Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 November 6

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.

November 6

How many Wiki-ers does it take to change a light bulb?

O Hai, I are next 2 Ur Ceiling. If things get teh complixorcated, you might want ask a qualified Electrician about this.

I have this light fixture in my apartment, and the halogen bulb died, and I can't figure out for the LIFE of me how to change it.

The bulb is cased inside a central ring that swivels and lets you orient the light, but I can't figure out how to get the lightbulb out!

I'm at the point where I might yank the thing out of the ceiling.

I know its a long shot, but any suggestions?

http://www.etlin.com/product_specs.asp?pid=TMH-28-WH — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cacofonie (talk • contribs) 01:35, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Often the circular trim is spring-loaded so you can pull down the trim to get access to the lamp. Acroterion (talk) 01:37, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Just keep pulling, pushing, twisting and sliding each part of it until something works! You may need to use a reasonable amount of force. --Tango (talk) 01:44, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

...or even an unreasonable amount of force. StuRat (talk) 01:49, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

"The use of unnecessary force has been authorized in the pursuit and extraction of User:Cacofonie's halogen lightbulb..." 58

Assuming you have the MR16 halogen bulb in it, that doesn't screw in, it just plugs in directly to an outlet (like a nightlight). So, yea, just yank it out. Be sure to put your fingers on opposite sides, so you can pull it straight. If that doesn't work, wiggle it back and forth. StuRat (talk) 02:06, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

When installing a new halogen bulb, handlel it with a cloth or tissue to avoid getting oil on it from the fingers, since that shortens the life of some bulbs. Edison (talk) 04:47, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Doesn't the oil creat hotspots on the bulb? 99.43.78.36 (talk) 18:26, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Two. One to change the lightbulb, and the other to make a frivolous WP:AN/I report asking for an administrator to change the lightbulb back to the way it was before.

If it's one of those conical low voltage halogen lights, there is actually a tool that does in a flash what is almost impossible to do by hand. Kind of like pliers Resembling pliers only very vaguely, but with a doohickey on the end that compresses the spring-loaded clip. --Shirt58 (talk) 05:12, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

I think this or this might be what I was thinking of. I discovered them after moving out of the house with these kind of lights. --Shirt58 (talk) 05:29, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

As the first response suggested -- do what you threatened to do. Yank the thing out of the ceiling. You'll find out pretty quickly if it really is spring loaded. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 06:14, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Ah, a spring-loaded ceiling, I never thought of that. Richard Avery (talk) 07:37, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Spring loaded light fixture. This is also an application for duct tape -- stick it to the cold bulb and unscrew. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 15:00, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Back in my parents place, in the old light sockets you have to push the bulb up before twisting it, have you tried that? 148.197.81.179 (talk) 20:40, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Does it have a retaining ring like this one ? that's the kind I'm most familiar with, you need a pair of pliers or something to get the ring out 1st, then the bulb just comes out. Vespine (talk) 05:25, 7 November 2011 (UTC)

Be careful. Those things are hard to get out and even harder to get back in again, especially while you are trying not to drop the bulb. Astronaut (talk) 18:11, 7 November 2011 (UTC)

To answer the original question: According to [[1]] the answer is 190. That is the number of editors that have changed the Halogen lamp article. Roger (talk) 09:14, 7 November 2011 (UTC)

I know this is a bit late, but the answer ended up being right: yank like crazy at the thing. The whole fixture is *supposed* to come out of the wall!

thanks!

Stock Exchanges and companies listing on it

Hello!

Could anyone explain me the concept and ideology behind a company getting listed on multiple stock exchanges within the same country? Besides this could anyone also explain me (or provide me with the source) the basic nuances and fundamentals of establishing and running a stock exchange?

Thanks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Vijaykumar abcd (talk • contribs) 19:29, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

To answer your second question, have you read our article stock market? If you want more details and "nuances" than are found there, you can find a number of books on the subject, such as this one, available through Google Books or at retailers like amazon.com. Textorus (talk) 21:12, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Pilates

I would like to know the name in English for the physical activity named "Pilates" in Spanish Thank you — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.1.192.108 (talk) 19:39, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Have you seen the Pilates article in the English Wikipedia. Because it was invented/developed by a gentleman called Joseph Pilates it has the same name. Richard Avery (talk) 19:54, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

online shopping

So, I have attempted to buy something on the internet, something I have been doing quite often recently, but this one time, apparently I cannot pay through the company website and was instead directed to another website, owned by some organisation called paypal, which required me to input my card details and thus process my order. Except, they refused to accept my card, which had been quite OK with everywhere else I had shopped. I checked that all the details were exactly right, and tried again, and still nothing. Then I moved to another website where I could get the same thing a couple of pounds more, and was once again redirected to the same place, with the same result. what is going on here, and how do I get around it? All I want to do is give these people money, and they just don't let me.

148.197.81.179 (talk) 20:37, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Apparently, Paypal imposes some restrictions on customers from various countries, so depending on where you live, that might be a cause. Nobody here at Wikipedia can say why your particular card is not accepted; perhaps you should go to the Paypal website and ask them directly. Textorus (talk) 21:04, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Paypal is a perfectly respectable service for handling online money transfers if that's what you're worried about. (Many merchants use PayPal to avoid the significant hassle of dealing with the credit card companies directly.) I can't say why PayPal doesn't like your credit card, though. Make sure your name & address appears exactly like it does on your billing statement, punctuation and everything. I've personally had problems with cards being rejected because I didn't put the comma in my street address.

If worst comes to worst PayPal does have a way to contact them, here. You could ask them. APL (talk) 21:07, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

If a website directs you to another web site then beware. Did the URL start with Https ? Go to an official Paypal site [2] and try joining up officially. See if it accepts your card. If it does then get on to your card's help desk an give them the details of the sites you visited in case you’ve been phished. This is but one example. [3]. If this is so - let Paypal know. --Aspro (talk) 21:11, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

I meant of course Pharming.--Aspro (talk) 21:56, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Isn't that unnecessarily alarmist? It's standard operating procedure for a store to redirect you to PayPal for you to enter your payment details. That's how paypal works. APL (talk) 22:12, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

So, when the form asks me for my first name, last name and address, would that then have to be my name as it is on my card, that is my initials and last name, and then the address to which the card is registered, rather than where I want my order to be delivered? I worry that if I put my card's address in they will just deliver it there. Whereas, usually they ask for full name on the order form and then 'name as on card' when filling in card details, which doesn't fit into that same 'first name-last name' set of boxes. The original site has not asked me for any details at all, just directed me to this one form, so what do I do? 148.197.81.179 (talk) 21:53, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

What was these two sites so that we can have a look? Give us more data. If there're for old Barry Manilow records on eBay or somit, that's OK we're very b r o a d minded.--Aspro (talk) 21:59, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

You should at some point, either at the merchant's site or at Paypal's site, be given the opportunity to set a "Shipping Address" that's separate from your "Billing Address". The billing address must be the same as the address the credit card is registered to, or the card will not work. APL (talk) 22:12, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

This is what leads me to think it might be a Pharming scam! It doesn't sound like a normal form. --Aspro (talk) 22:21, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Sounds perfectly normal to me. (There are a couple different paypal forms, depending on whether the merchant is using them just for payment or for their "Paypal Checkout" service.)

If they're using the Paypal Checkout, He may simply have not gotten far enough into the process to see the "Use billing address for shipping address?" screen. I'm not going to go buy something just to check, but I don't think you'd get there if your credit card was rejected. 76.28.67.181 (talk) 23:30, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

If you register for PayPal seperately, you should be able to add multiple addresses, however they will have to be in the same country. Under profile, there is an add/edit street address option which allows you to add another personal address, and gift addresses. PayPal does not allow a gift or alternative address in another country, although you can ask for your registration country to be changed. This of course means if you legimately have a debit or credit card from two countries you need to have 2 accounts, except that's technically forbidden by PayPal (you're only supposed to have one personal account). As APL said, your debit or credit card in PayPal should be associated with a billing address the same as your debit or credit card billing address. I think how important it is to be exact varies, in NZ I believe it's far less important, amongst other things, some dumb websites demand stuff like State/Region in addition to City but likely almost no one in New Zealand has 'Region' in their billing address, with the supercity it isn't event relevant to Auckland any more.

I've never used PayPal without an account so I'm not sure if they actually provide the opportunity to give a shipping address different from the debit or credit card address when you don't have an account. However I'm resonably sure PayPal should be clear when you're about to pay (something like 'Pay Now' or 'Finish' or 'Complete order' I would guess) so if you're careful, you shouldn't accidentally pay with the wrong address. I can't test it since my credit card is associated with an account, but I can confirm the first screen for PayPal is only 1 address, and if your card is rejected you don't get to see any other page.

If you are stil worried you will accidentally make an order with the wrong address, it probably be simpler to just sign up for a PayPal account first as someone suggested earlier, add a debit or credit card then add the other address. Bear in mind it isn't uncommon websites will only accept your PayPal address. As APL has said, been directed to PayPal is a standard part of how PayPal operates so while you should make sure you're actually directed to PayPal, it isn't an indicator of fraud, and many sites don't ask for much before they direct you to PayPal particularly if you take advantage of some sort of 'express checkout' or choose not to create an account on the website. Some allow you to change an address after you've made payment but don't provide an opportunity to give an address beforehand. Some require you to contact them after you've made payment to change address. Such details should be mentioned somewhere in the websites help or FAQ.

Nil Einne (talk) 06:52, 7 November 2011 (UTC)

smoke alarm battery

I habitually test my smoke alarm batteries monthly. Is this as good a practice as replacing them semi-annually as is often recommended? --Halcatalyst (talk) 23:24, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

I seem to remember an advert which said that you should check them monthly, and replace them at an interval I forget, probably yearly. I would say its a good idea yes, its certainly habit in my household. --Jac16888 ^Talk 23:30, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

My smoke alarm beeps once every few minutes if the batteries get low. Though I guess that means I'm depending on the low battery warning to not be broken... but my wife setting the thing off every few months tests it well enough for me.  :) Dismas|^(talk) 00:16, 7 November 2011 (UTC)

The official advice fom the London Fire Brigade is:

Once a week: Test your smoke alarm each week using the test button.

Every six months: Open the case and gently vacuum the inside to remove dust from the sensor. If the smoke alarm doesn’t open, vacuum through the holes.

Once a year: Change the battery (unless it is a ten year alarm) or when you need to.

Replacement: Replace the battery in your smoke alarm if the low battery warning sounds (an intermittent bleep). It is also best to replace smoke alarms with completely new units after 10 years. Alansplodge (talk) 12:00, 7 November 2011 (UTC)

Ingress of dust, say from sanding down paintwork, will also set off the intermittent alarm. A 'hoover' solves the problem. 85.211.229.139 (talk) 14:05, 7 November 2011 (UTC)

To me it's not very environmentally friendly to toss out batteries that still have plenty of life in them, so I'd either wait til it beeps, or at least reuse them elsewhere until they actually die. The 9-volt batteries can be used as backups for radio/alarm clocks, for example. If they go dead there, it's no biggie, you'll just have to reset the clock if you have a power failure. StuRat (talk) 04:49, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

Unless you actually work for a living and have to get up in the morning or lose your job; in which case, better put new batteries in your alarm clock twice a year, not discarded ones. Textorus (talk) 15:19, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

Thank you for your responses. --Halcatalyst (talk) 16:33, 11 November 2011 (UTC)