Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012 July 16

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July 16

business brush-up programs

Some business (such as economics and managment) text books claim that it will help by serving in adult education courses or "business brush-up programs". Here what is the meaning of "business brush-up programs"? And how can that text book helps by serves in brush up programes? Thanks in advance--180.234.71.178 (talk) 06:47, 16 July 2012 (UTC)

The act of "brushing up on" something refers to reviewing it, in a way that implies that the person reviewing it already is familiar with the topic, but may have forgotten things / need more practice with the topic since they last studied it. Someone who is brushing up on their algebra has learned that kind of math before, probably through a class, but needs a bit of extra practice, perhaps because they have not used that kind of math in a while, or because they are not confident in their skills. So, in this context, the book is claiming to be helpful for someone who is already familiar with business and economics, but would like to review what they have learned before they continue with more advanced studies.  dalahäst ^{(let's talk!)} 07:47, 16 July 2012 (UTC)

Also, "brushing up" could include learning a few new things, such as exciting new ways to cheat and deceive customers, or the latest new business slang (maybe "change" is now "reimagineer", as in "we need to reimagineer our business processes" ?). :-) StuRat (talk) 08:35, 16 July 2012 (UTC)

Bingo, sir![1] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 10:58, 16 July 2012 (UTC)

What is the difference between gas insulation and air insulation

In power distribution industry,there are gas insulation and air insulation,what's the difference? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Qyowen (talk • contribs) 06:53, 16 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm no expert on this, but I assume this is because different gases have different properties that make them more (or less) suitable for insulation than plain air, depending on the situation. While this isn't exactly the same application, I know that argon is preferable to plain air for the inside of a light bulb. Light bulbs are filled with argon instead of air because the filament is less prone to oxidation in that environment.

Like I said, I don't know much about your particular field, but I'm sure there is someone else here who can give you a more specific answer than I can. For now, maybe that'll help a bit.  dalahäst ^{(let's talk!)} 07:52, 16 July 2012 (UTC)

Another obvious difference is that air is free, and you don't necessarily need to contain it, so can save money that way (although there's always the risk that a squirrel will crawl in and create a short circuit with his nuts). :-) StuRat (talk) 08:28, 16 July 2012 (UTC)

"create a short circuit with his nuts" sounds very, very wrong.  dalahäst ^{(let's talk!)} 22:43, 16 July 2012 (UTC)

Also, one reason to pick another gas is that you presumably won't have any oxygen in it, so that will starve any sparks of oxygen, and prevent fires. StuRat (talk) 08:30, 16 July 2012 (UTC)

This Siemens promotional material explains the alleged benefits of gas-insulated switch gear. Gas-insulated plant can be significantly smaller, and is commonly used in urban settings for this reason. --Colapeninsula (talk) 08:46, 16 July 2012 (UTC)

We have an article on switchgear but it could do with improvement if anyone has more info. --Colapeninsula (talk) 08:56, 16 July 2012 (UTC)

Haunting at GM&O Train Station, Mobile, AL

Where can we find info on the historical haunting the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railway Building in Mobile, Alabama?

Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.60.60.34 (talk) 20:13, 16 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm finding absolutely nothing about that on the net, even on Google Books. It doesn't appear to be more than a local legend, if that. Unless the story became famous, or it proved the existence of ghosts or something, Wikipedia probably would not bother carrying an article about it. Ian.thomson (talk) 20:23, 16 July 2012 (UTC)