Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 November 16

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November 16

Prices on US Military Based and Rounding to the nearest 5 cents

Is it true that on US military based the prices are rounded to the nearest 5 cents? --CGPGrey (talk) 12:04, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

Penny debate in the United States says Army and Air Force Exchange Service stores overseas round to the nearest 5 cents. Not sure about in the US (or whether other stores differ). --Colapeninsula (talk) 13:23, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

Obama and my Prime Minister have just announced the deployment of some US Marines to some northern Australian bases over the next few years. Since 5 cents is our smallest coin, those Marines had better get used to the concept. HiLo48 (talk) 01:25, 17 November 2011 (UTC)

Huh, now there's a question for you. On a U.S. base on foreign soil, does the PX require local currency? American currency? Both? Beeblebrox (talk) 01:22, 18 November 2011 (UTC)

Isn't the point of what Colapeninsula said that they use US currency? You wouldn't round to the nearest 5 cents if using Japanese Yen. Or South Korean Won. Or Kuwaiti Dinar. The ref from the article actually says "It is important to note also that ad similar rounding technique is used at overseas US military bases" but while I guess it makes sense to round to 5 Japanese Yen or 50 Korean Won and 5 fils is necessary, but it seems quite unlikely that's what was meant. Anyway I think Eagle Cash makes it clear they do use US currency although not necessarily cash. (Which is interesting, I wonder whether they round even if you use the card, most stores don't do this for cards in NZ.) The use of US currency is mentioned here BTW [1] although admitedly only in relation to the food outlets. Evidentally some don't give coins but tokens [2]. This isn't really that surprising of course since they basically operate like US territory and the Americans there would be paid in US currency. I do wonder whether they will accept foreign currency, my guess is no, but there may be someplace for conversion in the larger bases. Nil Einne (talk) 02:01, 18 November 2011 (UTC)

3D fish formations

I remember how, in Finding Nemo, there was a school of fish which displayed flashy 3D formations just to show off. Does something similar happen in real life? Are there any fishes that are known to display 3D formations like to, say, ward off predators or something? 223.177.236.243 (talk) 13:44, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

Not as far as 3D shapes, no, but I believe there are fish with shiny sides which appear to flash when they all turn at once, reflecting sunlight into the predator's eyes. That has to be distracting. BTW, a 3D group of fish is sometimes called a ball of fish (not to be confused with a fish ball). StuRat (talk) 13:51, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

Also known as a bait ball --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:45, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

In case our article is difficult to visualize, see this video of a bait ball of anchovetas being attacked by bonitos, jacks, and yellowfin tuna. I highly recommend BBC's The Blue Planet documentary series, where that clip was from (I recommend anything narrated by David Attenborough really). Bait balls are featured prominently in the third episode ("Open Ocean").-- Obsidi♠n Soul 22:05, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

Could we have a redirect from ball of fish? 86.163.1.168 (talk) 14:58, 17 November 2011 (UTC)

It's used for fish ball as well. Might be better to create a disambiguation page instead.-- Obsidi♠n Soul 16:05, 17 November 2011 (UTC)

Done. -- Obsidi♠n Soul 16:15, 17 November 2011 (UTC)

Drinking only a part of a field bottle

I remember reading a G.I. Joe comic, where a new recruit took a sip of his field bottle during a patrol, and an older soldier said to him: "Hey! What do you think you're doing? A half-full bottle splashes around! The enemy can hear it! If you're going to drink, then drink the entire bottle in one go!" Does such a thing happen in real life? JIP | Talk 21:42, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

It's a moot point, as most modern militaries use Camelbak style portable water solutions. Example article... This design is much easier to incorporate into the standard massive infantry backpack and also offers hands-free drinking, which is clearly a benefit if your hands are supposed to be holding a weapon... The Masked Booby (talk) 03:18, 17 November 2011 (UTC)

I'd think you'd only prevent splashing if it was filled right to the top, as even a little air gap would allow it. Also, splashing isn't going to occur unless you're moving quickly, in which case the footsteps are likely to be heard, too. And it doesn't seem very practical to have to drink all your water at one sitting, in any case, due to the discomfort that would cause, the need to urinate soon, and the lack of water later on. StuRat (talk) 04:34, 17 November 2011 (UTC)

Not exactly a reliable source, but the movie Hamburger Hill has multiple references to FNGs running around with half full canteens making lots of racket. Beeblebrox (talk) 18:36, 17 November 2011 (UTC)

If this really was a problem, I'd expect them to have come up with multiple "single serving" water packs long ago. StuRat (talk) 22:31, 18 November 2011 (UTC)

In basic training for the Canadian military some years ago we were still taught to drink all of the water in our canteens at once, or none at all when in the field. If that was/is practiced in actual combat areas I don't know. i.m.canadian (talk) 17:15, 21 November 2011 (UTC)

Edge Factory

While reviewing some family history, one of my relatives has some written history regarding ancestors who ran an "edge factory" in Kentucky sometime after 1810. This factory was located on a creek, so may have required running water to effect whatever entreprise this might be. Grist mill, blacksmithing? I can't find any reference on the net. Thanks— Preceding unsigned comment added by SurfHoosier (talk • contribs) 23:49, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

At Google book search, I could only find phrases like "made his debut at that gilt edge factory" or a factory belonging to someone named "Edge.". Maybe a misspelling of some other kind of factory, or "edge" as part of a personal or place name? Perhaps "River Edge Factory?" I suppose a factory might put edges on devices which need to be sharpened as part of the manufacture or maintenance. Dull tools and weapons are a nuisance. Nothing promising at Google, Google Maps, or USGS Geographic Names Information Service. If someone used the commonly bad spelling of the frontier, it could even have been "adze factory,"though I would have expected a factory to make axes, hatchets, froes, and plowshares as well rather, than being so specialized. Edison (talk) 03:46, 17 November 2011 (UTC)

Yes, it would be interesting to know what directly precedes "edge". The OED refers to an edge-mill: "an ore-grinding or oil-mill in which the stones travel on their edges". And an oil-mill is defined as "a machine in which seeds, fruits, etc are crushed or pressed to extract oil; a factory where oil is expressed by such machines."--Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:00, 17 November 2011 (UTC)