Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2013 March 20

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March 20

Music Artist with the most fans of all time?

Which music artist, current or historical, had the most (greatest number) fans during their careers? Many websites put the Beatles as #1, but I'm inclined to think it's Teresa Teng due to the sheer population volume of Asian countries that revered her. Acceptable (talk) 01:31, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

Define your criteria! Do fans mean people buying her records or attending her concerts? Something else? We do not make windows into men's souls. μηδείς (talk) 01:36, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

It's not a perfect metric, but List of best-selling music artists has some ways to quantify this. --Jayron32 02:36, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

those seem US/English language centric? Gzuckier (talk) 17:50, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

Umm_Khultum#Death_and_funeral? Gzuckier (talk) 17:47, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

I had heard that this honour was held by Asha Bhosle from the Bollywood side. --TammyMoet (talk) 09:10, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Right tool for the job ?

I need to remove a zip tie from a bundle of wires. Unfortunately, it's very tight, leaving no room to get the blade from a pair of scissors under it. The zip tie is also much tougher than the wires, so I'm worried about damaging them. I can only get a pin or needle underneath the zip tie. I also considered cutting off the place where the zip tie joins with itself, but that's even thicker and tougher. Do I need to use bolt cutters on this spot ? StuRat (talk) 08:56, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

Can't those things be loosened if you pull the end of the tie sort of downward? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 09:02, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

The end of the tie was cut off. StuRat (talk) 09:04, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

My description might not be great here, but bear with me - it works... Right, the square housing for the zip tie contains a gap for the tail to go through, and the ratchet style flap that hangs down and digs into the teeth of the ziptie itself... If you can get the blade of a knife UNDER the flap, you should be able to lift it up from the teeth and thus free the tail to fall out... Does that make sense?! Alternatively, if there is anyway of pulling one of the wires out (If they are wires for plugs, maybe take the plug off the end of the wire (if you know how to) and then pull the wire through. This should create enough space to slide some scisors into... Hope either of these methods help... gazhiley 10:02, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

Thanks, I'll try that. StuRat (talk) 17:36, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

You shouldn't need a knife, I've done this before with a small flatnose screwdriver, you're basically holding up the ratchet which holds the cable tie in place. Our article actually mentions this method. Nil Einne (talk) 23:08, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

i have better luck with something like a needle or pin or safety pin or hatpin. Gzuckier (talk) 17:58, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

Presumably the zip tie is running orthogonal to the cables, no? I would try using just the very tip of a pair of wire cutters, slipping the blades just between two of the cables. You should have just enough room to at least nick the zip tie repeatedly and eventually cut it. Someguy1221 (talk) 10:16, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

I tried this, the zip tie slips out without making a nick. StuRat (talk) 17:36, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

Unless it is a thick zip tie made with harder plastic, you should be able to cut right through the square connector with a pair of side cutters. I've also just squeezed the connector with pliers and twisted - it breaks surprisingly easily, and shouldn't damage the wires. 38.111.64.107 (talk) 11:32, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

Yep - I second that. 196.214.78.114 (talk) 11:43, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

It is a thick zip tie made of harder plastic. StuRat (talk) 17:36, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

Wouldn't scoring it with a Stanley knife or razor blade do the trick? You can be very precise with it. --Dweller (talk) 15:24, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

One slip and I'd damage the wires. StuRat (talk) 17:36, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

How about taking a pair of needle-nose pliers and basically twisting and turning the "buckle" part until it breaks. Then the whole thing should fall apart and free up the wires. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:38, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

Wrap the bundle with a piece of paper near the tie, then slide the tie over the paper sleave and melt it with a hot razor blade. Or put the bundle in an oven set at 200 F until the plastic gets soft enough to stretch, and then cut. Increase temperature by small increments if that is not hot enough. Dominus Vobisdu (talk) 18:05, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

Boiling is an alternative to ovening. μηδείς (talk) 20:50, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

i see you're familiar with my wife's cooking Gzuckier (talk) 18:10, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

What I normally do is use a knife with a sharp blade that ends in a simple acute-angled point (no fancy overhangs or bevels), hold the knife so that the back of the blade is against the cable and perpendicular to it, and gently push against the tie-wrap. If the knife is sharp enough, it can cut through the tie-wrap in one go - if not, it'll at least distort it sufficiently so that you can get a pair of side-cutters between the cable and tie-wrap. If you think there might be a risk of damaging the cable with the back of the knife, slip a thin piece of plastic under the tie-wrap where you're going to cut it. Tevildo (talk) 16:23, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

rub the tie with grease from highly spiced meat and infest with rats Gzuckier (talk) 17:58, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

Actually, one can perform (and one has performed) Bugs' procedure (twist the ratchet until it breaks) with one's teeth if no suitable tools are available. Tevildo (talk) 18:36, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

another alternative; get something with a curved or hooked blade where the inside is the sharp side, like a linoleum knife, or I believe there are xacto knife blades like that, and insert the tip of the knife under the tie between the wires so you're pulling out. Gzuckier (talk) 18:13, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

In this situation John McClane usually chooses to break some glass, barefoot of course, and proceed to cut the zipties, behind his back for good effect. If glass isn't available perhaps there's some scrap metal doubling as gold bullion that you could fashion into a lever. Shadowjams (talk) 18:46, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

Use a wire cutters to cut the buckle crossways. It will destroy the locking mechanism while not harming the wires. Dismas|^(talk) 00:02, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

UPDATE: I found a way to do what I needed with the wire bundle without removing the zip tie. I will keep all these suggestions in mind for the next time the issue comes up, though. Thanks ! StuRat (talk) 03:10, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

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