Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 June 15

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June 15

Light vs. Dark colored jerseys

Why does the home team always wear the light colored jersey while the away team wears the dark colored jersey? 68.84.245.28 (talk) 00:49, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Which sport and which country are you talking about? I can think of many counterexamples to your thesis. -- JackofOz (talk) 01:43, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

It's the other way around in American football. —Tamfang (talk) 02:41, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

In the NHL it's changed at least twice. In the 1930s the home team wore the light uniforms. I think I remember reading, but it might have been in relation to some other sport, that this method was preferred because the light uniforms had to be laundered more frequently to look good and doing laundry was easier then they weren't also dealing with road-trip logistics. (Pro sports weren't a huge money-making industry back then, remember. Everything didn't have to look brand new and spotless. Also, travel was slower using trains.) By the 1960s it had changed and the home team wore the dark uniforms. This is the way that makes sense to me because from the fans' perspective it's "our guys in their full colorful glory vs. the other guys in white." Later it changed again and now they wear the light ones again. This time I remember the reason being given as promoting fan interest by making the variety of different visiting teams more visible.

I remember that the CFL has also reversed its rule on this at least once since the 1960s.

The Home (sports) article mentions this topic briefly, but it looks like something that someone threw together; it needs a rewrite with a broader perspective. --Anonymous, 08:47 UTC, June 15, 2009.

The NHL changed again and now the home teams usually wear the dark jerseys. I don't remember when this happened but it was fairly recently. But they also have third jerseys and throwback jerseys now, so it's still kind of random. Adam Bishop (talk) 01:44, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

For monochrome (black and white) photography and TV the teams should have different jersey brightness. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 13:51, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

In the NFL, the home team has the choice to wear white or dark jerseys and usually chooses to wear the dark ones. Just a guess -- colored uniforms probably sell better at the team shop, and teams want to wear their most marketable jersey at home. Not all teams choose to wear colored jerseys at home, though. The Cleveland Browns went years without wearing their brown uniforms at home. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 18:33, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

And in baseball, there is no rhyme or reason. As long as both teams wear different colors or styles, then it's OK. Traditionally, baseball teams wore white at home and gray or some other color on the road, but there are oodles of exceptions going back more than a century. These days, sometimes both sides end up with colored uniforms, which can lead to interesting results. (Although nothing like a game I recall from the 1970s, where the Oakland Athletics wore green and the Baltimore Orioles wore orange. Yuk!)— Michael J 22:17, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Just for completeness, consider soccer/football: if one team or the other looks too much like the referees, it's the referees who change shirts!

--DaHorsesMouth (talk) 01:26, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

In the olden days of baseball, for example, it was normally light at home (typically white or off-white), and dark on the road (or gray, at least). As I understand it, aside from the obvious need for the two teams to wear different colors, that was indeed due to laundry issues. In fact, I think they may have gone through road trips without much laundering at all. Hence the dark coloration, to disguise the dirt. Comiskey docked his players for laundry even for their home uniforms, so they rebelled and refused to do laundry, hence their pale hose turned dark and dirty, and they were being called the Black Sox even before the scandal. Or so the story goes. But laundry is not much of an issue now, so home teams will wear whatever color shirts or jerseys that they designate, and the visiting teams will accommodate accordingly. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 03:38, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

How do I add those stuff like editing your signature and adding picture to your profile?

Like how do I edit my signature?Stick2012 (talk) 03:21, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

On your user page, click on "my preferences" which is likely at the top right of the page after "Stick2012" and "my talk". Go down the first page that opens to the signature box and enter your signature the way you want it to appear. (I can't help you with coding.) Then save. // BL \\ (talk) 03:35, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

(ec) At the top of the page, there should be a link, 'my preferences'. Click it. Down a bit is a box the says 'Signature:' and an input field. Put the code you want in there. Be sure to check 'Raw signature'. Save at the bottom. ÷seresin 03:37, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

If by "your profile" you mean your userpage, you can add a picture by ... well, this page explains it pretty well. Although I don't think you're allowed to upload a picture to Wikipedia purely for your own userpage - though I'm not certain. By the way, this question might have been better on the Help Desk. Vimescarrot (talk) 09:37, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Microsoft Wikipedia

Couple weeks ago I came across some Microsoft sponsored(owned?) web site that had link to enhanced Wikipedia articles. And it was possible to browse enhanced Wikipidia just like ordinary one. I quite loved it. But now I could not find a way of how to get there. Is it still available? If yes, dose anyone know a link? Vitall (talk) 03:29, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Microsoft has a new search engine called Bing which produces Wikipedia pages from their own mirror site. I don't know how "enhanced" they are. Type Bing into Google to find them. - KoolerStill (talk) 04:26, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

No mention of it on WP:Mirrors and forks. APL (talk) 06:35, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

My mistake to call it a mirror. It is a "reproduction" of the WP page on Microsoft's servers as a "Reference" page. Apparently it is just copied, how often is not known, according to this The Register article.- KoolerStill (talk) 07:07, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

No luck with Bing, but... Thank you guys! I actually found it. That was powerset.com Like Mantle (mollusc) or any WP article instead of mantle etc. Strangely enough, PowerSet have something to do with Bing. Thanx anyway, Vitall (talk) 08:48, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

I tried the "factz" switch. "pallium knew adjective," "pallium cloaked words," "form flaps siphon". Interesting factz. Contributions/81.131.7.83 (talk) 10:20, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Best Chemistry Books

What are the best chemistry books that one can follow without the help of a tutor, and prepare oneself for IITJEE?? 117.194.227.19 (talk) 04:02, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

I am a student from IIT Madras. First you must be thorough with your School/CBSE textbook. as nowadays most of the questions are asked from there. I would recommend Disha's O.P. Aggarwal for Organic, O.P.Tandon for physical and Inorganic Chemistry as primary sources. Add to that P.Bahadur to work out problems, I think you'll make it, but don't forget, if you're thorough with the CBSE reader, you've done 50% of the job. Rkr1991 (talk) 07:14, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

And what about the best maths and physics books? 117.194.227.223 (talk) 13:27, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

For Maths M.L.Khanna is very good, supplemented by the Arihant series. For Physics, the Arihant series does a wonderful job. Just read the textbooks (preferably older version subjective type) and the objective books from Arihant and you'll be fine. In addition, about 4 months before you write JEE, take a nice All India Test Series, like that of FIITJEE. I think these are the essentials. Beyond that its up to your time and effort. Rkr1991 (talk) 15:02, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

Knots

what are the different methods of tying knots?Shraktu (talk) 05:41, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Knot theory has many interesting links. List of knots may be more what you are looking for. If you don't have time to go through the entire list knot has a few examples. Googling Macramé instructions is another thing you might try. 71.236.26.74 (talk) 06:07, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Google "Ian knot" — IIRC some guy named Ian has a Web site which lists about a zillion ways to tie your shoes.—msh210℠ 16:35, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Rivers in Ghana

State the reasons why rivers in Ghana are navigable —Preceding unsigned comment added by 196.201.34.170 (talk) 05:50, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

We do not answer homework questions. 117.194.226.183 (talk) 05:52, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Navigability and Geography of Ghana#Rivers and lakes may help.71.236.26.74 (talk) 06:14, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Kind of a weird question. A river is navigable if ships can travel on it. By definition. There can be glitches. The Great Lakes are navigable for the most part except for this little problem called Niagara Falls. Hence the canals built around it. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 03:42, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

how can i connect the barionet in lan and how it works?

how can i connect the barionet in lan and how it works? please help me with diagram —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sreejithva4u (talk • contribs) 06:35, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

We'd love to help, really we would. It's just that we absolutely have no idea what you're talking about. Can you ask your question in a clearer way? -- JackofOz (talk) 06:42, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Barionets are some kind of remote control device, allowing control of surveillance, security and other equipment remotely, eg by internet. I think he wants to connect one to his LAN. I also think there would be instructions in the packet, if he's already bought one. This article might explain some of it - KoolerStill (talk) 07:16, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Or if not, why not ask on the Computing reference desk? --Anonymous, 07:48 UTC, June 15, 2009.

(Wow! Good call! I was assuming the OP was interested in getting in contact with a Baronet called Ian.) It seems that these Barionets are made by http://www.barix.com - so I would start there. You can find downloadable manuals for all of their products here - so all you need to know is the part number of the barionet you're trying to talk to - and the manual should tell you the rest. SteveBaker (talk) 14:01, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

It's this damn sans serif font that WP uses. I don't know how many times I've been asked on various forums and such why I call myself LAN. (My name is Ian, with an i) Dismas|^(talk) 03:53, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

It even enabled some vandalism/trolling a while ago, sparking a scare about the security of people's accounts. Someone was registering usernames that resembled admins', with I for l and l for I :) I believe they worked a fix, although I can't help but feel a different font would solve the problem more elegantly, and aid readability. 86.168.62.94 (talk) 16:23, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

Short story about a kid who finds out that he's poor

Does anyone know what the name / author is of this short story? A kid is at school and his teacher tells the class that they are going to do things to help the poor. The kid feels great about this and is all excited about helping them out. When he gets home his parents seem uninterested. When he goes back to school the next day he has nothing to offer. The teacher is OK with it. I think it is the next night that the kid figures out for himself that his family is one of the poor families he had heard about. Before then he had no idea. It was the only life he had ever known.

I have no idea when the story was written, but I read it about 30 years ago. That's so long ago I may not even have the story 100% correct. --69.254.66.245 (talk) 08:04, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

If no one can help you here, I suggest you ask a children's librarian, especially one who's been working as a children's librarian for some years. They can often help with such questions. Good luck.—msh210℠ 16:32, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

I don't remember this being considered a children's story. --Contributions/69.254.66.245 (talk) 18:12, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Sorry, that was a bad assumption. A librarian, then, though in my experience children's librarians can answer these types of questions about kids' books more often then general librarians can about general books.—msh210℠ 21:12, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

Someone found it for me. Great story and very short. [1] —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wonderley (talk • contribs) 00:27, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Getting a booking as a speaker on United States colege campuses, etc.

Clients owe me money, I've got big bills coming due for liability insurance, and money is really tight. But, this I have: Great speaking ability and lots of stuff I've overcome. I'm legally blind, partly deaf, have some cerebral palsy (though I can walk well & be understood well), a possible hint of Asperger's Syndrome, yet hold 3 degrees, have been a volunteer in my church for years, have been writing for a long time with gag ideas published in comic strips as well, and other things. I don't have a huge law practice or anything really noteworthy, I guess mine's quiet leadership, you might say.

My question is, how do I go about being a speaker? I'm thinking especially on a college campus, such as during Orientation Week. Or, are those usually booked even this late, and I'd need to polish things looking toward commencement exercises? I've begun to develop a resume highlighting my speaking, now do I just start e-mailing colleges offering my skills? I was considering Christian ones since they might accept me more knowing I could speak in that area, but the larger, state schools might be able to pay me more to fly out there and speak. (I'm actually on Social Security right now.) Or, do the larger state schools expect someone who has a huge resume of, shall I say, more "noisy" stuff, like lots of books published, etc.? Payment isn't a huge object, as long as I could get a ride there (or at least have a motel room reimbursed), I wouldn't mind only a few hundred dollars honorarium. I know most speakers don't make ltos of money. And, of course, even if larger schools wouldn't take me, I'm sure there are tons of small schools.

Obviously, an alma mater would be the first I'd contact, and I'm going to do that with College of Wooster today just because it's fairly close, and I could just get a ride there.

Thanks for any help and ideas, including other places I could speak.Somebody or his brother (talk) 11:24, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Googling "Become a Professional Speaker" returns lots of hits (some of which seem a bit dubious). But advice includes getting testimonials, joining Toastmasters International[2] (one of the most famous bodies in public speaking which provides practice and advice), gaining relevant credentials (qualifications, experience, starting your own business, etc), building a website showing your skills, putting together a promotional pack with photo/resume/other information that you can send to prospective clients, maybe trying for experience or work in sales/acting/radio/tv presenting, and contacting lots of people.[3][4][5] If you're good at speaking you should be able to sell yourself and convince people of your merits, so you need to get out there. But you're unlikely to make a lot of money, and it'll take a bit of time, so it's no solution if you've bills that need paid now. --Maltelauridsbrigge (talk) 13:54, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

I would think that you'd need to start small and work up to college commencement speeches. Start with local business groups or social groups of other kinds. See if your city has a venue where speakers regularly deliver lectures. I think you'd need a pretty solid record of this kind of thing before you could break into the big league. But it sounds like you have the right skills and attitudes...it's certainly worth a try. SteveBaker (talk) 13:55, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

To build up a resume history you could join/contact a couple of associations and support organizations. You have listed several challenges you have overcome that have organized people in similar circumstances whom you could speak in front of. Check out some of these [6], [7], [8] [9] [10] [11] [National Association of the Deaf] [12]. Note dates like "Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day" "Deaf & hard of hearing awareness day", "International Noise Awareness Day" and "World Sight Day" in your calendar. Get the contact information for local, state and national organizers and "put yourself out there". Once you have built a resume you could hook up with a couple of "for profit" organizations, business consulting companies or the like. I'm not sure colleges would be a reliable source of income. (Graduation season seems to be over right now and I don't know how long in advance they book speakers for next year.) You could hire an agent, but unless they work on commission that can turn into a costly mistake. See if you can get a relative to speak for you with places that don't like to be contacted directly. (There are a couple of those around). As others above I'm a bit in doubt that this could be turned into a short term solution for lack of funds. Another thing to keep in mind is that it is unlikely that you are going to be hired to speak on neutral topics like "Quantum fluctuation in a thermal vacuum" or "Religious groups as economic entities" you are going to end up marketing a lot of yourself. (Sometimes referred to as "selling your soul".) That can put a not inconsiderable strain on you and those around you. Make sure you have a plan B to back out to if it gets too much! You are also almost guaranteed to run into lots of people with their own agendas some of whom can turn out to be most unpleasant to deal with. (I could give you an OR list of highly decorated laureates and university deans and professors that are described with lots of colorful rude expressions by colleagues and others who dealt with them.) One thing you might consider is offering workshops to company executives. Looks like overcoming challenges is something they have to deal with currently and they might be willing to apply some of the strategies you've used. See if your local chamber of commerce would be interested. (Hooking up with a consulting company might make marketing such things easier, too.) Googling I came across Team Hoyt who seem to finance at least part of their activities with speaking assignments. 71.236.26.74 (talk) 23:22, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, all. Great links. It'll take me a while to follow all of them :-) Yes, overcoming challenges is one of the keys that I'm thinking of emphasizing. And, thanks for the note about being wary of those who are just out for their own benefit; that is one of the big problems I hope to try to avoid. You've been a great help.Somebody or his brother (talk) 00:04, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

US citizens travel abroad

what % of US citizens have traveled to 10 or more foreign countries? Contributions/65.121.141.34 (talk) 16:12, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

The "US Travel Association" site seems to have a lot of statistics, but skimming around it I didn't see this information. You may have better luck. Tempshill (talk) 03:16, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

That is information that could only be produced by doing a consumer survey - and I doubt that everyone would give a truthful answer. Mowsbury (talk) 18:38, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

Curious aside: only about 40% of the US Congress and Senate have passports. DOR (HK) (talk) 09:50, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Secret agents in tuxedoes

Why do films and comics so often depict secret agents wearing stylish tuxedoes while on missions, especially when the missions are very dangerous? Wouldn't normal street clothes both be less conspicuous (and thus actually help them be so secret) and more durable and comfortable to wear? And for missions that are extra-dangerous and have no need for conspicuosity some kind of army overalls would work better. What's the reason for this cliché? And what do real secret agents wear on duty? JIP | Talk 17:37, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

This probably started with the James Bond films, which often depicted 007 in a tuxedo, often in some expensive hotel or casino. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 17:54, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

It depends a lot on the crowd you're trying to blend in with. If you're trying to fit in socially with high society top government officials to pump them for information, then you're going to want fancy dress.

But yea, mostly it probably comes from James Bond, and just a general desire for the character to be glamorous. APL (talk) 18:06, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Hmmm ... maybe fancy dress should be added to the List of words having different meanings in British and American English, the idea of secrent agents going in fancy dress is quite amusing -- Q Chris (talk) 07:38, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

"What do real secret agents wear"? You'll never no. However, I suspect it's just like an actor. Whatever fits the character he is playing. --Contributions/69.254.66.245 (talk) 19:26, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Of course I understand that with most secret agents, no one knows what they wear, that's the whole point. But surely there must be at least some secret agents who have shed some light on this, not necessarily specific people and occasions, but on a general level. At least Ian Fleming, the inventor of the James Bond mythos, was a former secret agent himself, so he must have brought some part of it into public knowledge. JIP | Talk 20:22, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm sure secret agents, such as Paramilitary Intelligence Officers of CIA's SAD/SOG, wear local clothing to blend in with the local population. Similarly, when attending a high-end function, they will wear tuxedos/dresses to blend in with the immediate crowd. Acceptable (talk) 21:07, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

I think it's all part of the game that film makers engage in. The stereotypical baddie in those sorts of movies is always immensely rich, smarmily self-important, speaks in refined language, is a master of the dramatic flourish or entrance and has a great taste for doing things in a theatrical way, always uses overly formal modes of address, has refined tastes, is somewhere in the twee/camp spectrum, and is supremely confident that his plans to take over the world or whatever will succeed. And they never do. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:51, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

You'll be able to find out the answer soon enough; the WSJ has reported that MI6 is planning an "espionage ball" for their 100th anniversary. It is going to be wall-to-wall spies wearing tuxedos.

Some people in Britain's tightknit intelligence community grumble that, even though the agency has done its best to keep the event under wraps, it is not appropriate for MI6 to be holding balls. "It's a secret service, for God's sake," said one individual familiar with the plans.

Tempshill (talk) 22:25, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Okay, so why publicize this? And, do they invite their wives? Doe sthis mean they tell their wives, "I'm a spy?" But, doesn't that risk blowing their cover? (Although, perhaps their wives don't know what exactly they do with MI6; it's not the Manhattan Project, so I suppose they could tell close family, but...it still raises questions, as it doe sthe mind of the person quoted.

Unless the ball is part of a ploy to catch a double agent or two? LOL, I've read too many thrillers, huh? :-)Somebody or his brother (talk) 00:09, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

Perhaps it was an excuse to compose the sentence "it is not appropriate for MI6 to be holding balls." Tee hee! Adam Bishop (talk) 00:30, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

I like how the unnamed individual was very careful not to say "Spies don't have balls" or any close variation. APL (talk) 03:38, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

To answer the question above, I gather intelligence officers are allowed to (and usually do) inform immediate family and partners about their job. Prokhorovka (talk) 08:43, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

We are not supposed to tell. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:10, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

I would expect that not everyone in MI6 is a field agent either. The CIA has people who are in things like admin, HR and accounting. 65.121.141.34 (talk) 13:38, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

That's right - Strawberry Fields only had a desk job collecting reports! Adam Bishop (talk) 08:15, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Presumably, secret agents would wear what everyone else is wearing. At a fancy-schmancy event, they might wear a tux. The wouldn't wear a tux if they're working on their cars, though. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 03:44, 21 June 2009 (UTC)