Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2014 April 17

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April 17

code

Can someone tell me what kind of code is this YnV0IGhpZ2ggc2hlIHNoT290cyB0aHJvdWdoIGFpciBhbmQgbGln, and how do i decode it? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Asff1123 (talk • contribs) 01:40, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

It's Base64 encoding, and I think the "T" should be a "b". --Carnildo (talk) 03:05, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

It's part of a quote from Thomas Moore's O That I Had Wings: "Where idle warblers roam; but high she shoots through air and light, Above all low delay, Where nothing earthly bounds her flight, Nor shadow dims her way."-Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:45, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

although to be clear, the quoted string gives 'but high she shOots through air and lig' (emphasis and quotation marks added). 'YnV0IGhpZ2ggc2hlIHNob290cyB0aHJvdWdoIGFpciBhbmQgbGln' will give 'but high she shoots through air and lig' (emphasis and quotation marks added) hence why Carnildo suggested it may have been intended. Nil Einne (talk) 06:42, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

dividend distribution by mutual funds

How does a mutual fund distributes dividend. what is the source of income. Is it from the dividend earned from the investment in equities or the profit earned from trading in the share market. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 49.248.102.236 (talk) 11:11, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

It's from dividends produced by the individual stocks. The profit from trading stocks is reflected in a change in the price of the mutual fund itself (less management fees, etc.). StuRat (talk) 13:00, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

Not correct for the mutual funds I've had shares in (here in Canada). Capital gains from the fund trading the shares, as well as dividends earned by the shares, flow out to the mutual fund shareholders as dividend distributions. I have to report mutual-fund distributions on my income tax return, correctly categorized as Canadian dividends, non-Canadian (dividend) income, or capital gains—the mutual fund provides me the appropriate details on their tax information slip. However, these distributions can be implemented in two or more ways by different funds. One way is that you are told you now have more shares. Another way is that you are told that the value of the shares has increased. (Maybe it is also possible to take the distributions as a cash payout; I don't know.) But this is a choice made by the fund, not a function of what type of income is being distributed. Of course, the value of the mutual-fund shares can also change because the value of the stocks held by the fund changes, or because of those management fees. --50.100.193.30 (talk) 04:08, 19 April 2014 (UTC)

Profits flow to shareholders as capital gains contributions. See Mutual fund. RudolfRed (talk) 00:28, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

Dividends are a small part of the income that mutual funds see. Shadowjams (talk) 04:14, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

Mutual funds have three main sources of income: dividends on their share holdings, interest on their holdings of bonds and other debt securities, and trading profits from purchases and sales of securities. The proportionate importance of these to a given fund will depend on its investment portfolio and trading strategy; a fund's income may be dominated by any one of the three. Mutual funds may also derive income from other sources, such as securities lending and writing options. All of these sources of income will be taken into account in the mutual fund's dividends, although capital gains, such as trading profits, are treated separately from other sources of dividends in many countries. John M Baker (talk) 00:01, 22 April 2014 (UTC)

Will this setup water my plants?

A few hours before I'm set to go on a business trip for two weeks, I realize that I've set nothing up to take care of my three plants. With little other options, I've done the following:

1. Use a needle to punch a tiny hole in the lids of three plastic bottles. So the water comes out drip by drip. 2. Prop the plants up against my glass window, so they get sun. 3. Tape the bottles to the window so that their lids are in the soil.

Ideally, the water drips out slowly second by second, and this flow is enough to tide them over until I get back.

The instructions that came with the plant a very long time ago says that they only need to be watered once every three days, and they were fully watered today. I don't know their names, but they're just leafy greens. It's unlikely you guys will be able to reply before I have to leave in like one hour, but do you think this getup will keep the plants alive? 98.27.247.86 (talk) 19:12, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

If you're really pressed for time, I would place the plants out of direct sunlight. It's all guesswork since we don't know the actual rate at which the water is seeping out of the bottles. But it's better than nothing. Even if the plants look crispy when you get back, you'll probably be able to trim them back and revive them. OttawaAC (talk) 20:49, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

I found this. No warranties stated or implied, but maybe it's worth a shot. --Jayron32 01:15, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

• To be safe, assume that all the water will drip out much more quickly than you expect. Make sure that if this happens you will not leave a puddle. You can stand the plants in the bathtub and leave the bathtub light on with an inch of water standing in the tub, although that will also drain unless you can really seal it unusually tight. (They'll do fine for two weeks without lots of light.) Otherwise, out of the sun like said, and make sure the heat will not run, at least not over 60F while you're gone. μηδείς (talk) 02:42, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

• I agree that the risk of water damage is more of a concern that dead plants. However, the kitchen sink might provide both drainage and light, if you have a window nearby, so I suggest that rather than the tub. You can use the inverted bottle method in the sink, possibly taping the bottle to the faucet. (You could also set the faucet to slowly drip, although you might get way too much water and drown the plant, and wherever the water drips you would want to put a rock, to prevent it from splashing mud out.) StuRat (talk) 16:25, 18 April 2014 (UTC)