Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2023 July 28

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

July 28

Can a turtle legally buy a plane ticket to Argentina

Canv THE TURTLE 115.188.159.190 (talk) 07:50, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

It is obviously not physically or mentally capable of buying anything, either legally or illegally (unless it's a member of NASA Astronaut Group 22 or the Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles). Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:17, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure this turtle is too big to fit on an airplane anyways. --Jayron32 11:39, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

Do these guys count as turtles? 199.208.172.35 (talk) 13:35, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

Only a mock turtle can. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:43, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

Now who would deny a Rio-bound ticket to one of these handsome fellows ?

—— Shakescene (talk) 18:14, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

So, not only can Turtles buy a plane ticket, but so can a leech! --Jayron32 12:31, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

Rio, sure. Just not Buenos Aires. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:40, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

Ticket agent: It just has to "show me the money!" Clarityfiend (talk) 07:35, 30 July 2023 (UTC)

But to use the ticket it has to show state papers with a matching name. —Tamfang (talk) 15:15, 4 August 2023 (UTC)

Earworms

Any experts on the subject of earworms here? I'm convinced that large doses of caffeine are a primary contributor to the malady, but I think a secondary component is the overall structure and composition of a particular song. I just experienced one of the most adverse earworms in years, but I'm fascinated by my own misfortune and wish to understand it a bit more. @Tryptofish: because he's a smart dude who understands what's going on in my noggin and can maybe lend a hand or two or three. Here's what happened: on July 25th, I prepared an exceptionally strong cup of coffee early in the morning. I was quite busy with work, so later in the day I indulged in a low dose energy drink. Maximum caffeine intake, likely around 300 mg, but no more. Later that afternoon, I was in the grocery store shopping when I heard the store play "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (1985) by the Eurythmics. I remember thinking at the time, "goddamn, I haven't heard that song in years, but since 80s music is so trendy right now, it kind of makes sense that they are playing it". Anyway, nothing eventful occurred, and I went to bed later that night. The next day, nothing, 26th goes by and everything's good. However, the early morning of the 27th is when all hell broke lose. I started dreaming normally but I heard the song in my dreams. I woke up, and still heard it. It didn't go away for another 12 hours or so. Quite a ride. Any ideas? (BTW, I met Dave Stewart in the early 2000s. One of the nicest people on the planet). Viriditas (talk) 08:58, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

Yeh, Dave Stewart was quite a pitcher. I have found that if I get a tune stuck in my head and it's getting on my nerves, replace it with another one. YMCA, for example ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:13, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

Holy moly; YMCA won't trigger me personally, but yeah, that's an earworm-ful. Is it something about the cadence, rhythm, syncopation, or what? Viriditas (talk) 09:16, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

Hard to tell. Maybe all the above. But if coffee is connected with it, maybe the song Java Jive would help. At least it's slower-paced. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:21, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

Okay, this is going to sound super weird, but I was just thinking about how my mind handles this (using analogies and metaphors), and it occurred to me, this is like when you have a bag of tortilla chips and you can't stop eating it. Apparently there's a book about the phenomenon called Hooked: Food, Free Will, and How The Food Giants Exploit our Addictions, but I haven't read it. Anyway, that's how an earworm feels to me. Like I'm eating a bag of chips that I can't put down. Viriditas (talk) 09:24, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

(edit conflict) One that catches me from time to time is the Finlandia Hymn. I think the issue is the AABACD structure. It tends to end up as AABAABAABAA... Familiarity is essential, as a hymn I learnt it in childhood and as an adult came to appreciate the magnificence of the whole Finlandia suite. A strong repeating theme is essential, another earworm is the opening bars of Mars from The Planets before the brass comes in. What both these examples have is repeated, barely differentiated passages that the mind can "fold" into a loop. Familiarity is essential, but probably not at the level of a player who would move forward. On a lighter note, getting the repeating "Sing cu-cu nu sing cu-cu" pes from Sumer is icumen in is absolutely fatal, again a short, repeating passage that doesn't require thought and just gets put on a tape loop in the back of the brain. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 09:36, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

Yes, I think you are on to something. I recall having similar feelings about Sibelius in the past, but I will need to go back and listen to it again to be sure. I wonder if we are talking about cadence and tonality here. Coincidentally, I was thinking about this earlier when I was listening to the news on NPR, BBC, CBC, and ABC (and others) and comparing the way announcers read the news. There's a distinct modulation and inflection unique to each nation that gives a kind of addtional overlay of importance to the content. That's a bit of a tangent, but I wonder if there's something similar in music that the brain latches on to and can't let go. Viriditas (talk) 09:46, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

People who don't drink coffee get earworms too. HiLo48 (talk) 09:38, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

I hear you, but in my case, it's always brought on by coffee for some weird reason. Viriditas (talk) 09:46, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

D**n this question. I've got Finlandia stuck now! Grrr. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 09:55, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

I don't know Finlandia, but a fair substitute is the Marseillaise ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 10:47, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

• Black Coffee In Bed is a catchy as hell song... --Jayron32 11:54, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

  Fantistic song. "Now she's gone / And I'm out with her friend"  :) SN54129 13:01, 28 July 2023 (UTC)

  I gave up coffee a few years back after drinking it daily for decades. And I have more earworms than ever. The latest is the theme song for the 21st century version of All Creatures Great and Small, although bad commercial jingles and 70s era one hit wonders often intrude. So, count me as a sample of one against the caffeine theory. Cullen328 (talk) 08:03, 30 July 2023 (UTC)

  @Cullen328: I didn't know there was a new version out, is it any good? Did you see the series from the 80s? It was a fixture of my childhood Saturday (I think) night. With the A-Team of course  :) SN54129 09:36, 4 August 2023 (UTC)

  Serial Number 54129, yes, it is quite good and broadcast on PBS in the United States. "Good", that is, if you enjoy beautiful scenery, cattle, horses and dogs getting treated for various ailments, and veterinarians arguing with each other, while the ladies gently try to restrain them. Yes, my wife and I often watched the original series when we were newlyweds. We have been married 42 years now. Cullen328 (talk) 16:00, 4 August 2023 (UTC)