certainly not in favour of piracy, quite the opposite. The reason for opposing SOPA is that SOPA will probably do more than stop piracy, it will stop fully legitimate uses of the Internet as well. It could also create a system where parties could accuse each other because of personal interests, not because of genuine concern, thereby abusing the entire idea. This is analogous to the "Teosto tax" proposed by the current Finnish Minister of Culture: all digital storage media would carry a tax to compensate for piracy, even though the vast majority of users won't have anything to do with piracy, and will instead be using the media to store their own creations. In short, SOPA has the right idea, but the implementation is horribly, horribly wrong. IANAL, so I won't go about this any more, so instead see LarryMac's reply above for further explanation. JIP | Talk 19:47, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

As an addendum, I hate this kind of "either you're with us or you're against us" argument. Any criticism to the implementation of an idea (not the idea itself) is understood as opposing the entire idea and its intent right from the start. JIP | Talk 19:58, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Of course, that goes for both the legislation, but also Wikipedia's response to it. "What, you don't think that Wikipedia should refrain from politics? Do you want the U.S. to become like Nineteen Eighty-Four?" Buddy431 (talk) 22:05, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Um, I don't think that's what "Wikipedia" is saying, at all. It's saying, "this legislation is very flawed and will dramatically affect Wikipedia's ability to function." I don't think that's being hyperbolic. --Mr.98 (talk) 23:10, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

I also hate the "if you are with us, do everything that we want from you". Anyway, many people see it as a extreme measure against piracy, that could be used also against other sites. 88.9.108.154 (talk) 00:39, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

The anti-piracy laws seem to be taking the same approach as laws against petty theft in England took a couple centuries back, where they kept raising the punishments, since "the current punishments must be insufficient, if theft continues to exist". They escalated to hangings for petty theft, until eventually reason prevailed. In other words, "the cure was worse than the disease". As far as piracy law escalation goes, we are already up to a quarter of a million dollar fine and 5 years in prison, for one instance of copying something illegally for your own use. Many murderers get off with less punishment. A certain amount of theft will always exist, and, at some level, we just need to live with it. StuRat (talk) 08:18, 19 January 2012 (UTC)

Shaving: razor blades or shaving machine

to compare costs, I would like to know how often you need to replace parts in a shaving machine. 80.58.205.34 (talk) 18:56, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Well, it's only one data point, but I've been using my battery-powered Philishave for over 35 years and it's never needed a repair (though the blades of the beard trimmer have gone blunt). {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.252 (talk) 19:31, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

How often do you find that you need to shave your Phillis? Dismas|^(talk) 22:16, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Maybe it's a case of planned obsolescence, which affects new products, but not your Philishave of the 70s, but I believe you have to replace the foil and cutter or the shaving heads every couple of years, and they cost a substantial amount (50% maybe). 88.9.214.30 (talk) 21:33, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

I have always found the safety razor (a real one with a double edge replacable blade, not that disposable/ cartridge junk) to be the most economical way to shave, and it cuts a lot closed than any electric shaver I've ever used. Beeblebrox (talk) 01:18, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

I use disposable razors, and they also give a far closer shave than any electric razor (either the foil type or blade type). On the other hand, it's virtually impossible to cut yourself with an intact electric razor (although I did manage it with one that had a damaged foil). So, comparing costs doesn't seem very relevant, to me, compared with these factors. StuRat (talk) 08:12, 19 January 2012 (UTC)

Grow a beard.--85.211.142.228 (talk) 07:16, 19 January 2012 (UTC)

Seconded. I haven't shaved since 1995, and apparently everyone thinks I'm simply wonderful. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 07:57, 19 January 2012 (UTC)

Aren't you annoyed by all the elves and reindeer following you around ? StuRat (talk) 23:49, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

Yeah, me too! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.211.142.228 (talk) 12:58, 21 January 2012 (UTC)

Map of the Boundaries for the City of Los Angeles, California

This is all I could find. Beeblebrox (talk) 01:34, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

I am trying to find specific information that will tell me definitively the boundaries for the City of Los Angeles. The city directed me to a website that doesn't have a map that includes street names or numbers. If I have to pay a tax for revenue earned in the City how do I know what to include? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wikijane07 (talk • contribs) 19:58, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Try the census bureau at [1]. Look for "reference maps." -- Mwalcoff (talk) 03:24, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

Google Earth has a city boundary layer under "More"->"US Government". It looks quite detailed for the LA area. Pfly (talk) 04:50, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

puma ethnic groups

I am wondering. Is there a site where it talks about the difference between Black, White, South Asian, Arab, Asians and Latinas when it comes to being a Puma (age 30-39) like their body figure, facial appearances and feet and health issues? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.31.20.237 (talk) 20:10, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

If you really mean Puma concolor, then first of all I recommend you call it a mountain lion, which is the best of its many names, and secondly I don't think many of them live to be thirty and I never heard of them having "ethnic groups" per se. There is another of the species' many names that might fit better with your question, but it isn't puma. --Trovatore (talk) 22:35, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Pima people? Bus stop (talk) 22:37, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Oh, thanks. Now Johnny Cash's song Ira Hayes is going to be playing in my head all day. --Trovatore (talk) 22:39, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Er, that's 'Puma' as a slang term, I think: [2] AndyTheGrump (talk) 22:55, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

The usual word for that sense is cougar. At least, assuming your link says what I predict it does (I haven't checked). --Trovatore (talk) 22:59, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

I can't be the only one who finds this question extremely creepy. Go out and shop for old melons if you want, but do your own legwork dude. Each woman is different, that's what's so awesome about them. Trying to go by race or ethnicity os a foolish idea. Beeblebrox (talk) 01:14, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

international postage cost distribution

When a person in the US puts international postage on a piece of mail and sends it...does the foreign country the mail is delivered in receive compensation for delivery? Is there reciprocity in the international postage "world"? ie: I live in Germany and put a .75 euro stamp on my USA bound letter. I pay Germany post for that stamp. Does the US Postal service receive any payment from Germany for getting that letter to the addressed?

How does this system work?

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, Eric Sams — Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.143.211.217 (talk) 21:21, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

See this Slate article and our article Universal Postal Union; postal authorities in different countries pay each other "terminal dues" to cover the cost of delivery in the destination country. This takes account of the balance of mail between pairs of countries, so if the USA sends more mail to Germany the US postal service will pay the German mail company, or vice versa. --Colapeninsula (talk) 22:46, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

how do I keep reading wikipedia in 8 hours? I need it to study for some very important exams

Wikipedia happens to be exceptionally useful, at least for a launchpad to other concepts which I can then find out more in depth. I find this irresponsible of the project. I'm all for activism, but it's shutting down at this critical moment? Why?? I'm going to fail. 137.54.17.9 (talk) 21:52, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

I was in the hospital and I got an extension and now you're going to kill my life 137.54.17.9 (talk) 21:56, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Which exam is it that is so dependant of your usage of Wikipedia? Also, there is such a thing as libraries you know (although I run the risk of sounding hopelessly antiquated and outdated by even mentioning such cumbersome and analogue institutions). --Saddhiyama (talk) 22:03, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Go to any pages you might find useful, and pick File + Save Page As (that's in Firefox, it might be a little different in other browsers). This will allow you to make copies of any web pages you find useful, which you can then read at your leisure. StuRat (talk) 22:07, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

I'm still reading, I don't know which concepts I need in 8 hours. How can I access the project? Libraries are slow. I have three projects due tomorrow. 137.54.17.9 (talk) 22:11, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

At the risk of sounding like your mother... Maybe you shouldn't have procrastinated so much then. Dismas|^(talk) 22:13, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

As the instructor of a project management class once said to us, "You can't 'should have done' (or 'shouldn't have done') anything. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:09, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

I was warded in a psychiatric hospital for a long while, and I was granted extensions. But I really need the project, or else I'm afraid my future will end and I will have to go kill myself. 137.54.17.9 (talk) 22:15, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Go for a Wikipedia mirror. 88.9.214.30 (talk) 22:16, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

They are poorly-maintained and not up to date (I need up to date info on various techniques and concepts) you have no idea how important this is to me. 137.54.17.9 (talk) 22:18, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Do a Google search for the term, and look at the cached version. --Trovatore (talk) 22:29, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Also, there's a pretty good chance the mobile interface will still be open for reading. No need to do anything drastic, okay? Philippe Beaudette, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 22:30, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

I was wondering about the mobile site. Didn't want to say anything in case it hadn't yet occured to the foundation and didn't want to give them ideas ;-) Incidentally, something else just occured to me. Hopefully it occured to the foundation too, as I'm sure it occured to others. Nil Einne (talk) 22:59, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

So anyway, were there many people trying to vandalise just before the databased was locked? (Yes I know stewards and staff could edit anyway.) Nil Einne (talk) 05:30, 19 January 2012 (UTC)

Download the database and use one of the offline readers linked to on that page. --Mr.98 (talk) 23:14, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

Presuming you're getting a full recent dump, considering the size of the file (~8GB), you may want to use torrents in case the foundation site hosting the dump becomes unavailablemakes the dumps unavailable and you haven't finished. You can of course switch between the download and torrents or use both, if you know what you're doing and you're getting the same file (and you have the right tools). Nil Einne (talk) 23:32, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

How many 1.44 meg floppy disks would it take to download Wikipedia? Alternately, is there a list of the most important and useful 100,000 articles, excluding the vanispamcruftisements which constitute most of the articles? Edison (talk) 00:05, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

Who uses 1.44MB floppy disks? Even my grandma doesn't use those anymore. As for the "most important," there is the Wikipedia:Wikipedia-CD/Download project which was supposed to identify the core articles so they could be distributed offline. However it looks pretty out of date at this point. --Mr.98 (talk) 01:29, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

Um, you do realize that almost all Wiki articles are based from other sources? Trust me, you can live without Wikipedia for 24 hours. Besides, no teacher I know of accepts Wikipedia as a reliable source to do homework off of.70.29.250.165 (talk) 00:07, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

Remember that Wikipedia is not a reliable source. So don't feel too bad if you fail because you couldn't access it, most likely this incident will teach you how to seek information all on your own, and this knowledge will certainly be a net benefit for you in the future. Most Wikipedians would agree with you there, after all we don't make up the information we add, it all comes from external sources, and learning how to find those sources for yourself will probably be a lot more useful than if you just picked it off of here. --Saddhiyama (talk) 00:40, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

You're being silly. I have published undergraduate research in real life. Wikipedia is sparknotes for science, that's all. And I need updated sparknotes. 137.54.31.77 (talk) 02:15, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

If anyone is being silly it is you. You have to do research for important exams but you don't know what subjects you need to study? And you've been locked up in the nuthouse and you're going to kill yourself if WP is offline? If you are relly that distraught you need to call 911 and report that you are experiencing a severe psychiatric emergency and need immediate help. If you aren't really that upset then you are just trolling here and I'll have to ask you to stop. Beeblebrox (talk) 03:32, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

The next time this 501(3)(c) tax exempt charity chooses to shut down for a while in a grandstanding political effort or publicity stunt to influence legislation, if the same method is used, Method 1 to access articles would be to go to your browser's settings and turn off Java scripts. Method 2 would be to press "Escape" as soon as the desired page is displayed, before the blackout banner obscures the page. Method 3 would be to add "?banner=none" at the end of the URL for the desired page. Method 4 would be to press "printscreen " as soon as the page appears, then view it with Photoshop. Method 5 would be to Google Wikipedia as well as the topic of interest, then click on the cached version of Wikipedia. Method 6 would be to use the mobile version of Wikipedia, which was not blanked at all. Method 7 would be to go the the "schools" version of Wikipedia, circa 2008, which has a portion of the encyclopedia free of vandalism, for little schoolchildren to use. I wasted some time today looking at Wikipedia in these ways. (The Editor usually known as Edison). BnBH (talk) 05:24, 19 January 2012 (UTC)

Well the foundation already told you about 2 of those methods before the blackout [3]. Also you missed disabling stylesheets which was mentioned in the computing desk a while ago Nil Einne (talk) 05:28, 19 January 2012 (UTC)