Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 April 22

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April 22

Subaru Forester shipping

Subaru Foresters are manufactured completely in Japan, then shipped to the U.S. How long does the shipping take (in days) from Japan to the US? Kingturtle = (talk) 01:49, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Cargo ships require about 10 days to make the crossing ([1], [2]). Add in a few days at each end if you want to include transport to and from the port, and loading/unloading of the ship. Times will be longer if you're looking for delivery to the east coast. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 02:30, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Cars intended for delivery to the northeastern United States are typically shipped to the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal. (This is considerably cheaper than shipping to California and then cross-country by truck, or even by rail.) According to this site, shipping time to that port from Yokohama in Japan is 30 days. As Ten of All Trades, says, you need to allow at least a few days at both ends for transfer to or from the port by truck or rail. Marco polo (talk) 15:42, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Note that Foresters are manufactured in Ōta, Japan, which is 120 miles (194 km) from the Fukushima nuclear plant, well beyond the perimeter where dangerous radiation has been detected. The route from Ōta to its likely port of shipment, Yokohama, would not bring vehicles any closer to the nuclear plant. Marco polo (talk) 15:56, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Kamel Reds

So, i was looking to buy this hard to find brand of cigs, one of our gas stations in Cottonwood, AZ has them for $5.99 but they rarely have them in stock. so i was looking for a site to buy by the carton. i weeded through the mirror sites, and all the real looking sites dont have them. any ideas? 71.223.212.6 (talk) 10:09, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

• According to Camel (cigarette) this brand has been discontinued though "Some still found in the US, typically further up North, but is also found in the South, such as Tennessee and Texas." - you might have problems sourcing these. I might suggest you contact the manufacturer R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company at http://rjrt.com/contactus.aspx but they don't seem to encourage consumers to contact them - if you can get through maybe they could give you a list of distributors in Arizona who then might be able to tell you who stocks the brand. As an aside I hope you do understand and accept the risks involved in smoking. Exxolon (talk) 11:23, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

How do I connect my camera?

Hi, I am hopeless with technology, but maybe you can help. I have a Fujifilm Finepix F410, of Japanese manufacture, and I am trying to get the photos from it onto my laptop. I tried using the USB cable from my old camera, but the small end (like the one on the right here) doesn't fit. Is my camera using a different version of USB or something? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.70.226.85 (talk) 11:27, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Yes there are different USB connectors. But rather than buy a new cable I suggest you buy a card reader and plug that into your computer. That way you can just take the card from your camera and plug it into the card reader, which acts like an extra disk drive and you can move photos around at will. This will also save your camera battery.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 11:34, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Yes, different manufacturers have different implementations of miniature USB connectors. The same applies to phones. Sometimes they are interchangeable and sometimes not. You should have been provided with the appropriate USB cable when you bought the camera, but an alternative which usually works (provided the pictures are not saved in a propriety "raw" format) is to remove the memory card from your camera and plug it into your computer or a card reader, then just drag and drop onto your computer folder. I haven't seen the Finepix F410 so perhaps someone else can confirm what picture format it uses by default and whether other manufacturers' USB leads can be used. Dbfirs 11:42, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

There are several standard miniature USB connectors, miniUSB (with A and B variants) and microUSB (with A and B variants). For most devices the B cables will be what's used so miniUSB-B (for older devices) and microUSB-B (for most newer devices) predominate by far. Some manufacturers may use their own prioprietary USB connectors (although from my experience most such proprietary connectors are more then miniature USB) but phone manufacturers have agree to settle on microUSB for charging and data connections since I think 2007 [3], and it's now mandated in the EU although bundling a converted is allowed [4]. I'm not sure but the photo above looks like a microUSB cable, a camera that old was before the existance of microUSB so there's no way it would have that. Nil Einne (talk) 13:14, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

According to the manual, the camera uses the xD-Picture Card, so you will need a card reader that supports this standard. Exxolon (talk) 11:46, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Concurring with others here. In my experience, getting a multiple-card reader with a USB cable (the typical arrangement) gives you a lot more flexibility. For one thing, you don't have to install any special software, you can just copy or move the files using your standard windows explorer, as the PC will treat the card like any other portable disk drive. For another, if a friend takes some photos and has a camera with a different type of card than yours, you probably wouldn't have the copying software, but you can probably still copy the files to your PC using your card reader and windows explorer. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:12, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Thanks to all off you for the help; your generosity never ceases to amaze me :) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.70.226.85 (talk) 02:56, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

Anzac Day

has any prime minister ever been out of the country on anzac day ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 120.156.114.68 (talk) 12:13, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Your IP address is Australian, so I assume you are asking about the Australian Prime Minister (rather than the New Zealand PM, which would also have made sense). It's not something that is particularly easy to find out. You would need to go through each Anzac day in turn working out where the PM at the time was. --Tango (talk) 13:31, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

It has become common for Australians to go to Anzac Cove for a dawn service there. For the our article "In 1990 ... Government officials from Australia ... travelled to Turkey for a special Dawn Service at Gallipoli.". The article doesn't mention whether the PM went, but that year would seem a likely candidate for the PM not being in Australia. Mitch Ames (talk) 13:47, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

It appears that Bob Hawke was there in 1990. [5][6] Mitch Ames (talk) 13:53, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

... so now Anzac Day#Turkey does mention Hawke. Mitch Ames (talk) 13:59, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

The list certainly does NOT include Paul Keating - [7]. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 21:39, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

But John Howard was there on Anzac Day 2005. [8] -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 21:39, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Julia Gillard will be out of Australia on Anzac Day this year. (In Korea, not at Anzac Cove.) [9][10] - in both cases the information is right at the bottom of the article. Mitch Ames (talk) 00:58, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

Coca Cola & Mentos

I'm sure this has been asked many times and I probably missed the Mythbusters episode, but what's the fact of the matter of what would happen if a person downed, say, a 20 Oz bottle of Coke and then after the soda was all the way down, quickly swallowed a Mentos? 20.137.18.50 (talk) 14:59, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

It's specifically Diet Coke, not Coca Cola. --Mr.98 (talk) 15:43, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

From the About.com link at the bottom of the link you provided, it sounds like the same reaction would occur more or less with regular Coke, as carbonation is the key, but that Diet Coke causes less sticky results. Thanks for that link, though. I can't help but suspect that anyone who drank a bunch of any carbonated soda and then popped a whole regular (i.e., unwaxed) Mentos would start projectile vomiting. 20.137.18.50 (talk) 16:00, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

See http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/mentos.asp. Exxolon (talk) 16:18, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Our article indicates that it is more than carbonation, that the aspartame (only in Diet Coke) is part of the reaction. The About.com article is really the worst of the references in that article. The others point to the fact that aspartame lowers the surface tension of the water, which is why Diet Coke is much more dramatic in its reaction than regular Coke. --Mr.98 (talk) 20:51, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

The Eepy Birds, who ought to be experts, have said that Diet Coke and regular Coke are the same except for the stickiness. So, if there is a difference, then I would assume it is a small one. Dragons flight (talk) 04:33, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

Nothing particularly interesting would happen. The dissolved CO2 in a fizzy drink comes out of solution quite a lot when you drink it anyway - that's why you burp. Also, I don't think a 20oz bottle is big enough. The experiment is usually done with a larger bottle (but with the same sized opening, so more bubbles try to get through the same space, meaning the foam travels faster). If you tried to down a 2 litre (or whatever the imperial equivalent is) bottle in one go, you would make yourself ill with or without a mento! --Tango (talk) 16:27, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

From a perusal on youtube, it looks like a cupful of soda and a Mentos are enough to make someone gurgle up, which isn't nothing, but also isn't very interesting. 20.137.18.50 (talk) 18:44, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

As a side note, the imperial equivalent of a 2 litre bottle of soda is a 2-liter bottle of soda. --Carnildo (talk) 22:46, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

They did this one on Mythbusters and came to the same conclusion as Tango. Here's the video[11] --JGGardiner (talk) 00:16, 24 April 2011 (UTC)

Anent not much: Years ago a friend drank 5 10 oz. bottles of Coke inside of about 12 minutes -- then had two cups of coffee. He claimed he slept fine after that. Collect (talk) 23:07, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

What he didn't tell you was that it was 3 days later when he "slept fine". :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:25, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

Or that his "sleep" was more likely a diabetic coma. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 01:49, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

Yah. The scenario reminds me of a McGuire Sisters' hit song, with its lyric, "Sugar in the mornin' / Sugar in the evenin' / Sugar at suppertime..." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:40, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

Question

First non-Indian person to receive the Bharat Ratna

please tell me,the name of the first non-Indian person who received Bhartha Rathna Mathematics2011 (talk) 15:48, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Do you mean the Bharat Ratna? The list says Nelson Mandela was the "second non-citizen" to recieve it, and if they are referring to Mother Theresa as being the first "non-citizen" (it doesn't say), then it is strange, since she apparently got Indian citizenship in 1948. --Saddhiyama (talk) 16:14, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Ah, I just had to read the article text. The first of non-Indian citizenship to recieve it was Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan in 1987. Nelson Mandela recieved the award in 1990. --Saddhiyama (talk) 16:19, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

I added a comprehensible title. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 21:32, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

St Andrews Fine China

St Andrews Fine China Scotland is printed on the base of a miniature cup , saucer and plate. I would welcome information on provenance. 92.29.58.186 (talk) 15:50, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Well, no doubt they were made by St Andrews Fine China of Scotland, which a Google search informs me was some sort of subsidiary of Royal Doulton. I am unable to find any information on their history; it doesn't seem to have been a major manufacturer. Looie496 (talk) 16:36, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Writing on unruled paper

Hi. Sometimes I need to write on plain, unruled paper (paper without the lines). However, I often find that my writing curves hopelessly downward or is not parallel to the side of the paper, becomes smaller or bigger from left to right, etc, even if I'm only writing two or three words; I can't write in a straight line without the lines actually being there. Drawing in the lines is impractical because it is time consuming (a serious consideration when, for example, taking a test) and may be aesthetically displeasing (for example, when hand-calligraphing cards). What can I do to prevent this? Thanks. 72.128.95.0 (talk) 22:56, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Get a nice piece of cardboard with its edge parallel to the imaginary line you are writing on, and keep your hand in the same position relative to that edge as your hand moves from side to side. If you are an artist, you can get one of the prisms used to give a virtual image on the paper, and place a ruled sheet in line with it - that way you will see "virtual lines" on the paper. Collect (talk) 23:02, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Get a piece of that cardboard the same size as the paper, and draw very dark, think black lines on it in the spacing you like, then just sit your writing paper on top. Most paper will show the black lines through it. HiLo48 (talk) 23:07, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Agreed, this approach works well. If thin lines don't show through, you can also make them thick. StuRat (talk) 00:17, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

Thirded. I sometimes have to handwrite letters, and simply use a second sheet of paper, black-lined as described, under the writing sheet. It takes about 5 minutes to prepare one, and you then have it available indefinitely for repeated use.

In test situations this might be impractical, but often in a test you will have other printed material (such as the question paper) to hand. If you place this under the writing paper, printed text or lines on it will probably also show through well enough to serve as a guide. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.111 (talk) 02:18, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

I find it extraordinary that we have apparently progressed to a time when a fully literate person is unaware of lineguides. When we wrote things up for 'best' at school, rather than roughly on lined pages, we would take our lineguides (which were clearly just photocopies of one the teacher had made, on A4 paper) out of the drawer, take our paperclips from our personal drawers, and clip them behind blank page or blank paper we wanted to write on. The only danger was, given our young age, that sometimes we shifted the paper relative to the guide. Most people who wrote letters, and had a book of letter-writing paper, would make a lineguide from one of the pages and keep it in the back of the book. I was very surprised when I got to secondary school and we were expected to write neat work on lined paper. Now, best work is word-processed most of the time. 212.183.128.103 (talk) 14:12, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

Depending on how much you have to write, what you're writing on or with, and the time available, it may be feasible to draw the lines lightly in pencil first, write the words in ink, wait a while for the ink to be thoroughly dry, then carefully erase the pencil lines. It works for me (in some contexts). Mitch Ames (talk) 00:54, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

Depending on how much you write like this...if you can determine the extent of the "curve," simply turn the paper you're writing on at such an angle to compensate. Quinn ^{✩ STARRY NIGHT} 02:27, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

This technique I believe was often used by people hand-writing letters, which were often on thin enough paper that the dark ruled lines would show through and allow them to write neatly. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:21, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

When I worked as a secretary in engineering firms, I used to come across handwritten notes where the bottom of each letter was squared off, and each line was perfectly straight even where there were no feint lines on the paper. This was known as "ruler writing" because engineers were trained to sit a ruler on the page and write above the ruler, in order to keep things straight and legible. I believe this is a dying art nowadays. --TammyMoet (talk) 07:40, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

I've seen what you're talking about - long ago. Not only is it a dying art, handwriting itself is a dying art. Why hand-write any more than necessary, when just about everybody and his mother has a PC and a printer? Or a typewriter? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:35, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

Gee Bugsy, you sure know how to make a woman feel.... old! --TammyMoet (talk) 09:38, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

What makes me feel old is to reflect on the number of major league baseball stadiums that have been constructed and demolished within my lifespan. :( ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 10:06, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

I stay young by not paying attention to sports. —Tamfang (talk) 17:24, 24 April 2011 (UTC)

I haven't bought any quality writing paper for a long time, but the leading UK brand called "Basildon Bond" used to include a heavily lined page with each pad. You simply inserted this under each new page. Alansplodge (talk) 17:47, 23 April 2011 (UTC)