Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2013 July 29

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July 29

Smartphones

Are there any internal settings of smartphones (the handsets, not the service plan which understandably will be region-specific) that prevent their being brought across countries/continents and being used? I'm thinking of something similar to DVD regions - does any major manufacturer practice a policy in which a smartphone made for use in one country cannot be brought into another in which that same phone is available and outfitted with a plan/SIM card/etc and be used normally. Thanks. 24.92.93.248 (talk) 04:18, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Different countries allocate different frequency bands for cellular networks, so you need to sure that your selected phone supports the appropriate frequency band for each country where you want to use it. See Multi-band and multi-mode phones in our article on GSM frequency bands. Gandalf61 (talk) 10:45, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Internment camp on Isle of Man

I would be grateful if a user could please let me know whether one can find on the Internet the names of the German Jews who were interned on the Isle of Man during the Second World War. Thank you. Simonschaim (talk) 09:32, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

No actual list, but this might make a good starting point for your inquiry. Clarityfiend (talk) 09:57, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Passages on this page may give you some further leads: "In both wars these camps were under British Goverment control; all records relating to them are (or were) held in London - see addresses at end. It seems that all the personal files relating to WWI internees held by the British Goverment were destroyed, probably by accident, during the 1970's. The original card index was destroyed by enemy action in WWII. However it would appear that the Geneva based Red Cross may, in the future allow some access to its own records compiled from UK weekly returns of internees and POW's - please contact the Anglo-German FHS for more details. No records were kept on the Island though there are many incidental records, not all indexed, kept by for example the Island police force that are now in the Manx Museum Library."

"Indexed records of internees

I have been informed that any records that survive are now on UK National Archives, though would appear from comments that virtually no personal records of either WWI or WWII internees are available

Burial records of Internees who died at Knockaloe

War Graves Commision,

Broadhurst Green,

Cannock Chase, Staffordshire

Anglo-German Family History Society

Membership Secretary

Anglo-German Family History Society,

20 Skylark Rise,

Plymouth,

Devon,

PL6 7SN

They also have a webpage on the very impressive Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies web site.

International Red Cross

ICRC Archives,

19 Avenue de la Paix,

CH-1212 Geneva,

SWITZERLAND.

Apparently they will search their records for a fee but comments received are that any records still available are not that easily searchable.

- Cucumber Mike (talk) 10:29, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Thank you. Simonschaim (talk) 06:44, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

Costs of using jetbridges

To save money, many low-cost carriers, especially in Europe, as much as possible avoid using jetbridges. However, exactly how is using a jetbridge more expensive than using airstairs, which can sometimes employ more people and usually requires the use of buses which might theoretically add costs? Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 11:08, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Jetbridges require substantial investment to build. The airport makes up for these high fixed costs by charging seperate usage fees to airlines using the jetbridges. It's precisely these fees that the low-cost carriers are avoiding. Airstairs, while more labor-intensive, do not require such a large initial investment and the fees for using them are substantially lower.129.178.88.82 (talk) 11:23, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

But if that is the case, why don't airports just drop the fees once the costs of building the jetbridges are recouped? Is it for extra profit? Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 11:48, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Yes. That's the simple, and realistic answer. But there's always maintenance costs too. HiLo48 (talk) 12:00, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

What's the main Russian entry port for the American semi-trucks and semi-trailers?

close duplicate question
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
American trucks are very popular in the country as well as other CIS countries. The Volvo VN is popular in the country as well as other CIS countries. All semi-trucks came from the United States as used vehicles. The Volvo VN is only available in the North American market. It's not manufactured in Sweden. I believe that they are exported from the East Coast of the United States. The used American semi-trucks imported by the companies, natural person or other? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kiel457 (talk • contribs) 14:28, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Forming a band

What are the main aspects that must be taken into account when one is going to form a rock band? Miss Bono ^[zootalk] 14:34, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Band members obviously. And the instruments. Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 14:44, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

http://wikihow.com/Form-a-Rock-Band has 8 steps for forming a rock band. Of the eight, four are 'practice', three are 'get the right people' (musicians, publicist, management), and the remaining one is 'have some talent'. That's probably about the right proportions. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 14:47, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

We have a guitarist and a vocalist. We are looking for a drummer and a bassist. And also we are starting right now. We decided that on Saturday night after seeing a rock band perform live. My guitarist knows how to read music (I think that's good). I cannot follow that link Mike. Miss Bono ^[zootalk] 14:59, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

I was in 2 rock bands back in the day, (long ago, actually) and one was far more successful than the other, although both had members who could sing and play their instruments. The difference was that one had an experienced manager who would secure bookings. Lots of new bands practice and put up business cards seeking bookings, but no one signs up a band based on a business card. In this era, once you get good, you could have a website and a Facebook page and have links to your demo videos, but it helps to have an experienced manager or booking agent who can talk to people he knows at clubs, bars, and organizers of school dances and proms. Performing at public venues like street fairs can raise visibility. A manager might sign a group to a contract so he gets his share. Some abusive contracts take too big a share and too many rights (to copyrights of songs, to the name of the group). Like a sports manager, a band's manager might also have influence on adding personnel or getting rid of members when needed. A band can also have a "leader/manager" who takes a larger share, "owns" the band and makes personnel decisions as well as finding performance venues. For that to work, he needs to be able to pay the performers the going rate, and a rate good enough to attract skilled performers, rather than each taking an equal share when they get a gig. Edison (talk) 16:42, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

And of course there is an article on how to do just that. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 02:59, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

So, Edison themost important thing here is a good manager? I think I need this guy Miss Bono ^[zootalk] 19:25, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

A friend's request

The 8th aniversary of a friend of mine is coming and he asked me some ideas to surprise his girl. Any creative ideas? Miss Bono ^[zootalk] 14:59, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Gorilla suit. No question. SteveBaker (talk) 15:36, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

I don't think they sell Gorilla suits here... hahaha :P Something romantic maybe? Miss Bono ^[zootalk] 15:38, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

With all due respect, Miss Bono, this isn't the place for this type of question. IF you asked "What kind of gift is traditioanlly appropriate for an 8th anniversary?", I could refer you here. Mingmingla (talk) 16:05, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Oops! Sorry. I will love to see that link but I can't due to my Internet poor access, that's what I ask here. Sorry again and thanks Mingmingla Miss Bono ^[zootalk] 16:14, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

The link indicated that, for an eighth anniversary, one might give Bronze or Pottery as a traditional gift, or Linens or Lace for a more modern gift. Dbfirs 17:05, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Thank you. Miss Bono ^[zootalk] 17:18, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

I am sure a gorilla dressed in lace would be quite a surprise. μηδείς (talk) 19:10, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Extraño... Tal vez la chica salga corriendo. Miss Bono ^[zootalk] 19:16, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

"Strange... Perhaps the chick will run for the exit" (roughly). I'm reminded of what Alan King used to say, no matter which anniversary it was, he said it was the "Iron Anniversary", because to stay married that long, you have to be made of it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:10, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Good translation. You can't translate it literally, and I spent a few minutes trying to do so for the desk before myself I gave up. μηδείς (talk) 00:43, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

"Weird... perhaps the girl is going to run away!"... That's what I meant to say ;) Miss Bono ^[zootalk] 12:09, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

Yes, what you meant is clear, but a one-for-one translation is not possible: "Weird...such time the girl may-leave running". It's one of the neat things about language.μηδείς (talk) 16:10, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps better: "Weird, in such a case the girl might take off running." μηδείς (talk) 16:12, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

Yeah, remember I am not an English native speaker :). I guess that's better :) Miss Bono ^[zootalk] 12:30, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

I wonder whether the ability to think up successful romantic surprises is inversely correlated with the amount of time spent on Wikipedia ? Hmmm ... perhaps I should start an on-line survey ... Gandalf61 (talk) 12:45, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

Gandalf61, Maybe it is that... in my case, staying near the ref desk keeps my feet on the ground and reminds me that not everything are [[ ]] and <references /> Miss Bono ^[zootalk] 12:57, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

These days, people can have their head in the cloud but without necessarily having their head in the clouds. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 20:27, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

Sure :) Miss Bono ^[zootalk] 12:30, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

Asset Management Company v. Private Equity

I'm having trouble distinguishing the two. Based on this definition http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/asset_management_company.asp it seems that AMC is just a broad category that includes every kind of fund from hedge fund to mutual funds to private equity.

However in common usage whenever I see an example of an asset management company especially in Asia, it seems like it's just another term for private equity. Anyone have specialized insight into this?

Growingpot (talk) 16:54, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

An asset management company takes money from investors and invests it into things - funds, shares, bonds - as appropriate. A private equity company buys and runs companies, then sells them and makes money that way. It also has investors who provide the money to buy the investments and who get (some) of the return when they sell the investments.

To give an example of the difference, a company that buys toll roads and securitises the earnings via a fund and sells units in that fund is probably an "asset management company", but is probably not a private equity firm.

As you noted, a private equity company is a form of asset management company. Asia is a big place, so what you say might be true in some countries, but in other countries in my experience the two terms can be more or less mutually exclusive: the aforementioned toll road-buying company is probably an "asset management company", whereas another firm that buys companies and takes them private is a "private equity company" but not, in common parlance, an "asset management company". --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 19:08, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

These are quite different things, although they are closely related and, depending on the meaning you intend, may overlap. Neither term has a formal meaning.

An asset management company is an investment adviser that manages client assets on a discretionary basis. The assets may be invested in mutual funds or other investment funds (which Wikipedia calls collective investment schemes), although they may also be managed directly in client accounts without a formal pooling arrangement.

Private equity is a type of investment. Venture capital and leveraged buyouts are examples of private equity. A private equity fund is a kind of investment fund that invests in private equity, and a private equity firm is an investment adviser that manages investments in private equity, typically by managing one or more private equity funds. Our article on private equity firms has a diagram showing a typical structure.

So an asset management company may be a private equity firm, but most asset management companies are not private equity firms. Our article has a list of the largest asset management companies. John M Baker (talk) 16:33, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

How to import and register a vehicle in Kazakhstan?

I want to know about how to import and register a vehicle in Kazakhstan for information purposes only. I'm not a Kazakh citizen. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kiel457 (talk • contribs) 21:31, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

I get the vibe that you're writing an article about this subject, one question at a time. :) Unless someone here happens to know, you would probably have to contact someone. Maybe the Kazakhstani consulate or embassy in your country? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:04, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Like I indicated with your similar question about Georgia, a government website is probably the best place to go. This site lists the websites of the various ministries and agencies of the government of Kazakhstan. Astronaut (talk) 11:49, 30 July 2013 (UTC)