Did you guys find something for me? Miss Bono 13:07, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Would this interchange be considered a "STACK" or a "CLOVERSTACK"? I

It looks complicated.

2602:304:CE27:1329:E864:59DE:1D2C:E43C (talk) 23:13, 6 June 2014 (UTC)

A bunch of nerds discussing "4-level stacks" mention the Detroit "Mixing Bowl" here Raquel Baranow (talk) 19:53, 7 June 2014 (UTC)

In this article this interchanges is called a "five-armed node" and maybe classified as a "spaghetti node". Raquel Baranow (talk) 20:03, 7 June 2014 (UTC)

See the long list at Spaghetti Junction -- Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 05:51, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

June 9

Fast internet connection, slow torrent, wifi

I have moved this question to the computing reference desk, where it is more likely to get responses. --Viennese Waltz 08:49, 9 June 2014 (UTC)

June 10

M16 caliber terminology

I know nothing about guns, and no, I'm not a terrorist. I'm completing edits on a novel, and I'm currently working on a scene where a character is trying to find (and purchase) ammunition for an M16 rifle. As the dialogue now stands, he asks for thirty-caliber rounds, which, judging from our pertinent articles, I'm almost certain is incorrect. The M16 uses the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge, but that's a big mouthful. What I'm wondering is whether there's a more common (United States) shorthand for the sort of round an M16 fires. The character comes from a military background, if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance. Evan  03:57, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

If your character buys any form of "thirty-caliber rounds", they will be useless in any standard issue M16. If he buys .223 Remington (223Rem) on the other hand, he'll get ammunition that is more-or-less interchangeable with the standardized 5.56×45mm NATO. For firearms safety though he would be better of specifying the correct ammunition, since the two are not 100% identical.

As a side note, simply asking for "thirty-caliber rounds" can get you any number of different ammunition which is not interchangeable... some things are better to ask for by specific name :) WegianWarrior (talk) 04:55, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

That helped! Thank you! :) Evan  05:06, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

An M16 is to a .30 caliber round as a Nova is to a Ford F350. You probably shouldn't be writing about guns if you don't know anything about them (although, perhaps you belong in hollywood), but the caliber of a round describes the bullet's diameter. Much more important is the entire packages of the "round" (which would be a widely accepted term). An M16 shoots a round that looks like this. A .22 short, which is the quintessential Mark Twain kinda squirrel shooting round, looks like this. The diameter difference is .001 mm. Yet you can clearly see, the 556 has immensely more powder behind it.

There's a long history and debate behind bullet caliber, and rounds more generally. But the general trend in military and law enforcement has been towards smaller bullets with higher velocities. You can't tell that alone from the round's name. You'll be amazed how many of the same "caliber" of very different rounds exist.

And if you want a 30 Caliber, you're thinking any number of rounds, from the M1 Garand 30-06 to the M14. Shadowjams (talk) 05:20, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Technically I'm not writing about guns; I'm writing about a character who happens to use a gun. I put "thirty-caliber" in there as a placeholder, and I'm sure I have a note to that effect somewhere. Anyway, the first response told me what I needed to know. Evan  01:29, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

hottest temperature

What is the hottest temperature that a human can survive at for a long period of time, assuming access to plenty of drinking water and little / no activity? 188.191.207.70 (talk) 08:36, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

This page has some plausible-looking information, including the statement that "most people will suffer hyperthermia after 10 minutes in extreme humidity and heat - 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius)". For comparison, today's forecast for Kuwait City is 49 Celsius (though with low humidity). AndrewWTaylor (talk) 10:43, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

I'm going to assume that "a long period of time" is much longer than 10 minutes, such that the person will reach the equilibrium temperature for that environment. There are two forms of cooling possible I can see that would keep their body temperature below the ambient temp for a long time period. One is evaporative cooling, which stops working at 100% humidity. The other is if they drink cold water. If the water is the same hot temperature, and the air is 100% humidity, then I would expect that whatever body temperature would kill a person, like 110F, would also be the fatal air temperature, eventually, once their body reaches that temp. StuRat (talk) 16:23, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

The chart at Heat index#Effects of the heat index (shade_values) implies that a heat index above 130F (54C) isn't survivable. --Carnildo (talk) 23:12, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

That chart lacks a time element. It says above 130F heat stroke is imminent. However, I would argue that above 110F it will occur eventually. It's rather similar to the chart I've seen showing how long it takes to die in cold water, but they forgot to include the time element here. Small children will die first, as they have a higher surface-to-mass ratio, so the heat absorbed through their skin will more quickly change their lower thermal inertia. Staying still will keep you from dying as quickly, both because your body generates less heat and because a cooler layer of air will form around you (although it might also be more moist, if the air is at less than 100% humidity). StuRat (talk) 15:48, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

It really depends on (1) the level of humidity and (2) how long is "a long period of time." I've worked in temperatures as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit for periods of several hours, so it's not like temperatures at that level result in immediate death, assuming proper clothing, low humidity, and access to water. (Actually, access to Gatorade would be better - just having water to drink gave me heat cramps.) In New Delhi, temperatures have reached 115 degrees Fahrenheit or more for the past several days and, while the heat wave has resulted in deaths, it isn't like everyone is dead there now. Apparently it's actually more of a problem that nighttime temperatures are not dropping enough. John M Baker (talk) 20:10, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Entry level jobs vs graduate schemes

Are entry level jobs good alternatives to graduates who can't find any success with graduate schemes? 90.198.85.70 (talk) 16:09, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

I don't understand. An entry level job means the first job you must take, since you lack experience. Even college grads must typically take such jobs, since they lack work experience. An exception is if they took part in a work-study program. StuRat (talk) 16:16, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

I mean many graduates apply for graduate schemes which are designed fast track schemes which allow graduates to gain the experience and skills they need to get to senior positions quicker. And I mean entry level jobs as in jobs which don't necessarily require a degree. 90.198.85.70 (talk) 16:51, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

Well then, yes, if they can't get a fast track position, any job at a company that can get them the experience they need to move up in that company (or others) is better than nothing. Of course, they might also be able to work freelance or start their own company. StuRat (talk) 17:03, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

It rather depends on the jobs themselves. Junior burger flipper is as much an entry level job (by your definition of "not needing a degree", which most would disagree with) as runner for a visual effects studio, admin at a law firm, postman, apprentice to a trade, mechanic, or PFY for company IT, but the benefits, tasks, and chances of further promotion are going to be very different. 91.208.124.126 (talk) 08:26, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

However, being already in a job – any job, even be it flipping burgers – makes success in applying for a job you really want much more likely than if you were unemployed/on Welfare/being supported by family. It demonstrates to potential employers in your preferred field that you're not a layabout/scrounger/loser/insert-your-own-negative-stereotype. Being in some form of further education or training scheme (e.g. "night school") relevant to your intended career also gives a favourable impression and makes at least attaining an interview more likely. I write as one who has been there, several times. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.197} 212.95.237.92 (talk) 12:53, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

Countries with curious currency denominations

Having spent some time in the Cook Islands and returned with a $3 bill featuring a buxom woman riding a shark (I kid you not), and a triangular $2 coin, I was wondering what other countries had such curious currency, i.e. non-conventional values (e.g. $3) or odd shaped coinage (e.g. triangular). The Rambling Man (talk) 21:09, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

I personally find the Quarter a non-conventional value. I'm from Australia and I now live in the UK, and we have 20c and 20p, which to me makes more sense as it is a decimal currency. Back in the days when both countries used the £sd system, most of the coins were of "strange" values (IMO). Maundy Money comes in 1, 2, 3 and 4 penny coins which is sort of "strange" although there was a regular 3d coin in the £sd system. --TrogWoolley (talk) 21:33, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

The article on Quarter (United States coin) provides some insight. The Quarter (Canadian coin) seems to have taken its lead from the US. Regarding decimals, the American cent and dime are of course decimal fractions of the dollar. Keep in mind that the worldwide obsession with decimal fractions is relatively recent. Fractional quantities such as 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 and so on are a lot older. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 22:40, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

I've always found it peculiar that the US dime says on it "One Dime" instead of "Ten Cents". But it's hard to beat the old £sd for peculiar denominations. At various times and in various places there were coins for almost every conceivable division and multiple of the shilling:

quarter farthings (1/192)

half farthings (1/96)

farthings (1/48)

ha'pennies (1/24)

pennies (1/12)

tuppences (1/6)

threepenny bits (1/4; the new pound coins are the same shape and have the same purchasing power)

groats (4d) (1/3)

sixpences (1/2)

shillings

two bob/florins (2)

half crown (5/2)

crown (5)

ten bob note (10)

pound (20)

guinea (21)

I remember shilling- and two-shilling pieces still being in circulation long after decimalisation, as well as the decimal ha'penny. AlexTiefling (talk) 22:49, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

"Florin" was the name we gave to 2/- (2 shilling) coins down here. -- Jack of Oz 22:57, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

I think that was the case here too, but it's a bit before my time that they were in regular use for their original purpose. AlexTiefling (talk) 23:19, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

It was. The word for 4d bit was groat. I'm sure I have encountered double florins (4s) in catalogues of old coins, and I think 3s pieces as well, though I'm not sure about that one. --ColinFine (talk) 10:09, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Thanks - corrected. AlexTiefling (talk) 10:21, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

We have an article on the double florin, as well as the half guinea, three halfpence and third farthing (really). Various other values of gold coin circulated before the Union, including the noble (6s8d), unite (20 or 22s), etc., up to the Civil War era extreme of the triple unite (60s!) - in gold value alone this one would be worth around US $1000 today. Andrew Gray (talk) 20:07, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

The word "dime" actually means "one-tenth ", although the average American may not be aware of that specific fact. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 23:02, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

Oh, I'm aware of the etymology - it's the French word for a tithe, too. But I'm curious as to why it's labelled as though (like the shilling) it was an intermediate-scale currency unit, rather than just a coin worth so many cents. AlexTiefling (talk) 23:19, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

• Bugs's point is that it was (and in law still is) an intermediate-scale currency unit; its meaning in popular use shifted so that now it just means the coin. There actually were four currency units originally defined in 1792 (see the last section here), successive multiples of 10: the mill (originally mille), cent, dime (disme), and dollar. Note that this was the same era when the original metric system was being designed and it also worked in multiples of 10—millimeter, centimeter, decimeter, meter—and not stepping by 1000 at a time as in later metric units like the micrometer and nanometer or 100 as in most later currency units. There used to be US coins labeled half cent and half dime as well as the half dollar that still exists, so the presence of a quarter-dollar coin doesn't look so odd when you set it beside those other fractions. Whether you find the 5-10-20 pattern more natural and convenient than 1/4-1/2-1 just depends on what you're used to. --69.158.92.137 (talk) 03:04, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

The article Dime (United States coin) reminds us that "dime" and "cent" are consistent in their naming: "tenth" and "one-hundredth" respectively. For some odd reason, the cent is discussed under Penny (United States coin) even though its name is "cent", not "penny". ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 23:35, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

The penny is the physical representation of the intangible cent. It's not a cent itself, just worth one. That article's more about design, circulation and other material material. InedibleHulk (talk) 07:41, June 11, 2014 (UTC)

Or a "one-cent piece". In contrast to the intangible dime, whose physical representation (a "ten-cent piece") is also called a dime. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 21:48, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

"Give me five bees for a quarter!", they'd say. English is built on odd reasons. What's good for the goose is good for the gander, but you shouldn't try to milk a bull. Ships trade "cargo" to "Dutch" in the Netherlands, and things get complicated on the way. While I'm rambling, may as well mention the 1916 D-Mercury dime is sometimes worth $30,000, but only contains $1.39 of silver. InedibleHulk (talk) 11:56, June 12, 2014 (UTC)

I'm a bit disappointed to see that the Cook Is. $2 is not a Reuleaux triangle. —Tamfang (talk) 23:18, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

That reminds me - in answer to the OP - the old 3d and the new £1 are both twelve-sided; and in post-decimal currency, the 20p and 50p are both seven-sided. I forgot to mention shape while discussing denomination. AlexTiefling (talk) 23:20, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

The Susan B. Anthony dollar is round though it has a sort of inset with 11 sides. As of 1975, Malta had an octagonal 25 cent piece. The Australian fifty-cent coin is 12-sided. Our Half-union article doesn't mention it but according to United States Mint coin sizes, that coin used to be octagonal. Dismas| 23:33, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

• For weird-shaped Canadian coins, see Toonie (bimetal coin with ring of one metal containing disk of another metal) and Loonie (11-sided).

• There are round coins with open holes in the center (sometimes round, sometimes square) in some other countries, for running a string between them: .

• There are some small rectangular gold bars that could be called "coins": . StuRat (talk) 23:53, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

The most outrageous currency may very well be Rai stones. Dismas| 00:15, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Well, some of these coins can give it a run for it's money: . Don't spend it all in one place, now ! StuRat (talk) 00:23, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

US coin denominations aren't quite so weird, but we have had 1/2 penny, 2 penny, and 3 penny pieces (1/200th, 1/50th, and 3/100ths of a dollar, respectively). StuRat (talk) 00:26, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Some U.S. half-cents even listed the value as ${\displaystyle {\tfrac {1}{200}}}$. Cents of the same era read ${\displaystyle {\tfrac {1}{100}}}$.    → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 04:56, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Holy crap, a Loonie does go to 11. Seems terribly unmetric.

If anyone happens to see a man walking around Hamilton with 11,000 of them, call the cops. InedibleHulk (talk) 05:27, June 11, 2014 (UTC)

The loonie has 11 sides and not, say, 10 or 12 because its shape is a curve of constant width (like a Reuleaux triangle or the 7-sided British coins) and therefore the number of sides must be odd. Canada did have 12-sided coins in recent decades, with straight sides: both the penny and the nickel at different times. --69.158.92.137 (talk) 07:38, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

The Burmese kyat has both some 'odd' shaped coins (Diamond and scalloped edges) and also notes in values of 45 and 90. Nanonic (talk) 06:36, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

I always found the old Dutch currency awkward for a few days until I got used to it - it had 5, 10, 25-cent, 1, 2.50, and 5 guilder coins, and 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, and 1000 guilder notes. Never had a 1000 guilder note, but I once had a couple of 250's which would pay for a couple of nights in a hotel. -- Arwel Parry (talk) 07:10, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

It's worth remembering that the United States has minted both three-cent and three-dollar coins. The last of each was minted in 1889; in total, more than fifty million three-cent pieces entered circulation—so 'curious' is in the eye of the beholder. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:06, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

I can't resist mentioning the colourful but rather non-PC phrase bent as a nine-bob note, which of course does not refer to an actual denomination. Googling the phrase leads to some pages that give a lot more information than Wiktionary does. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 17:19, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

In the US we have the expression "As phony as a 3 dollar bill". While we have had $3 coins, and both $2 coins and bills, there's not $3 bill in US history, AFAIK. StuRat (talk) 17:25, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

$2 coins in the US? Citation needed! Stu might be thinking of the quarter eagle or $2.50 coin (incidentally, early versions of this were not marked with any denomination; later they were marked "2½D."). As for US $2 bills, see here. --69.158.92.137 (talk) 21:56, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Yes, quite right, it was a $2.50 coin, not $2. StuRat (talk) 13:22, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

And that's precisely why I started this thread, that the US readers believe a $3 bill to be phoney but it's commonplace in the Cook Islands... The Rambling Man (talk) 18:11, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

A $3 US bill is phoney. But let's be charitable. I'm sure quite a lot of Americans know that there are more countries in the world than just the USA. Why, there might even be a couple of dozen, once you get counting. (Countries, that is.)  :) -- Jack of Oz 22:11, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

The ariary of Madagascar and the ouguiya of Mauritania are odd in that they're not decimal-the main coin is divided into fifths Lemon martini (talk) — Preceding undated comment added 22:10, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Truly digital coin denominations ?

Does any country just make denominations of $0.01, $0.1, $1, $10, $100, etc. ? (Listed as dollars for convenience, pounds or any other units would work, too.) This would require a whopping 18 bills and 18 coins to pay a $99.99 bill with exact change, but then again, maybe doing this would stop them from setting prices like that, and they'd make them all $100 instead. StuRat (talk) 13:27, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

Or binary? 1,2,4,8,16,32,64 and 128 units in the next stage up.

I recall that the UK pattern (1,2,5,10,20,50,100) is better than the US pattern (1,5,10,25,50,100) in that (on the average) it takes fewer coins to make change - but you need to have more denominations in your pocket - so the likelyhood of you being able to make exact change with whatever coins you happen to have is no better. That trade-off is at its most extreme if you had a currency with 100 different coins (1,2,3,4,5...,99,100) where you could always make change with a single coin, but you'd need hundreds of coins in your pocket to reliably be able to do so! At the other extreme if you had just one coin, the 1 unit denomination where you'd only need one kind of coin in your pocket - so you could always make change so long as you had enough money to do so...but again, you'd need hundreds of coins in your pockets. The UK decimal system is very uniform - the 1,2,5 pattern repeats as 1,20,50 and again at 100,200,500 and 1000,2000,5000. The US system has the 25 cent coin - but no $2.50 or $25 note as you might expect. SteveBaker (talk) 19:55, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

Environmentally concerned driving

A buddy and I were arguing about what was more environmentally friendly: driving with the air conditioning on or having the windows rolled down (and using up more gas because it's less streamlined). What do you guys think? --Jeevies (talk) 22:56, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

Mythbusters tested this. The answer is: it depends on your speed. At low speeds, opening the window is better; at high speeds, running the A/C is better. The changeover point depends on the precise aerodynamics of your vehicle, but it usually occurs somewhere around typical highway speeds. --Carnildo (talk) 23:17, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

Wow, thanks! --Jeevies (talk) 23:34, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

The inside temperature also matters. When you first get in a car that's been out in the sunlight, put the windows down (and open the doors, if parked) until you get the inside temperature down to match the outside temperature. After that, put the windows back up and crank the A/C, in recirculate mode (sometimes called "MAX"). The recirc mode is important, as you only need to cool down the already cool inside air that way, not the hot outside air. Of course, when somebody farts, all bets are off.  :-) StuRat (talk) 00:03, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

It's best to drive away with the windows still open, and the fan (but not the A/C) cranked up, to blow out as much of the superheated air as possible, and as quickly as possible. Once that's been done, roll up the windows and turn on the A/C. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 21:45, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

As previously explained, that answer is completley untrue. At high speeds, having the windows rolled down causes aerodynamic drag that consumes more energy than the A/C compressor - so the windows should be kept closed. At low speed, the cost of running the A/C exceeds that of the additional drag, so it's more environmentally friendly to roll down the windows and shut off the A/C. From an environmental perspective, it doesn't matter how long you've been driving. Of course there is an issue of whether (in a given set of weather conditions) you actually need the A/C, even at low speeds, just to be comfortable...but then there is no environmental trade-off to be made, so the answer is not relevant to this OP's question. SteveBaker (talk) 19:15, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

StuRat was saying to roll the windows down, which is correct but is not enough. I'm saying (based on what my car's owner's manual says) that you should drive for a while with the fan on and the windows down, as that will blow the superheated air out faster than standing still. Once you're at that equilibrium temperature, then your axiom applies. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 19:21, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

Well, the original question was "what is more environmentally friendly". I think Steve is saying that, even if the compressor is running full tilt, then in high-speed driving, it still degrades fuel efficiency less than opening the windows. In that case, the answer to the original question as literally understood would be Steve's.

However, if you don't care about the comfort of the occupants, you can do still better by leaving the windows up and the AC off.

So presumably we do care about comfort, at least somewhat, and in that case opening the windows for the first minute or two to get rid of the existing hot air can cool down the car much faster than the AC alone. That's probably the reason for the recommendation in your owner's manual. --Trovatore (talk) 19:50, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

Yes. You wan to get rid of the superheated air as soon as possible. ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 21:41, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

June 11

motivation

Is there a word for when a person loses all motivation to do anything ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 183.219.69.167 (talk) 15:27, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Apathy. Such a person might be described by the slang term slacker. (BTW, why not post this on the Language Desk ?) StuRat (talk) 15:29, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

It's part of the meaning of depression, though that encompasses more than just lack of motivation. --ColinFine (talk) 16:33, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Lethargy? Lemon martini (talk) 22:11, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Those are good for losing some or most motivation for many things, but only death gets all the ambition out. InedibleHulk (talk) 12:05, June 12, 2014 (UTC)

Sewing mystery

I have a sewing mystery I can't explain. I have a quilted blanket (not a patchwork quilt), and part of the thread for the "quilting" has come out. The blanket consists of two pieces of fabric, some batting in between, and what looks like polyester thread quilting it all together at the interior. The mystery, then, is that a loop of thread seems to have come out without either it breaking or the fabric tearing. Here's a diagram:

  _          _
-|-|--------|-|-  <- FABRIC
   |        |     <- THREAD LOOP

The loose loop of thread is shown below with an intact stitch on each side. For simplicity, the quilted blanket is shown as if it were a single piece of material. Note that holes are still present where the thread had been. The only explanation I can come up with is that this loop was always there, and I just never noticed it, despite having used this blanket for years, and the holes existing and not seeming to have closed up any. Can anyone come up with a better explanation for what happened ? StuRat (talk) 15:28, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

In many/most sewing machines, each thread is only on one side, of the finished product, and the bobbin thread acts to "lock" the stitches in place. See e.g. here . See also lock stitch. SemanticMantis (talk) 17:11, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

I don't see a loose bobbin thread on the other side, though. The corresponding area to the loop seems to lack any thread. StuRat (talk) 17:22, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

Unless it was sewn by hand, it almost surely has two threads that make up the seam. Without seeing it in person or at least a photo it will be hard to diagnose further. My best bet is that the 'lock' got skipped somehow. One thing that you can do to test: pull on the loop. If it pulls freely and gets longer (popping out previously intact parts of the seam), then you have a broken lock stitch. If it pulls to a point but then resists and binds against the other parts of the seam, then you have a skipped stitch. Unfortunately if it's the former you might have to repair... SemanticMantis (talk) 13:58, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

Farab (Otrar)

The map reference for Farab, more famously known as Otrar, places its location at Shymkent. The Misplaced Pages reference for Turkistan places Otrar some miles to the southeast of that city near the Syr Darya; this should be accurate. UNESCO can probably provide the correct map location of Otrar. http://unesco.kz/otrar/otrar_house/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by ElkeWylie (talk • contribs) 15:34, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

I'd put this discussion on the talk page for that article. However, it might be the case that two generations of the city, possibly with different names, were in slightly different places. When a city is rebuilt, it is often moved a few miles, perhaps because the river has moved, so the issue always comes up as to whether it's still the same city or not. StuRat (talk) 15:39, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

I've emended the coordinates in the Otrar (Farab) article. Thanks for pointing out the contradiction. Deor (talk) 20:45, 11 June 2014 (UTC)

June 12

Female Marine Infantry Weapons Officer

Hello all, Has there ever been a female Infantry Weapons Officer? If so, does anyone know when the first one was commissioned? If not, is there an earliest time there could have been one? Also, is it even remotely likely that a Infantry Weapons Officer would have training on flying a helicopter? I know Warrant Officers will fly, but I don't know if a Gunner would ever have that skill set. Thanks! Hobit (talk) 01:12, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

Videocassettes

Can multiple types of videocassettes be played in VCRs, or are they only able to play VHS tapes? I know each player can do just one type, but I can't tell if "VCR" is meant for just VHS players or other types too. The Videocassette recorder article mentions other formats too, but is it mentioning them because they could be played in their own VCRs, or because they required players that competed with VCRs? 2001:18E8:2:1020:114D:7C6F:FA83:BE0 (talk) 20:05, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

VCR is not specific to VHS. The Betamax players are are VCRs. I'm not sure if there were any VCRs that could do both formats. RudolfRed (talk) 20:20, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

Nowadays, VCR is a generic term for a video cassette recorder. There are several tape formats, including VHS, Betamax and V2000; VCR originally meant a particular format from Philips. These formats are completely incompatible with each other - and not just because the physical dimensions of the cassette are very different. For example, if a VCR says "Betamax" on the front, you won't be able to fit a VHS tape through the slot - it's far too wide. What's more, you can't open up a Betamax cassette and a VHS cassette, exchange the tape spools and expect that they will then play in the "wrong" machine. --Redrose64 (talk) 20:25, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

"VCR is not specific to VHS." That's what I meant. I thought maybe it was, or had been, a trademarked term for just VHS players, like "personal computer" once was. I've just found a stash of non-VHS tapes from the 1980s (lots of different formats...) and am trying to figure out what they are. 2001:18E8:2:1020:114D:7C6F:FA83:BE0 (talk) 20:39, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

"Lots" of different formats? How many? I would think they would mostly be Beta, which was not as popular as VHS, hence it died. (Good luck finding a Betamax to play them.) ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 21:39, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

The likelihood is that you either have VHS cassettes, Betamax cassettes, Super VHS cassettes or Super 8 cassettes. In all cases, only VHS cassettes will play in a VHS VCR. Although a Super VHS cassette can be used in a VHS VCR in conjunction with an adaptor. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:44, 12 June 2014 (UTC)