Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2021 January 4

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January 4

Skegness rock

Today's featured article Skegness made me think of a memory of reading about Skegness rock in the Adrian Mole books. Adrian describes Skegness rock as "tubular candy". Unfortunately, Wikipedia does not have an article about Skegness rock, and googling for "Skegness rock" only returned results about Skegness rocking (as in rock'n'roll), reviews about a restaurant called "The Rock and Sole" in Skegness and pictures from "Skegness Rock Shop" which appears to sell tubular-looking candy which may or may not be Skegness rock. I have never eaten Skegness rock in my life, all I know about it comes from the Adrian Mole books. Does it exist? Do I even remember this right? Could someone write a Wikipedia article about it? JIP | Talk 00:12, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

See Rock (confectionery). Nanonic (talk) 00:50, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

OK, so "Skegness rock" is a local variety of rock (confectionery). But I don't think I have ever tasted that either, as it seems to be more of a British thing than a Nordic one. I have just one question: How hard is it? Is it like toffee, or is it genuinely hard so that it stays in shape unless you bite into it or cut it with a knife? JIP | Talk 02:05, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

In my experience with my local version (which gave its name to a novel and its film, play and musical), it is exceptionally hard and almost unbreakable: a great risk to teeth. It would be difficult to cut even with a knife. It is also extraordinarily sweet. Hassocks5489 (Floreat Hova!) 09:35, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

Yeah the article is deficient in that it doesn't mention that the stuff is supposed to be sucked, not bitten or chewed. --Viennese Waltz 10:52, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

It's 'extraordinary' sweetness is probably due to the fact that it is almost pure boiled sugar with some flavourings and colourant. It is malleable when hot and will soften if exposed to air (and moisture therein) over a period of many months. Richard Avery (talk) 11:08, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

It can be bitten, but at some hazard to your teeth. You can't really cut it with a knife either, although a hacksaw might work; breaking a piece off to give to a friend usually involves smashing it against something hard, although it tends to shatter. Just to confuse the issue, Edinburgh rock is a much softer stuff, having a chalky consistency, and it doesn't have writing through the middle. Alansplodge (talk) 15:11, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

It can also get you in trouble with the BBC. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 15:27, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

Ooo-er! - the famous British sense of humour ;-) Alansplodge (talk) 21:25, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

A further note User:JIP, is that the "rock" referred to in the restaurant called "Rock and Sole" (a dreadful pun on "Rock and Roll") is probably rock salmon, a type of fish sold in fish and chip shops (actually an unappetising-sounding creature called a spiny dogfish). It has a similar taste and texture to our favourite cod but lacks the small bones being a cartilaginous fish. Every British seaside resort has numerous fish and chip restaurants, it's the customary finale to a day on the beach. Alansplodge (talk) 14:20, 10 January 2021 (UTC)

Thanks for the reply. "Rock and Sole" appears indeed to be a fish-and-chips shop. I can add a mention of the pun to the fish and chips article. I don't want to add the restaurant to WikiVoyage as I have never actually been to there (or to Skegness at all). JIP | Talk 14:25, 10 January 2021 (UTC)

"Rock and Sole" in Skegness (menu linked at this page) sells neither rock nor sole. I should note that rock fish can refer to a wide variety of fish, not only rock salmon. DuncanHill (talk) 14:36, 10 January 2021 (UTC)

Although you won't fond many of those species in a British fish and chip shop. "Rock" has become much less common on menues recently because it's endangered; Most chip shop ‘rock salmon’ is an endangered type of shark, research finds. Admittedly, common sole is not typically sold in chip shops, I imagine it was just for comic effect. My local chip shop in London was called "The Saucy Kipper" - they didn't sell kippers either. Alansplodge (talk) 15:56, 10 January 2021 (UTC)

Which The OC episodes are all of these Julie Cooper images from?

Which The OC episodes are all of these Julie Cooper images from? :

https://twitter.com/maticaps/status/1285378119122268162

Futurist110 (talk) 06:46, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

More a question for the Entertainment corner of the Desk.  --Lambiam 12:03, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

Thanks! Will post there right now! Futurist110 (talk) 21:07, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

forgot password

I forgot my password for Waylon1 (my account) and I don't have an email. Please help!172.92.214.106 (talk) 16:41, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

Help:Reset password has information on resetting your password. If you do not have an email, then there is literally nothing anyone can do, your account is lost unless and until you remember the correct password. You can register a new account, but it is recommended that when you do so, you make a statement about your prior account on your new userpage so that it doesn't look like you're trying to hide your old account. --Jayron32 16:45, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

If your passwords had been saved by your browser, go to whatever computing setup you were using before something changed and dig it up. In Chrome for example, go to settings -> autofill -> passwords and click the eyeball icon. In the future, use an email address, multifactor intentifying, and a password manager. If you tend to lose track of computer things, make two backups of your hard drive right now. Temerarius (talk) 23:25, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

It is ********. 2601:648:8202:96B0:0:0:0:313A (talk) 23:54, 4 January 2021 (UTC)

No, it's ••••••••. —Tamfang (talk) 03:09, 6 January 2021 (UTC)

If you don't remember your password and haven't set up an e-mail address or can no longer access it, your account is gone forever. The only way Wikipedia knows you are the owner of the account is that you have set up an e-mail account you can access with that account. If it were not for that, anyone could request a password reset for anyone's account. But if the worst comes to the worst, you can just start a new account and leave a note at your new user page saying "I used to be Waylon1". JIP | Talk 01:47, 5 January 2021 (UTC)

I did the same. I created an account and used it a few months. When I went in to add my email address and all, I forgot the password and I've never been able to use it again. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 18:17, 7 January 2021 (UTC)

You can create a new registered user ID, and it would be a good idea to write down the password and store it in a safe place, i.e. NOT on your computer. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:21, 7 January 2021 (UTC)

But, if you liked your user ID and you want to use it, you can't. After 15 years of non-use, you'd think that it would be apparent that the account user either abandoned the account or lost the password, but around here the first assumption is that everyone is evil and trying to steal someone else's account. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 18:23, 7 January 2021 (UTC)

The user account Waylon1 was created 3 weeks ago, not 15 years ago.[1] If you like your user account so well, you could simply add a digit to it to create a new one ... and be sure to write the password down and keep it in a secure place. (Just don't forget where you put it!) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:08, 7 January 2021 (UTC)

My lost account is not Waylon1. Mine was created in 2006. I could make one with a silly "1" or "2" after it or I could just use my IP address. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 20:30, 7 January 2021 (UTC)

The OP's was Waylon1. So... you like your IP address more than your registered ID? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:56, 8 January 2021 (UTC)

If "you" in this question refers to 97, they just wrote they forgot the password to their registered ID, so they cannot use it, however much they may like it.  --Lambiam 07:02, 8 January 2021 (UTC)

I don't see the confusion. The person posting this question wants to use Waylon1, but cannot. I stated that I am in the same situation. I want to use my user ID, but I cannot. There is absolutely no way to get back a user ID if you forget the password and you don't have an email attached to it. I posted because I have tried since 2006 to get my user ID back and it is absolutely impossible. In other words, I was telling the person asking the question that it is a waste of effort. Nobody at all on Wikipedia will help you. There is absolutely no way to get your user ID back. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 12:28, 8 January 2021 (UTC)

If you don't want to use a version of your original ID, we can't stop you. :) (Apologies to Yogi Berra) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:20, 8 January 2021 (UTC)

97.82.165.112 never said they used to be Waylon1. That was the OP, who is a different IP. 97.82.165.112 was just replying they had the same situation. JIP | Talk 15:55, 8 January 2021 (UTC)

Without telling us what the original ID was. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:58, 8 January 2021 (UTC)