Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2009 May 6

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May 6

Why won't my coworker leave me alone??

Day after day he will turn his crooked neck around to leer at me. I know what is coming, he turns around and shows me the same picture on his computer that i've seen 100 times before, whether it be some wacky hotdog that was cut up to resemble some octopus, or just a joke about something stupid. He jerks in his chair when I walk in, gleaming with excitement that today he may show me something! The gap toothed grin I see for 8 hours straight. He will look into your eyes after he says a joke, he will stare at your soul until you offer some sort of congratulatory gesture. "Nice job, that was funny!" My body seems to force a response so I don't have to stare into his wide eyes.

I wish he would change up his routine, maybe remember that the things which I will hear tomorrow will be the same things he has told me for years and years. I wish to tell him all my ailments but I know he will just forget, and we will be back on square one.

Why do people not realize things like this? How can you not see the look of disgust in my face when you tell me the same thing over and over, and not even think that maybe the cute picture of an anthropomorphized object is not as funny the five thousandth time you show it to someone?

Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.218.35.51 (talk) 01:11, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

People are idiots, you just have to get used to it. But if you think you have grounds for claiming that he is harrassing you (which, from this description, doesn't seem likely), you could talk to whoever is in charge of dealing with that sort of thing at your office. Adam Bishop (talk) 02:09, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Yeah - this isn't harrassment. It's possible he's simply an idiot. I'm fond of pointing out that half the people in the world have below average intelligence. But if (perhaps) he's actually rather good at his job - and entirely NOT stupid then it's also possible that this guy lacks social skills for actual, genuine, medical-type reasons. Until I learned why - and took training on what to do about it - I may well have been very much like this guy (I hope not...but maybe). I can't pick up on body language or sarcasm or anything like that...for me, it's a genetic thing - Asperger's syndrome. This seems somehow worse than that - but I can't tell because...I suck at detecting that kind of thing! You have to tell me - in clear, unambiguous terms that I'm boring you or acting somehow inappropriately - or I quite simply won't realise it. Until I was specifically taught the 'tricks' that normal people know instinctively - I simply had no idea.

However, none of those things is any help to you. You have to stop humoring him. Make it VERY clear - in terms that nobody could ignore - that you aren't amused by the jokes - that you're sick of the pictures. Just tell him - don't be nasty about it - but make it clear - be firm. Don't drop hints - he won't notice them. Don't use body language - he won't notice that either. A clear, simple, unmistakable statement. It may seem harsh - but you're actually doing him a favor. In future, once you've made your position abundantly clear, be quite firm about turning each of these attempts into something about work. "I've got this <snigger> picture to show you!"..."Yes - but have you done the work on the Bigglesworth contract yet?"..."It's really funny <grin>"..."Well, no - I don't find those things funny and I've got to make this spreadsheet balance by lunchtime."...whatever. Just don't let it happen once you've carefully explained your position.

I'm actually quite happy when someone tells me that I'm babbling on too much - or becoming boring - or doing something inappropriate - because I can't tell myself and I certainly don't WANT to be an annoying idiot - so I'd much rather be told (albeit bluntly) than to have everyone think I'm an annoying jerk.

SteveBaker (talk) 02:12, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Isn't that why God created spouses, Steve? Deor (talk) 03:41, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Don't get your hopes up OP; there are actually people who think the funniest thing in America is an hour of falling off trampolines, and they're certainly much more numberous than the autistic. Try befriending fellow rational people who also struggle daily not to murder people like your coworker; any channel you're autobanned for saying lolcats or purpleronnie is probably a good place to start. I do feel your pain; I've had a similar experience. .froth. (talk) 04:32, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

What is a purpleronnie?68.148.149.184 (talk) 09:50, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

The dislike of his coworker expressed by the OP reminds me of Poe's story The Tell-Tale Heart. Hope the similarity does not continue too far. Edison (talk) 04:30, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

(e/c) I was thinking more along the lines of The Cask of Amontillado. "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge..." Matt Deres (talk) 12:52, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Aspergers are not necessarily annoying. Indeed, they are normally not that interested in social contact of any kind. Anyway, if you reward him like you suggest above ("until you offer some sort of congratulatory gesture. "Nice job, that was funny!" My body seems to force a response so I don't have to stare into his wide eyes.") you are actually reinforcing it. The best advice is probably to tell him sincerely and politely that you don't want to see these pictures any more. It is blunt, but much better than exploding and shouting at him, what will inevitably happen sometime.--Mr.K. (talk) 12:49, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Aspies certainly aren't comfortable with people they don't know well - but that's the problem. When forced to (for example) share an office, we're forced into trying to make social contact - and that's where it all goes awry because we suck at it. Our inability to sense other people's mental state means that we literally can't tell when someone is sick of seeing pictures we found on the internet. When our OP says "Oh that's nice" without the matching body language and in a tone of voice that's patently insincere - you guys can tell and know to back off. We Aspies generally don't know that - we hear the words and take them at their literal face-value. I can't tell you the number of times that's happened to me - and it's embarrassing as all hell when I find out. Hence the advice to be gentle - but firm, direct and above all - unambiguous. SteveBaker (talk) 02:53, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Yes my feeling about it is jeez how silly why can't you just politely assert what you feel about it and say you don't want it. Why do you have to make life so complicated? Making signals so small a person can't read them - do you want the person to understand or not? You may find this difficult to grasp - but men in general can't read minds and appreciate a bit of help using the spoken word. He'll be grateful. Dmcq (talk) 23:40, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

The reason he keeps showing you this stuff is you make him think you want to see this stuff, because you look at it and you say "that's funny". Sure, in a perfect world, he'd pick up on your reluctance, but what can I say? You are enabling this stuff by feigning interest; it's not his fault that you're essentially leading him on by not politely saying that you really aren't interested and you really need to concentrate on your work, and you don't want to see any more funny stuff, no matter what it is or how funny it is. If you tell him flat out how you feel about it, and he still does it, then he's a dick. Now he's just oblivious to your discomfort. That's not an ideal situation, but if he can't tell you don't care, what's he supposed to do about it if he simply isn't aware of the problem in the first place? -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:23, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Interesting how appeals like this are dealt with. I'd guess women in general will sympathize and offer support whereas men in general will just try and think of ways of solving the problem. Little support from me I'm afraid - just go solve it. Dmcq (talk) 08:07, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

But that's a solid example of this exact problem. The OP asks a straight question - seemingly looking for direct advice - and that's what I give. If you want hugs and sympathy - you just need to say so - I can do hugs and sympathy too, I just don't know whether that's what the person wants unless they actually say so! (Although asking a reference librarian is probably not the most appropriate way to get hugs and sympathy!) SteveBaker (talk) 14:27, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Wow, straight into the gender stereotypes O_o How incredibly helpful. I'd guess those with Asperger's in general will offer a sympathetic viewpoint and advice for if the problem is related to that, while those who have dealt with irritating coworkers before in general will offer a sympathetic viewpoint and advice based on these experiences. Meanwhile, a small minority will give slightly bizarre replies that verge on 70s stand-up. 80.41.71.69 (talk) 21:28, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Thaaaat would be me .froth. (talk) 00:45, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

By your use of the word leer, it seems as if he intends to do this to you. Maybe he wants to annoy you to insanity.68.148.149.184 (talk) 10:08, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

Chamba Army of Distt Chamba of Himachal Pradesh

Friends, I have heard about Chamba Army pensioners.One of musicians of Chamba Army was Late Shri Pali Ram s/o Shri Lappo.I want the detail of his family nominations and ppo no. pleaseGayetri (talk) 07:23, 6 May 2009 (UTC).

Barbeque Chip Spices?

Does anyone know what spices are in barbeque potato chips? I have tried to search the internet without success. I think there might be paprika, salt, and pepper, but there are probably more. Also, if anyone knows the proportions of each spice, I would really appreciate it. Thanks. Eiad77 (talk) 11:15, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

It will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer (and even by variety within manufacturers), which you haven't specified, and even then will remain a trade secret. However, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find recipes for making your own bbq chips, and failing that, I'm quite certain you can find any number of recipes for rib rubs and other bbq seasonings that could be applied to chips. Personally, I'd try to find a way to combine liquid smoke with a spice mix. — Lomn 13:21, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

barbeque sauce list the major ingredients in several styles of bbq sauce. Of course these are liquids and even getting powders to stick to chips can be tricky. Rmhermen (talk) 14:51, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Worcestershire sauce, or something like it, is added to a lot of savoury snacks without explicitly being acknowledged. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 22:36, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

As mentioned it will vary a LOT by chip. If you are making your own chips, do a search for "Dry rub barbecue" recipes. Dry rubs are applied to meats to be barbecued in some places instead of sauces, and they probably make a good application for chips. If you do decide to make your own chips at home some ideas:

• Use very hot oil, and something that has a high smoke point, like Peanut Oil. Its neutral in flavor, and is very good for high-temp applications like chip frying.
• Apply your spice mixture IMMEDIATELY upon taking the chips out of the oil. It will stick to the chips much better.
• Some ingredients to try in your spice mix may be: Smoked paprika or dried chipotle powder for a smokey flavor, garlic powder and onion powder, salt and pepper, all would make good additions to your barbecue rub...

Hope that helps some! --Jayron32.talk.contribs 23:53, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

If you use peanut oil, make sure everyone knows that, unless you're absolutely sure that everyone who gets a taste can consume peanuts safely. Seriously. Someone could die. --Trovatore (talk) 03:04, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Considering that only 1 person in 200 has a peanut allergy, and a much smaller number of those have allergies which reach the level of severity that can cause death, its probably not worth the panic. Yes, food allergies can be serious, but people who have them generally already know what to look out for. People also have allergies to eggs, wheat, or any other common foodstuffs, but for some reason peanuts gets all the bad press. I understand that if you personally know someone with an allergy of this nature, it is easy to become sensitized to its seriousness, but in general the level of hysteria probably does not match the level of risk to the general population. Also, peanut oil which is used for frying is refined to the level that it generally does not cause reactions the way that whole nuts do. See this site which notes that "Pure peanut oil is generally non-allergenic" as does this one and this one and this one. Of course, your mileage may vary, and if you have a peanut allergy, you should probably take care. But generally, the current trend to treat peanuts like cyanide is probably over the top... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 03:18, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

I completely agree with you that allergies are a little overblown (especially peanut allergies). Getting back to the topic, thanks for the suggestions you gave above, I will try them out sometime soon and let you know how it went. Eiad77 (talk) 03:26, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

There are certainly aspects of overblowing here and there, but I think you still want to check. You really wouldn't want to get caught by the bad end of the law of averages, not when it's so easy to just say everyone please be aware I used peanut oil. --Trovatore (talk) 05:34, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

It is a point, that I certainly wouldn't expect peanut oil in something like homemade chips. People for whom it is a serious problem will generally take it seriously (and thus ask, or not bother even considering eating it. In my experience, they'll give this a miss because of the spice), but I'd always look out if using something unexpected. Equally, if I'd made bread that for some reason contained egg, I would make sure (if serving it to people I didn't know well enough to know whether they had a serious allergy) to mention this.

So, it's not really special to peanuts (although peanuts and nuts are a common allergen, so one that would always spring to mind for me). Adults can be expected to taken reasonable care about their life-threatening allergies, but it is generally good practice to mention if you used something unusual (especially if it is an common allergen). 80.41.71.69 (talk) 21:06, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

I'm surprised by your comments Jayron32, not because I don't agree with them (I totally agree with them) but you seem to forget the fact that food laws are extremely strict in certain countries, such as Australia (the de facto anally retentive beaurocratic government of the world - if I may be so bold) where I am almost positive the food standards insist you declare peanut products used in the preparation of your products, and believe me if your product was sitting on shelves without the declaration they would fine you and force you to recall the entire stock and you would have to put labels on each and every unit before you could sell them again. I don't know what the FDA and US laws are, but I assume they have a similar rule. The joke is that peanut declarations are relatively serious, yet food recalls have been done in Australia over the most petty and ridiculous reasons such as minor mis-spellings of harmless ingredients, or harmlessly putting 2 ingredients in the wrong order, or labels that are legible but are below the minimum size as required by Australian law - the list goes on. Rfwoolf (talk) 03:14, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

Federal offense?

I recently made a bunch of fliers saying that the swine flu thing was just a cover up for a zombie outbreak and for effect I put the World Health Organization logo on the bottom. I only post the notices for a good chuckle, I'm not profiting from it or anything. Everyone says that it is a federal offense, is it really and can I get in trouble from this? SentientWAFFLE (talk) 12:01, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

We don't give legal advice on the reference desk, but... Yes, you probably can get in trouble for that. Tomdobb (talk) 12:18, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

In general, if the authorities don't have anything else to charge you with, there are some general violtions like "disturbing the peace" that are a catchall for "being an obnoxious pain in the ass". I wouldn't do this if I were you. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 12:41, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Well, I only post them around school, many people find them quite humorous. Great, what am I going to do with the 120 I have left? SentientWAFFLE (talk) 12:45, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

(e/c) I doubt you'd actually get into trouble; you could easily claim parody or simple humour. But it needn't get that far anyway; just make up a believable-sounding but nonexistent medical-type group and slap a made-up, but official-looking logo on it. Those groups all start to sound alike anyway, so go with the Universal Health Group or North American Medical Corps or something. Matt Deres (talk) 12:48, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Are you aware that the conspiracy has already been revealed? Vimescarrot (talk) 12:49, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Hah! One time I was driving in LA, I think Westbound on the 134, and I saw one of those signs that read KILLER BEE TRAFFIC AHEAD. This was sometime in the 90s when people were still at least a little concerned about killer bees. I found out later that it was part of the filming for The Brady Bunch Movie. --Trovatore (talk) 09:37, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

It's sort of an interesting question to me because you are pretending to be a UN agency and not a part of your government (which I am assuming is the USA because of the phrase "a federal offense"). If you were to put "FBI" on the flyers then there could be an argument that you're acting under color of authority, which might be a crime where you live; or possibly committing the offense of police impersonation. There might also be a specific crime saying it's illegal to pretend you're in the FBI (so hide that baseball cap). The 'under color of authority' thing might still be the case even though it's a UN agency and the "authority" in question is not domiciled in the US. Aside from the attribution thing, there could be arguments that you're trying to incite a riot, and in any case any cop and DA who wanted to be a dick could arrest and prosecute you for the catchall crime called disturbing the peace. Tempshill (talk) 16:54, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Well, it's clear that if someone wants to stop you or punish you - they'll find a way. You're probably infringing on the WHO copyright with that logo for example (although you might argue 'fair use' on the grounds of parody - it's still a fight). But you mentioned that you posted them around school...if THEY want to get you - they don't even need a law. They can punish kids for yelling in class - for obscene gestures - despite their free speech rights - they can enforce arbitary dress codes - they can certainly cause you endless grief for these posters. On the other hand - it's pretty funny...I'd be tempted to push it...but that's just me. SteveBaker (talk) 02:31, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for all the input! I highly doubt I'll get arrested and prosecuted over this, the worst that could happen is a teacher telling me to stop posting them. My main goal is amusement, not chaos. I think I'll lay low for a while and just slap some up here and there randomly. SentientWAFFLE (talk) 20:16, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Animated GIFs

Where can I get high resolution animated GIFs??They should be clear in view when I keep them as wallpapers on my desktop...Is it possible to get them?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.246.174.130 (talk) 13:19, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

It's possible, but it's not generally technically interesting. The 256-color limit and compression characteristic of GIFs make them unattractive for such applications. As such, I've no idea where you might find them (though you might be able to make them yourself). — Lomn 15:00, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

I saw this question by accident and I want to add an extra question if I may, is there a animation format like .gif that can store images in higher quality and if not, why not? Everyone uses gifs even though they almost always look bad because of the 256 limit- is the only alternative movie formats liks avi and mkv? --BiT (talk) 15:14, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

APNG? Flash? HTML 5 will support standardized <video> elements that are probably the best way to solve the problem. .froth. (talk) 15:43, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

WP:RD/C —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.44.54.169 (talk) 16:43, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Mere pedantry, but GIF doesn't have a 256-colour limit. 94.168.184.16 (talk) 20:03, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

No - the file format supports it by dirty trickery - but hardly any programs do. In practical terms - it's a solid 256 color limit. SteveBaker (talk) 02:14, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

WikiCommons has a special category for animated GIF images: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Animation - there are TONS of animations there - many of them at high resolution. Enjoy! SteveBaker (talk) 02:14, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

MNG, though it's very rare. Avnas Ishtaroth _{drop me a line} 12:12, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

Halo that glows

I am trying to make a halo for an angel costume. But it has to glow. I tried looking in Home Depot for any glowing thin tubing but I couldn't find anything feasible. Any suggestions? The subject will have long hair so to disguise something small in the back if needed.--Reticuli88 (talk) 15:29, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Could you use glow sticks? Or perhaps some LEDs in a frosted/clouded tube to diffuse the light? --Tango (talk) 15:47, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

How would you construct one with LED's? --Reticuli88 (talk) 15:53, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Looking at our article for "glow stick", I see no reason one couldn't be manufactured using flexible plastics instead of hard ones. Perhaps a store which sells glow sticks might be able to help, if they're at all familiar with the products? I suppose one problem might be that many things which simply "glow" won't produce noticeable amounts of light when in well-lit surroundings...don't forget to consider this when choosing your product. Vimescarrot (talk) 16:53, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

There are glow sticks that are made of thin flexible tubing that are marketed as "glow necklaces." You can do a simple google search for "glow necklaces" and find many retailers who sell them. cheers, 10draftsdeep (talk) 17:20, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

This[1]sort of thing.86.4.190.83 (talk) 18:05, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

I thought glow necklaces and bracelets are commonplace. They certainly are around here. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 22:32, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Certainly glow necklaces seem like the easiest way. To do it with LED's is a pain - I made a 'space helmet' for my kid one time - he wanted a strip of LED's inside. For each LED, you need a resistor in series with it - I put three LED's in series - then groups of three in parallel. It's really hard to get all of that wiring into a plastic hose - but it's possible. Then I powered the whole thing - about 50 LED's with a 9 volt battery. It worked well - but it was hardly cheap - and it took most of an annoyingly boring evening to solder together and to fix the odd LED that wouldn't light. So unless you're really confident at soldering...don't! SteveBaker (talk) 02:07, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

I can confirm that glow sticks can come in a flexible form, and some products have 'joins' that allow you to construct necklaces and other pointless constructions. One thing to consider however is how long it will need to glow for. These glow sticks I saw lasted a few hours. Also, in the sign industry there is a product used for 'cinema stair lighting' and that sort of thing. It is marketed as a cheap and flexible alternative to neon. I have no product names for you however, or any information on how to source it - but that would be a solution that, when hooked to a battery, would glow for as long as there is power. Rfwoolf (talk) 02:20, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

The supercool way would be to use Electroluminescent wire. Probably much harder to construct that glow sticks, but you can do all kinds of special effects... rapidly shifting colors, illusions of motion, etc. Very bright, can be very pretty. Can be used to make amazing artworks. "Some assembly required."

Considering all the work I putting into my cousin's costume, it would be cheapened by sticking a $1 glowstick as a halo. However, electroluminescent wire seems very ideal. Thanks everyone for your input. --Reticuli88 (talk) 12:43, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Wow! I'd never come across electroluminscent wire before - it's amazingly cheap - some of those places linked to from our article sell it in a bunch of colors and as cheap as $1 per foot plus about $10 for a battery operated power supply. The wire needs 100 volts at 1000Hz - so even though the current is presumably very small - a "do it yourself" solution to the electronics isn't recommended. The glow-wire itself looks to be pretty well insulated...but you'll want to take some care over insulation of the connections to the power supply. Now I need an excuse to buy some...hmmmm. SteveBaker (talk) 14:19, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

You need it for "science", Steve. That excuse always works! --Tango (talk) 14:30, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

You haven't met my wife have you? No - I thought not. SteveBaker (talk) 23:20, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

One of the drawbacks of the 'electroluminscent wire' (if that is the thing I saw in the sign industry a few years ago) was that they aren't that luminous during the day, or at least not as luminous as neon. They are the most effective in darkness. It may be surprising I know, but if you can't tell if it's glowing in the day there's very little point. Rfwoolf (talk) 03:08, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

I don't know enough about it to know how it looks in daylight--I've only seen it at night, mostly at Burning Man. Some of the "el wire" (as people seem to call it) artwork people take there amazed me, especially "animated" works. For example, bicycles with large el-wire structures mounted on them with different parts turning on and off in syncronized ways to create the illusion of movement. One I particularly liked looked like a giant butterly flapping its wings, giving the sense that the wings were causing the forward motion of the bike. The illusion only worked in the dark of course. And it can be very dark in the Nevada desert. I suspect the artist also "darkened" the bike and himself (black clothes, painted or covered up the bike with black, etc. I also saw a very good illusion of a horse galloping; also a bike under the illusion. My quick search failed to turn up any video of "animated" el-wire art, just some nice photos like this and that, and a whole gallery of various Burning Man photos, most of el-wire art, over here. I have never tried to make anything with el wire and don't know much about how it is done. My impression is that it is fairly easy to wire up given a decent basic understanding of soldering, electronics, etc. Although as Steve Baker suggests, the do-it-yourself approach may involve some real risk--I wouldn't want to be responsible for anyone getting hurt. There are probably webpages that explain how to best go about it. Pfly (talk) 03:48, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

Glow sticks: horrible things for the environment. Yes, they have a place in emergency situations, but the chemicals and plastic . . . DOR (HK) (talk) 08:03, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

I haven't seen any evidence that they're causing serious harm to the environment as a whole, but after I found out what was in them, I certainly wouldn't be sanguine about the not-uncommon practice of slicing them open and spreading the glow-juice on things or (especially) people.

Not to keep anyone in suspense, according to our article, the key ingredients mostly seem to be polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. which as a class tend to be carcinogenic. I don't have specific information about the carcinogenicity of the specific ones used, but I would certainly not want the stuff on my skin. --Trovatore (talk) 08:11, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

Airfare prices

I'm going to be flying from Perth (Australia) to Seoul soon, and I'm puzzled by the massive discrepancy in airline prices. Example: why does it only cost $784 to fly Thai International, with a stopover in Bangkok, but $2070 to fly Malaysia Airlines with a stopover in KL? It's more or less the same mileage. 58.161.196.113 (talk) 15:44, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Airlines try to maximise their profit for each flight. The person sat next to you on the exact same flight may have paid twice as much - or may have paid half what you did. The reason is down to many things but amongst them Price discrimination - it even has a section dedicated to the airlines. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 15:53, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Every flight has cheap and expensive tickets. Whether you get the cheap or the expensive depends on 1) how early you book and whether the cheap tickets have sold out, 2) whether the airline is having some kind of special fare promotion, and 3) your travel agent. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 22:30, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

But, seriously - a $1,200 price difference? That's enormous. The distinct impression I get is that Malaysia Airlines would be plying me with caviar and champagne, while Thai International would stuff me inside the cargo hold. 58.161.196.113 (talk) 06:40, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

This kind of price discrepancy is nothing unusual. For a recent flight between two major European cities, I found prices ranging from 100 € to 800 € depending on the airline (all direct flights). As 194.221.133.226 said, so many factors go into ticket prices that you often get these massive differences. Just remember to look at the ticket conditions when you buy - the cheaper tickets tend to be more restrictive (no cancellation, rebooking not possible or for a fee, lower luggage allowance...). — QuantumEleven 07:59, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

The thing is, I'm not flying on my own dime... I'm unsure whether to be polite and take the cheapest ticket, or seize the opportunity to fly Cathay Pacific. 58.161.196.113 (talk) 08:58, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Take the flight that sets off/arrives at the most convinient times and ignore the cost. Or if they are specifically similar - go with the expensive one, very very few people offered a higher-value ticket turn 'em down and doing so won't particularly make them think "wow they're a great employee" (speaking from my experiences anyways). 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:45, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

I think it might just be a case of Thai Airlines specifically targeting that relation (Perth-Seoul), while the expensive airlines have not thought much about that market, and simply use some general algorithm like ((Perth to KL) + (KL to Seoul))/(x>1) to get the price. I've seen similar things with other "unusual" international relations. Malaysia Airlines probably focuses on getting people to fly Perth-Kuala Lumpur (an opposite) and Seoul-Kuala Lumpur (and opposite). Malaysia Airlines serve 88 destinations according to the Wikipedia article, and it's probably not worth the bother calculating optimal price policies for all 88!/2 = 6*10^133 combinations (or is that 87! anyway, assuming that all flights are out of KL which they are probably not. Anyway, my combinatorics seem to be rusty so this equation is probably wrong but the point is that it is a large number). Jørgen (talk) 13:22, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Reliability, price, departure and arrival times and quality of service are all factors to be considered. I suggest looking for a connection through Singapore as it is most likely to combine the best of several factors. One odd way of figuring out the best option is to look at where airplanes arrive from at you destination. Might be a nonstop, or one-stop you hadn't thought of. DOR (HK) (talk) 06:15, 11 May 2009 (UTC)

what is this classical music

It is here [[2]] on the background, minute 1:30. --Mr.K. (talk) 17:37, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

It's the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky. ---Sluzzelin talk 17:48, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Change Cell Phone NUmber in USA

Right now, what is the only way that ATT will allow you to change your cell phone number for free? --Reticuli88 (talk) 18:55, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Is this a riddle or a research question? You should just call their customer service number and ask. Tempshill (talk) 20:02, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Usually if you just ask they will change it. This is especially true if there are reasonable circumstances involved (such as harassment). I don't know AT&T's official policy, but if you have a reason that you NEED it changed it has been my experience that they will change it for you.206.131.39.6 (talk) 20:27, 6 May 2009 (UTC)