Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010 August 26

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

August 26

I'm bored in Hong Kong and have 5 bored people to entertain, please help!

Hi will any WIkipedaeers who have an intimate knowledge of Hong Kong please suggest a decent and cheap way to spend 24 hours in this FINE city of yours? We enjoy the old people raucously protesting as the next person but are there any out of the way things one can partake in to ensure MAXIMUM ENJOYMENT for all to be had? Thank you very much, and oh, being stuck in a crowd of humanity for an hour at the PEAK us NOT GREAT!!!! 218.103.86.2 (talk) 16:50, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

There are crowds of humanity everywhere in HK. Exploding Boy (talk) 16:52, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

If you have a transport and nature's your thing, then the far west and the far east of Hong Kong look nice with beaches, mountains and country parks. Check the regulations (some useful documents on this search), but maybe you could have a picnic/barbecue and some beers. Astronaut (talk) 18:28, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

Why not get a ferry down the Lantau Island and have a look at the big statue of Buddha there? It's a lovely island to walk around for a few hours. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 18:24, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

Yes, Lantau is lovely but it's getting way too touristy, especially the Big Buddha and the temple. Do explore some of the smaller villages on the island, such as Tai O and Mui Wo. It's only a few HK$ on the bus or taxi will get you there once you are on Lantau. If you want to really get off the beaten path, check out one of many outlaying islands like Ping Chau accessible only by sampan, and kai-to. The very southern Po Toi Islands is a good choice as well. --Kvasir (talk) 20:33, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

THANK YOU all very much for being of NO HELP whatsoever!!!! 218.103.86.2 (talk) 01:39, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

I do mean THANK YOU all very MUCH for BEING such great HELP!!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.103.86.2 (talk) 01:48, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

I used to live in Hong Kong: it has a vast range of available entertainment and places of interest. If anyone is capable of becoming bored there, the problem likely lies in themselves rather than in the locale. Have you explored the Tiger Balm Garden yet? Some of the statuary might appeal to you.87.82.229.195 (talk) 10:12, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

Try WikiTravel, and of course why not visit an ecofarm? Don't forget to keep track of the approaching tropical storm. ~AH1^(TCU) 19:25, 28 August 2010 (UTC)

Is this site legit?

http://www.ticketseating.com/buy-florence-and-the-machine-tickets-november-01-2010-1830-1400934/ . Because I went to the website of the venue where Florence is performing, and she's sold out. So how come tickets can be still magically available on another website? 24.189.87.160 (talk) 17:25, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

Because people will often buy multiple tickets and resell them. → ROUX ₪ 17:34, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

See Ticket resale. These kinds of sites are essentially scalpers — they try to figure out shows that will have high demand, buy up all the seats, then re-sell them at a higher price. This business model is often criticized. The ticket vendors have a love-hate relationship with these types of places. On the one hand, they get to sell out the show. On the other hand, if the tickets go unbought, that actually cuts into their bottom line, which is usually derived largely from concessions. And of course, having the fans pay a higher price just because these re-sellers get the tickets first — some of them use quite sophisticated computer algorithms to purchase all tickets on "hot" concerns within minutes of them being on offer — is essentially just passing a hefty "tax" to the actual consumer. As for legality, it varies by jurisdiction, as the article explains. There have been moves to ban all of this kind of online ticket reselling but I'm not sure anything much has come of it yet. If you buy from them, you're almost certainly going to be paying more, and you'll be supporting the business model. (Whether that bothers you or not probably depends on a lot of other views you have about economic transactions in general!) There is, of course, the possibility of ticket fraud, but that particular site seems to be one of the standard "legit" re-sellers. --Mr.98 (talk) 17:40, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

Ticket fraud could indeed be a concern. If the tickets are legit, though, it's just a matter of how much the OP is willing to pay. It's definitely unfair, but it's the way it is. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:09, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

I don't mind paying extra this time around, since the price isn't outrageously high (and I'm desperate as hell, I normally wouldn't do this), but I just wanted to make sure that this wasn't a fraud site. 24.189.87.160 (talk) 18:16, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

Web of Trust is showing it as a clean site. WoT isn't always the most accurate, but usually catches fraudulent websites. I can't find anything in Google that implies it's a fraud, either. Then again, I only found one source that said it wasn't a fraud, and that was on Yahoo! Answers. 24.247.162.139 (talk) 00:34, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

In the UK, there's Scarlet Mist which aims to let people exchange spare tickets ethically. Maybe there's something similar in the USA. --Frumpo (talk) 09:23, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

WHOIS shows that the owner is Domains by Proxy. ~AH1^(TCU) 19:11, 28 August 2010 (UTC)

Low voltage lighting

Over the last few years, I've had several outdoor projects done to my house, each time adding some 12V accent lighting to a garden, tree, patio, deck, stairway, etc. Since this is not "new construction" by the normal use of that term, each loop consists of

• a several-hundred-watt transformer, slightly larger than a loaf of bread
• plugged into a standard 110V outlet
• controlled by a switch that communicates "indirectly" with the transformer;

by this I mean that the switch does not actually turn on and off the outlet into which the transformer is plugged. Still, the net effect is that flipping the switch causes the transformer to turn on or off, and thus the lights on that loop. (Hope that's clear enough, because I have the feeling that I'm not explaining it very well.)

It seems to me that although it's simple enough, it's not terribly efficient. If I were to do this again, I'd consider running the low-voltage wiring along with the rest of the electrical rough-in. In particular, I'd have one big-ass transformer in the basement, and runs of wire from it to the switches and thence to the lights -- same as indoor wiring. But, nobody does it that way, so there's obviously an important concept that I'm missing.

Any of you electrical engineers like to upgrade my electronic education here? (This is the US, in case it's not obvious from context.) DaHorsesMouth (talk) 23:05, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

P.S. I don't know if the transformer output is 12V AC or 12V DC, in case that's important. Also, I can replace bulbs in some of the fixtures with standard automotive bulbs, which are 12V. DaHorsesMouth (talk) 23:07, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

Not sure I understood this completely, but if the transformer is plugged in, it will draw some power even if nothing is connected to the transformer. Also if you have a big transformer and only a small load on it, you'll be wasting some power that way. Looie496 (talk) 23:40, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

It depends on the type of transformer used. Switched-mode power supplies (used in computer power supplies, among other locations) are quite a bit more efficient than a vanilla core-transformer-plus-rectifier.

That said, one of the big problems with a 12V power supply in the basement and long cable runs throughout the house is resistive power loss in the wires. To keep resistive losses manageable (and, not incidentally, to ensure that you actually get something close to twelve volts at the output) means running much heavier-gauge wire from source to load. Your ordinary 110V household wiring is probably 12- or 14-gauge inside the walls; for a fifty-foot 20-amp capacity run at 12 volts, this table recommends 4 gauge wire. (The conductors would be at least three or four times the diameter of the 110V line.) The problem gets worse with longer runs, and if you have multiple circuits you're getting into something that's quite costly to install. Don't forget, too, that you need to move nine times the current at 12 V to deliver the same power (in watts) compared to a 110 V circuit.TenOfAllTrades(talk) 01:20, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

I've considered installing the same wiring here in the UK, though in my case it would have been a big 240v transformer to 15 volt rectified, connected to a bank of car batteries to provide lighting etc when mains power fails. In the end, I decided against this for the efficiency and resistance reasons explained by TenOfAllTrades. Instead I have portable systems that I can carry round, but only a very limited centrally powered system for LED lights (low current) along the drive (and this is 3v not 12v). Dbfirs 08:31, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

Second what ToAT said. Your current method is actually more efficient than what you propose to do, plus your cost of thicker wiring and the power loss incurred would would wipe out any savings. Also, having a transformer on each circuit distributes your risk of failure. On typical internal down light installations here (also 12V DC, although 240V AC is also available), it is common practice to put a transformer on each bulb, such that your wiring is still at mains voltage. Of course this is indoor so everything sits in the ceiling and when you flick the wall switch you are physically cutting power to the transformers and the bulbs. Zunaid 08:41, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

A simple transformer supplies AC which is adequate for lighting (there's no obvious reason for DC unless some form of regulation or dimming is needed). The big-loop or central transformer proposal involves higher operating current and much higher fault current that could create a fire hazard. As this lighting is home constructed, ensure that 1) the transformer case is connected to earth, and 2) each loop has a fuse or circuit breaker. I would connect one side of the 12V loop(s) to earth. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:16, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

Your set-up gives you the opportunity to instal a windmill, of the kind used on yachts, with a car battery, which may mean you could run the 12v system independently of the mains. 92.29.123.117 (talk) 14:06, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

The lower cost of conductors is a great incentive to use the 120 volt AC with a stepdown transformer to supply 12 v AC to the lights. The different voltage of wiring would require separate conduit runs in locations where metallic conduit is required around conductors. If plastic jacketed wire is used, and the insulation got pierced or pinched somewhere, there would be a fire hazard. Careful fusing or circuit breaker sizing would be needed for the high current low voltage mains, since the available energy would be much greater than other low voltage wiring such as thermostats or doorbells. I don't know what your local electrical code requires, but it should be followed with respect to grounding. Edison (talk) 16:58, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

Resolved

 – Excellent -- I learned much. Thanks!