Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2015 April 14

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April 14

Chess photo

In the photo of the Fischer-Spassky match on this page, what are the three box-like items between the camera and the chess clock? --Dweller (talk) 10:50, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

Scho-Ka-Kola? ---Sluzzelin talk 11:08, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

Could be! What's the eggbox-like item with what looks like two small candles on it? --Dweller (talk) 11:38, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

A pen holder with two pens in? Dalliance (talk) 12:32, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

I think that's it all right. One pen for each player and a spare. Spassky has left his pen on the table. --65.94.49.82 (talk) 12:57, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

A Google Images search on Fischer Spassky finds better versions of the image: [1] [2]. This confirms two Scho-Ka-Kola boxes and a pen holder. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:40, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. Interesting they had a German nibble each, when neither was German and the match was in Iceland. --Dweller (talk) 14:09, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

Are there any cocoa plantations in Iceland? Or chocolate manufacturers there? Dubious x 2. So, they must import all their chocolate, and from somewhere other than Iceland (although not necessarily, if we go by the Kep Enderby World View: Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas - that's most, not all). Germany would have been as good as any, being neutral to all three parties. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 23:01, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

Well I'm fairly sure the first one mostly applies to places like Switzerland and Belgium. Or even if they do produce some cocoa, it's only a small percentage of what they use. To give a slightly related example, particularly when it comes to Belgium, it's recognised that EU tariffs, and a whole host of other factors, mean it's difficult for many cocoa producers to move up the production chain to chocolate [3] [4].

For the second one, even with a country as small as Iceland, it always pays to take care with such statements particularly since chocolate production isn't hard to do (i.e. doesn't require a lot of investment, equipment, highly specialised or bulk workers or climate or other advantages). And for various reasons local production isn't uncommon, and probably even less uncommon in those days anywhere where chocolate was regularly consumed. It sounds like Nói Síríus would have existed then. Nowadays, and possibly then, small scale speciality producers like [5] too. In fact there's back and forth here. On the one hand, at the time, even when niche producers may exist, their production may have only really been available and known in a small area. On the other hand, globalisation etc means that non niche local production may be less common. However globalisation and related factors has probably also increased the popularity of niche producers.)

Nil Einne (talk) 14:20, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

Marina del Rey, California

Can a msajority of boats docked at the del Rey travel on its own to Hawaii? World bymyself (talk) 16:42, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

Most boats in the marina are small craft. As such, they are not intended or really suited for voyages thousands of miles/kilometers in length across the open ocean. So, basically, the answer to your question is 'no'. That said, people have been known to cross oceans in small craft. But those who have succeeded have generally engaged in extensive training before their voyages and modified their craft to be more seaworthy. Without some modification, small craft are unlikely to be able to hold up to rough seas and high winds during inevitable storms. That is, those boats would be likely to founder and sink before they reached Hawaii. Marco polo (talk) 19:16, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

Didn't Captain Bligh go 4000 miles in an oared lifeboat, just so he could get Mister Christian hanged faster? --Trovatore (talk) 19:30, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

He didn't have much choice. The mutineers stuck him and some loyal crew on the boat and took off. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→`

More importantly the plural of anecdotes is not data. The reason why stories like Bligh's and the crew of the Essex and even frigging Kon-Tiki are so memorable is because they are so out of the ordinary. We can't say "Well, the crew of the Bounty all survived, so that means anyone can do it". No, they can't. Most people in that situation are shark fodder. The reason we remember the stories is that they came back which is awesome (and unusual) as hell. Most people attempting to cross 4000 miles of open ocean in an unprotected small craft don't make it. Attempting so, without proper preparation (like in Kon-Tiki where he had a film crew following along and potential rescue crews on call the whole time), is contraindicated. --Jayron32 20:30, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

See the Transpacific Yacht Race which goes from San Pedro, Los Angeles to Honolulu, but I agree that those taking part have specially equipped boats and they know what they're doing. Alansplodge (talk) 20:35, 14 April 2015 (UTC)