Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2013 March 11

Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

March 11

Car keys

Read this story, starting with "I turned and headed back to the truck." What's the point of making a key that gets you in the car but doesn't turn it on? Car key says that such keys exist, but doesn't explain the point of requiring one key to get in and another to turn it on — imagine how annoying it would be to have the on-key but lose the get-in-key. Nyttend (talk) 02:36, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

This was standard through the mid 1980's at least--I was surprised the first time I drove a car with only one key. One benefit would be you could leave the engine running and the car locked, which makes a lot of sense anywhere it snows. But my guess is it was simply a matter of two mechanisms meaning two locks. μηδείς (talk) 02:48, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

I've read through that several times but I still can't see where it says he used a key to open the truck, either truck. We have a work truck that has two ignition keys and eight door keys. One ignition key is in the truck at all times and the other is kept in the garage. The six people who drive the truck have a door key each with two spares, one at the bosses and one at my place, only to be used in an emergency. Doing it this way means we don't have to send the ignition keys south to be specially cut, which saves money. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 07:30, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

It's quite common these days to have a dual lock system, where you have to have a key in the lock and do something else to start the car. My Honda Civic does that. --TammyMoet (talk) 10:13, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

... but doesn't your door key also have a transponder that allows you to start the car? Is it sufficient to have your key somewhere in the car? I drive a different Honda model, and was annoyed to find that I couldn't purchase a non-transponder door key, and that mechanical copies set off the alarm. Dbfirs 10:52, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

My door key is a key, it also has two buttons for lock and unlock, and in order to start the car I have to insert the key in the ignition and press a button. --TammyMoet (talk) 13:33, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

It sounds like mine (with a transponder). If you made a physical copy, you could put it in the ignition and press the button, but nothing would happen because the copy would not have replied to the on-board computer. I think the OP was asking about a much older system, so our replies are probably not relevant. Dbfirs 18:14, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

The point is that modern transponder ignition-enabling keys cost ten or twenty times as much as a simple door key. Dbfirs 11:04, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

Same goes for stupid GPS devices, which, as far as I can tell, are far more expensive and far less reliable than a good old road map (remember them?). -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 22:27, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

... still use them! ( ... though I admit I also have a cheap GPS in my car. It is occasionally useful but often just annoys me!) Dbfirs 09:22, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

I don't know the rationale, but GM cars were like this for a long time. It was rare to lose one and not the other because people kept them both on the same ring. thx1138 (talk) 15:17, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

This forum discussion [1] suggests it was advertised as a security feature, but doesn't say why. Someone suggests it was done like that because there were only a limited number of types of keys so by having a different one for the ignition and for the door, you greatly reduced the chance someone would have the same two keys as you and therefore drive off with the wrong car without realising (or steal your car if they did realise). I don't know how plausible this is. (Someone else mentioned one security advantage, you can give your key to a friend to get something from the car without worrying about them driving off with it. However it doesn't seem this would be a common problem.) Nil Einne (talk) 15:43, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

I found one article from 200 about car sharing, discussing Flexcar, where "Each member has his or her own door key. The ignition key is inside the car, in a locked box requiring a numerical password." This would jive with CambridgeBayWeather's description above, and is probably an offshoot of the purpose for which two separate keys is intended. From personal experience, I'll say that older American cars that I've owned or driven (at least up to 1984 or so, Fords and GM, no experience with Chrysler to comment) had separate keys for doors and ignition, but imports did not. 1968, 1974, 1982, and 1989 VWs, a 1985 BMW, a 1984 Mercedes, and a 1986 Honda all had a single key for both door and ignition.

--some jerk on the Internet (talk) 19:48, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

Relatedly, my car has a valet key, which operates the ignition and opens the doors but will not open the glove compartment. Regards, Orange Suede Sofa (talk) 20:01, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

In the case of my 1963 Mini Cooper, there are different keys for the ignition and the doors - the reason is really basic - they bought the (electrical) ignition switch from a different company (Lucas industries - who make electrical components) than the (mechanical) door switches. Evidently it was just too difficult to get their two separate suppliers to provide matching locks and to arrange for matching locks to arrive at the right point in the production line so they'd end up on the same car. On most modern cars, the door locks are electrical too...but either way, they are just better organized with computerized production lines compared to car manufacturers in the past. SteveBaker (talk) 03:41, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

Can anyone tell me the font here?

Can anyone tell me what the font is for the title in this pdf? I know it looks like some standard serif, Times New Roman style font, but somehow it looks kind of gorgeous, and I want to use it, or something as close as possible. Quirky question, I know, not least because to some people, all fonts look the same, but this one caught my eye. Thanks in advance, IBE (talk) 06:48, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

If you mean the font in which "Integrating a computer-based flashcard program into academic vocabulary learning" is set, www.identifont.com suggests ITC Legacy Serif (EF), although the lower case t does not look exactly the same to me. Gandalf61 (talk) 10:28, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

The document says it has the fonts ArnoPro,Bold, Calibri, Calibri.Bold, and PMingLiU. That's a bit strange, Calibri is sans-serif - I better have a better look. Dmcq (talk) 11:06, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

ArnoPro and the Bold version see [2]. Dmcq (talk) 11:14, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

Thankyou both - I didn't know the document told me what the fonts were, nor that it was so easy to click "properties" and find out. Yes, it looks like ArnoPro to me, out of the fonts listed. IBE (talk) 00:27, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

Pronunciation bars.

I have a suggestion. Would Wikipedia please insert an audio bite of words that we've looked up? It would certainly help the ethnic readers or those of us who need a reminder.

For example:

I looked up the word 'Votive' candle. I would have liked to hear the pronunciation of it. Long 'o' or short 'o'?

It would help.

Thanks for reading and please pass this on. I will continue to make donations to you, by the way.

Sincerely,

Dane B. McFadhen — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.87.79.45 (talk) 18:19, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

It's like "vote". Here's a site with pronunciations:[3] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:42, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

Some subjects on Wikipedia have cryptic symbols (IPA and/or Pronunciation respelling for English) indicating pronunciation, a few do have sound files. You might have better luck at Wiktionary (although they don't have a pronunciation for English votive either). Rmhermen (talk) 19:55, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

This should really have been posted to the Wikipedia:Help desk, as it's a suggestion for the better working of Wikipedia and not a question requiring a reference, which is what this Reference Desk is all about. Thanks for your interest. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 20:23, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

Pregnancy question

Can I get pregnant after getting my tubes tied? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.214.239.231 (talk) 22:17, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

We can't give an answer in your particular case (you'll need to talk to your doctor about that), but from tubal ligation, for various meanings of "can I get pregnant":

• Tubal ligation is about 99% effective in preventing pregnancy.
• Surgical reversal of ligation is about 98% effective in restoring fertility.
• Tubal ligation does not prevent pregnancy via in vitro fertilization.

--Carnildo (talk) 01:18, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm curious - does "99% effective" mean 99% of people who have it don't get pregnant - or that 99% of intercourse acts do not result in pregnancy...I suspect the former. SteveBaker (talk) 03:32, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

Indeed, if it was the latter, having sex 100 times in your life time would often result in unwanted situations. --Lgriot (talk) 09:37, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

Oh to be in with a chance of having sex 100 times in my life.......... gazhiley 14:28, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

See Comparison of birth control methods, Pearl index, and Decrement table. Basically, the effectiveness rate of a birth control method is based on the chance of becoming pregnant in one year of having sex while using the method. --Carnildo (talk) 23:06, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

Name of a Luxury Watch Brand

Can someone please tell me which luxury watch brand gets its name from the Spanish word for race and carrier? Thanks for the help!! Linkinfloyd (talk) 22:26, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

• You can search for yourself at Category:Watch brands. --Jayron32 22:35, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

• Is there a watch called raza portadora? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:34, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

I don't know about "carrier", but TAG Heuer makes a Carrera line of watches, the name of which in Spanish denotes a race. Deor (talk) 01:04, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

Aha, so the OP was looking for a single Spanish word that means both things, and carrera fits the bill. It's cognate with "career", which originally meant "to charge ahead at full speed", and which ultimately has to do with chariots and cars.[4] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:29, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

Well, Sp carrera and Eng carrier are descendants of the same Indo-European root (*kers-, "run"), but as far as I know carrera doesn't mean "carrier" in Spanish. Deor (talk) 08:46, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

No, the first word listed in Google Translate is portador, i.e. "porter". There are several others, the closest to looking like a cognate being cargador, which is obviously related to "cargo". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:38, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps it's a typo and he did mean career. Ryan Vesey 01:18, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

If we tell you, will you share the prize with us? --TammyMoet (talk) 10:20, 12 March 2013 (UTC)