Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012 May 11

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May 11

The affect of foreign policy.

Is it OK to say the following? .... I think our foreign policy effects the situation. Benyoch ^{...Don't panic! Don't panic!...} (talk) 08:03, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

Only if you mean that the foreign policy brings the situation into being, brings it about. That's what the verb "to effect" means. It does not mean "to change" something or "to have an impact on" something. That is the verb "to affect".

This affect/effect confusion explains why your header reads wrong: I think you meant "The effect of foreign policy". -- ♬ Jack of Oz ♬ ^{[your turn]} 08:13, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

The affect of foreign policy is the way foreign policy feels about other policies. --Trovatore (talk) 09:18, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

The effect (result brought into being) of our foreign policy is to affect (modify) the situation. The effect (outcome) I experience while being bombed affects (modifies) my affect (emotional state, or reaction) negatively. Fifelfoo (talk) 10:46, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

A very effective affectation. Matt Deres (talk) 13:20, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

An XKCD reference, eh? Paul (Stansifer) 16:42, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

Good pick, Paul. 'Tee hee hee'. Nice to see the views here. so my Q was effective.

Resolved

 – Thanks all

Benyoch ^{...Don't panic! Don't panic!...} (talk) 06:36, 12 May 2012 (UTC)

Original author of an article

How do I find out who is the original author of an article in order to contact them to find out if the information is the most up to date? I am researching the current status of the digtial television transition globally. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 167.236.220.51 (talk) 12:56, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

Is this a Wikipedia article, or one elsewhere? Warofdreams talk 13:01, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

Assuming you mean on Wikipedia, visit the article you're interested in and click "View history" at the top of the page. You can then see all edits made to an article. However, I doubt any Wikipedia editor can tell you if "he information is the most up to date". Even articles about subjects from long ago, may have been affected by recent research we wouldn't necessarily know about. --Dweller (talk) 13:05, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

...as well as the "she information". :-) StuRat (talk) 16:46, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

I need a new car stereo

My car stereo CD player stopped working (radio, tape player still work). I am going on a road trip tomorrow. I want to replace the stereo. I am very handy and am confident I can do it myself. However, I have no idea where to get a car stereo on short notice (like at a brick and mortar store). I know about ebay/amazon, but they won't ship soon enough. The only thing I can think of is Best Buy, but they are often way too expensive, and I'm not fond of them as a company. So where can I go to buy a car stereo for cheap? Maybe Walmart (but I'd rather not shop their either)? I really don't know. -98.164.125.136 (talk) 17:37, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

Any big box store should have them, but you can also find stores which specialize in "Car audio", which are usually local small businesses that sell and install car audio systems. You can likely purchase equipment directly from them. --Jayron32 17:52, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

I wouldn't start such a major project with a car trip scheduled for tomorrow. Instead, I suggest you borrow or buy a portable CD player, preferably one with a power cord that plugs into the cigarette lighter, so you don't run through a lot of batteries. Another option is one that broadcasts on a radio channel, so you can use your existing speakers. However, you can expect occasional interference with such a system. If you have an open seat, strap the CD player in with the seat belt through the handle, so it won't go flying when you perform Dukes of Hazzard maneuvers.

BTW, I am assuming you want to share your music with others on the road trip. If not, then a portable CD player with earphones/ear buds is also an option. StuRat (talk) 18:02, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

It is probably illegal to wear earphones in most places see here. --LarryMac | Talk 18:38, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

I already have the old stereo out of the dash. A CD was stuck in it, I got the CD out, but doing that still didn't clear the error. So, buying a new stereo and popping it in (when the old one is already out) isn't some crazy project to take on (for my skills at least). A FM transmitter might not be a bad idea. If I was more familiar with my area, I might know of some local car audio shops, but I've only lived here a few months. I guess using the yellow pages might help in that regard. I just thought those types of stores specialized in high end custom stuff, where I just want a cheap replacement. Maybe a junk yard or something? ha-98.164.125.136 (talk) 19:21, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

Definitely worth trying a junk-yard, I've got a few car-stereos for the various old bangers i've had from them. I would also imagine any of the businesses in Category:Automotive_part_retailers_of_the_United_States would sell car stereos...the equivalent British/English/Uk-ish ones do! ny156uk (talk) 22:05, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

I wouldn't expect to find a radio at those places - now if all you needs is a knob or an antenna... Rmhermen (talk) 05:47, 13 May 2012 (UTC)

If your tape player is still intact, see if they still make portable CD's that will plug into tape players, sending the audio signals through a specially designed cassette tape "frame". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:59, 12 May 2012 (UTC)