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November 16

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Remastering audio from aShirley Temple movie?

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How did this dudepull it off prior to the likes of machine learning and gen-AI becoming mainstream (the video was published in 2019)? It's not like they had access to something akin to the MAL model in "Now and Then" which removed the mains noise from Lennon's recording, yet it sounded at least vaguely like someone brought Shirley to a modern recording studio and let her have it.Blake Gripling (talk)01:51, 16 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The art of digital remastering precedes the use of generative AI for such purposes. For the approach that may have been used, see the version ofRemaster § Music as it was at the time the video clip was posted. I do not know how its audio quality compares to that of the song on the 2009 DVD ofRebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.  ​‑‑Lambiam09:31, 16 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Photography prevention?

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Fernand Léger,Nudes in the forest (1910),Kröller-Müller Museum

This image of Léger's painting is used in three articles and has made its way elsewhere on the internet. It originated with a commons upload in 2015. But, the painting may not appear like this at all. In most books and printed literature it has earth tones.[1] Curious, I went on a virtual tour of the museum on YouTube. I noticed that the gallery containing this painting has an unusual bluish light and color cast, both on the walls of the room and possibly coming from the lighting itself. Is this a way for them to discourage photography (and flash), such that any photo taken of the painting will look quite different from the actual work?Viriditas (talk)20:37, 16 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

If anything, such a strategy wouldencourage the use of flash, as a flash user would be bringing their own light, with its own controlled color temperature and spectrum.
Of course, the tools to digitally correct color are so widely available that there would be little point to trying to obfuscate an image in this way. And I would be very surprised to see an art museum thatdeliberately chose to distort the appearance of a work that way—curators tend to be very hot on respecting the integrity of the artist's work and vision.
Seems more likely that the illumination in that space happened to have a slightly different color balance for non-malicious, non-strategic reasons. Though it's hard to provide a reference to support that answer; I doubt that the museum's curator has gone on the record to say "No, we'renot doing anything weird with our lights."TenOfAllTrades(talk)21:39, 16 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
One more thought just came to mind. Is it possible that the piece has yellowed somewhat over the last century-plus, and the bluer-blue whiter-white version is an attempt to more closely reflect the original colors of the work?TenOfAllTrades(talk)22:05, 16 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not sure, but I recall reading older reviews that mentioned the earth tones. Also, most museums do a restore after some time. I would be very surprised if this painting hasn't been restored since the 1970s.Viriditas (talk)23:50, 16 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I've been to the Kröller-Müller Museum on a number of occasions (including two school excursions; I think everybody in the Netherlands has been there at least once on a school excursion), although I don't remember seeing this painting. I seem to remember that many rooms in this museum are lit primarily by daylight, either through big windows or skylights with milkglass. The continuous spectrum of daylight gives a better colour rendering index than any kind of artificial light. This means that lighting conditions change with cloud cover and the height of the sun. Human eyes adapt easily, but this may throw off the white balance of a camera.PiusImpavidus (talk)10:43, 17 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
That's super interesting. I wonder if that explains the cool green-blue tones.Viriditas (talk)22:18, 18 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
The version uploaded to the Commons is a scaled-down version of what the website of the Kröller-Müller museumhad at the time;the current museum version is markedly different. They can be compared here:comparison, the Commons version on top and the current museum version, scaled to the same size, below.
The hues and brightness of versions found on the Web are all over the place, but those that appear to be photos of reproductions tend to be brighter and have more earth colours. I found an outlier in size and clarity on Facebook, which can be seenhere. I could not find its provenance, but this can hardly be the result of sprucing up the gloomy low-contrast image at the museum site. I guess someone needs to get to the museum to see the actual colours.  ​‑‑Lambiam11:30, 17 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Are you familiar withYellow Milkmaid Syndrome?Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing);Talk to Andy;Andy's edits16:45, 17 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Vaguely. I first became aware of a similar issue in the domain of music in the mid-1980s. Without mentioning any names, I used to frequent a record store in the Bay Area which, if you got to know the people working there, trafficked in underground bootlegs. That's when the first problem occurred to me. In many cases, you had these terrible recordings of famous bands floating around when the bands themselves had soundboard-quality reproductions that they couldn't or wouldn't release.Viriditas (talk)21:04, 18 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

November 17

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Mystery structure in a Welsh field

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Concrete stand overlooking the Loughor valley

Can we identify what this is, and its purpose? It's at51°44′47″N4°02′16″W / 51.746383°N 4.037704°W /51.746383; -4.037704.

I thought it might cap a mine- or ventilation shaft, but I can't see anything on old Ordnance Survey maps, and I have only just added it as a generic "building:yes" to OpenStreetMap.Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing);Talk to Andy;Andy's edits15:42, 17 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Sometimes random concrete blocks are remnants of wartime defences, but there's nothing on theExtended Defence of Britain Database which is pretty comprehrensive (but there is aType 24 pillbox a couple of miles south of there).Alansplodge (talk)18:31, 17 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
There is a recent gas pipeline nearby (there is a view of its construction in the "nearby" on Geograph, where the picture came from), perhaps something to do with that.DuncanHill (talk)19:04, 17 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
A search for similar images brings up mostly WWII military installations. But they all either have small openings or show signs that something used to be mounted on top. The few images that don't fit that pattern includea mine building,a milk churn stand andan old water tank with the last looking the most similar.Long is the way (talk)07:55, 18 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
The thing appears to be located at a local maximum in terrain elevation. If this is to cap a shaft, the shaft would have been shorter (and presumably easier to construct and cheaper) if they had moved it a short distance in any direction. A maximum in elevation could be convenient for a liquid storage tank, as one can use gravity to move liquid from there to anywhere (but it's harder to fill). The good view from there and limited soil movement (no downhill direction at a local maximum) make it useful as a reference point for the Ordnance Survey (one could put a bigtheodolite on it), but would it not be indicated on the Ordnance Survey map then? There's also the option of something unfinished. It doesn't look very recent, mid 20th century is plausible. The top layer may be more recent and could be hiding bolts or other attachment points.
The thing appears too small for a pillbox.PiusImpavidus (talk)11:30, 18 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
There seems to be an irregular ring of smallish stones around the construction. This prompts me to wonder if the 'box' might have been placed to protect something of possible archaeological interest pending later excavation (for which funding might not have materialised). Its lack of presence on OS maps argues against this, unless it was only identified in the mid-20th century, if not later, and immediately covered over. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195}~2025-31359-08 (talk)14:39, 18 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
That very land appears to be for sale, though I cannot identify the object in any of the estate agent's pictures. They might answer a query on the matter?
Given it is on a high point of sorts, I wondered if it was intended as the base of an aerial?-- Verbarson  talkedits16:08, 18 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
We could buy it and have a RefDesks country break!DuncanHill (talk)18:22, 18 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Where'd you go for the weekend?
Oh, we had a lovely time sitting on the wet grass around a weird concrete block in a Welsh field.
Sounds wonderful. Count me in next time. --Jack of Oz[pleasantries]16:48, 19 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Milk churn stands are generally next to roads, they were placed so that the churns could be quickly transferred to a lorry doing its rounds; but this is nowhere near a road. A water tank seems more likely.Alansplodge (talk)13:37, 20 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps a herd of sheep werekilled by a stray bomb?-- Verbarson  talkedits14:48, 20 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Are there any features on its top? AsUser:PiusImpavidus suggested, I'm wondering if it could be aTrig point left over from either thePrincipal Triangulation of Great Britain or theRetriangulation of Great Britain. —scs (talk)15:27, 21 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Unlikely, given that there are no indications on large-scale OS maps of the area. There is a bench-mark on a nearby road, but nothing in the field. Also, the Principal Triangulation map has no node in that area - the nearest one is in thePreseli Hills, probably onFoel Cwmcerwyn which has a whole slew of benchmarks on and around its summit. [Edited]-- Verbarson  talkedits20:59, 23 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

November 18

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Villanov?

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In The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1st ed., vol. 10, p. 108 entry on Nikolai Klenovsky: "[...] and it was in fact to Klenovsky that Vsevolozhsky (director of the imperial theatres) first offeredThe Queen of Spades as a subject for an opera; only when he failed to make any progress with the idea was the libretto passed first to Villanov and finally to Tchaikovsky." Here it mentions a composer named Villanov. There doesn't seem to be anyone named Villanov, so who is this? Check it out for yourselfhere (you need to borrow it).WafflesInvasion (talk)11:18, 18 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

This page (not the photograph) seems to be about him, well, google-translate mentions the Queen of Spades, so yeah. You could use the cyrillic Александр Александрович Вилламов to find more about him. --Wrongfilter (talk)11:46, 18 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Seems like the case, Villanov might be a typo. Russian Wikipedia for Queen of Spades mentions a "А. А. Вилламов."WafflesInvasion (talk)11:55, 18 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
(ec) John Warrack'sTchaikovsky (1973) says:
… Kandaurov sent his material to another minor composer, known chiefly as the writer of little salon pieces, A. A. Villanov. ("Travels and the Break", p. 235)
Tchaikovsky Research: Queen of Spades was more useful:
The only established fact is that towards the end of 1886, Kandaurov offered his scenario to a Petersburg socialite composer Aleksandr Villamov (1838-1917).
It goes on to provide more detail of the dealings between these people.
But note the spelling difference: Tchaikovsky Research hasVillaMov, notVillaNov. This seems correct, as The Lieder Net Archive hasan entry for a composer named Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Villamov, who set various texts to music as songs. --Jack of Oz[pleasantries]11:53, 18 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I guess the Grove dictionary entry above used a source like Warrack's.WafflesInvasion (talk)11:58, 18 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

November 20

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No books published on user generated content

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Why aren’t any books published onuser generated content nor published by users, unlike on theInternet? Is this possible for any books to be published on user generated content, similar to Wikipedia or blogging sites?Userbaspongey2 (talk)21:22, 20 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

If you mean what Ithink you mean, then it can happen. The Russian novelMetro 2033 was initially published, partly written, online and completed with crowdsourced contributions, and the novelCosmos was written and published with each of its 17 chapters written by one of 16 authors. SuchCollaborative fiction by multiple (not merely two) contributors has also appeared in other genres.
If this isn't what you mean, please clarify. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195}~2025-31359-08 (talk)22:31, 20 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
A cursory search suggests there are a number of book published concerning theSCP Foundation, which is user generated and even uses the wiki format. Without looking at the content of those works directly it'd be hard to tell if they're just reprints of the content of the SCP-wiki or some sort of derivative work. Our own article suggests at least some of the printed material is original work based on the content of the SCP-wiki.Amstrad00 (talk)14:33, 21 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Wikibooks is a Wikimedia project like Wikipedia that creates books, although they don't have their own publishing house, you are certainly allowed to print them out.✨ΩmegaMantis✨blather00:21, 22 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

November 21

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AreAboriginal Australians andTorres Strait Islanders classified as different ethnic groups?

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If Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders are classified as different ethnic groups, then should the latest edit request onTalk:Stolen Generations be implemented.~2025-35274-35 (talk)20:29, 21 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Australians do not have official ethnic labels. The ONLY possibly related question on the census asks people to self declare their ancestry. Nobody checks whether you tell the truth.HiLo48 (talk)22:25, 21 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
And please note that this is a reference desk. It is not an appropriate place to discuss on-Wikipedia content disputes.AndyTheGrump (talk)22:33, 21 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

November 22

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Why do some everyday objects have design features that seem unnecessary?

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Hi! I’m curious about something I’ve noticed in everydayobjects. Many common items, which are like pens, bottle caps, envelopes, or packaging, often have small design features (grooves, holes, ridges, extra folds, etc.) that don’t seem immediately necessary for their main function.

Are these features usually there for manufacturing reasons, safety regulations, patents, cost savings, or something else? I’d appreciate an explanation or examples of how such “small design choices” end up in everyday products.

Thanks!~2025-35678-79 (talk)23:48, 22 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Probably all of the above, although not all at the same time. It may also be the case that they are actually functional. Grooves may offer additional grip.Crown corks have a ridged rim for manufacturing reasons, as a byproduct of the crimping process. In twist-off caps these ridges have actually become functional. Our articleBallpoint pen explains why their caps have holes: for safety. Another non-functional reason may be the esthetics of the product, as seen in decorativehubcaps and other non-functional trim used to pimp up cars. If distinctive enough, a design may offer protection against copy cats; seeIndustrial design right.  ​‑‑Lambiam00:36, 23 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I've never seen anenvelope with unnecessary design features, apart from the occasional decorative coloration.Shantavira|feed me09:10, 23 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Special occasion stationary envelopes have all sorts of unnecessary design features, from vintage wax seals to string-tie or even magnetic closures. Then you've got a choice of lining and texture, accents, embossing, engravings, the list is endless. None of these design features are necessary.Viriditas (talk)20:51, 23 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
True, butspecial occasion envelopes hardly qualify as "everyday objects", so it remains open whether "everyday" envelopes can be found with seemingly unnecessary design-features. If such exist, we'd need to know what these features are before attempting to answer the question of their whyness.  ​‑‑Lambiam07:38, 24 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
The flap of an envelope isn't strictly necessary. The size and shape of the flap is therefore a largely arbitrary choice, similar to the bumps and ridges of plastic objects. Some are triangular, some are rectangular, etc.~2025-36066-72 (talk)11:32, 24 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Maybe it would be better if you offered up a specific example of something you'd like more information on?Two (to build on Lambian's reply) of the most common everyday item features I see explained are the holes inBic pens. As our article explains, the hole in the side of the tube of the pen is there to equalize air pressure and hole at the end of the cap cover is to reduce the risk of choking, should someone ingest it and get it stuck in their windpipe.Matt Deres (talk)16:49, 24 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
"Unnecessary" is a very loaded term. Is the internet necessary? People have developed quite an attachment to it, and if it suddenly ceased to exist there'd be a great deal of chaos. But before it existed, was there a widespread desire for such a thing? Did people keenly feel its lack, or did they just go about their internetless business blissfully unaware of what they weren't missing? --Jack of Oz[pleasantries]17:39, 24 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
In the many centuries during which waiting weeks or more for a letter to arrive was the norm, I'm sure people desired near-instant communication across great distances. But want isn't need. Almost everyone wants clothes, but they aren't necessary.~2025-36226-46 (talk)09:02, 25 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
In much of the world, clothesare necessary.Iapetus (talk)12:56, 25 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I agree that being clothed when in public sight is a social and legal requirement. But having multiple items of each kind is unnecessary. --Jack of Oz[pleasantries]15:10, 25 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I applaud, as always, your pedantry, but note the OP's specific request is around design features "that don’tseemimmediately necessary for theirmain function." (emphasis mine). So, the question isn't whether the Internet is necessary, it's about design featuresof the Internet that might notseem necessary to its function (but perhaps are - or at least have an interesting story to tell). For example, people might not know that the http:// at the beginning of web addresses is to distinguish it from other transfer protocols likeftp andgopher. As those protocols became deprecated and support waned, the need for that went away and now most browsers don't bother showing it.Matt Deres (talk)16:08, 25 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
A given manufacturer's answer might be similar to the answer Frank Zappa gave to Jay Leno when the latter asked why he named his son 'Dweezil': "Because I wanted to!" ←Baseball BugsWhat's up, Doc?carrots18:07, 25 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

November 23

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Originality of The Source OC

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Hello there, while theThe Source OC had been proposed before its construction, and this began in August 2012 and was developed by M+D Properties, what was the originality of this shopping mall, and why did it become a home to manyKorean-owned businesses, despite its mixed-use development? Did this shopping center originally had American-owned businesses and tenants? And how did you find out?~2025-35811-87 (talk)13:35, 23 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It looks like M+D Properties itself has a Korean connection:[2]
  • Chief Executive Officer: Donald Chae
  • Chief Financial Officer: Donald Chae
  • Director: Donald Chae
  • Secretary: Donald Chae
Based on his employment record, interior designer Yoon Chang has been involved with the project.[3]
What with the large influx of Koreans in northern Orange County,[4] the developer (possibly Chae, who is also a real estate agent[5]) must have sensed a business opportunity.  ​‑‑Lambiam16:35, 23 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

November 24

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Worldcat records

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What became OCLC's Worldcat dates to 1967.. Does anyone know how to find the first entry/record. Just curious..DMc75771 (talk)01:14, 24 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Content license check please

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n:Dina Titus presses Nevada governor over dropped probe, fine against Musk’s Boring Co. has 3 long quotes from[6] click the dropbox link click 2.Citations, not sure if these quotes are allowed who is the copyright holder and what content licence there. Thank you in advance for your help.Gryllida02:30, 24 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

That's something for Wikinews to deal with, not Wikipedia; and regardless, it's not something for the Reference Desk.--jpgordon𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇05:30, 24 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Where to ask about licensing if adding this to Wikipedia?Gryllida11:08, 24 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
You can try atWikipedia:Media copyright questions.Long is the way (talk)13:03, 24 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

November 25

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