Wikiversity:Help desk/Archive 4

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Qualitative tests for i) phosphate and ii) nitrate sensitive at ≤ 20 ppb

i) Is this the molybdenum blue test for phosphate? If so where does the blue come in as text book tests seem to be formation of yellow ammonium phosphomolybdate? ii) Conversion of nitrate to nitrite with Cd and then formation of a diazo compound? Equations and details or reference would be good. 130.130.37.12 04:22, 1 July 2007 (UTC)

I Want To Use C++ To Create A Graphical User Interface (GUI)

But unfortunately I am unsure, and in fact doubtful, that my current college education will go into such a thing. Mostly the reason I'm interested in GUI in the first place is that my aspirations include Video Game design and/or programming. As of now, my Windows XP system utilizes Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003, and I still need to find some kind of C++ environment for my Ubuntu system. If anyone could tell me of a good C++ environment for said system and help me get started with C++ GUI, then please do. Also, I've learned most of the C++ already listed in Wikiversity, it was covered in my Freshman year.

Thank You.

--Matthew J Grant 16:15, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

Not sure if this is helpful, but check out w:Qt (toolkit)...might be a good start. --HappyCamper 23:38, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

SPIRAL CLIPS

--83.60.99.150 20:36, 6 July 2007 (UTC)Can anyone help me find the company that actually produces fine spiral paper clips in round shape usually known as Clipiola. I need it in order to be able to find where they are produced and try to see the production method. thanks in advance for your help.

Marc83.60.99.150 20:36, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

I believe Cavallini & Co. of San Francisco produces Clipiola: [1]. StuRat 12:59, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

Vegetable lady's finger

why is the vegetable lady's finger called by that name ? --203.187.134.12 06:36, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

I don't understand, is this someone on TV ? StuRat 01:42, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

It's usually called okra (assuming that's the vegetable you're referring to). The Jade Knight 04:29, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Liberal arts

This site has information on just about every college/university course, and so I came here looking for information on liberal arts studies (generalized studies) to see what a typical Liberal Arts/General Studies major looks like. However, there's no page nor portal for liberal arts, is there any particular reason why not? Or, if you know what a Liberal Arts major looks like, please tell. Thanks. --Laura 01:12, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Things are still very much under development around here. If you want to make some pages for "liberal arts", I can help you with that. --JWSchmidt 02:08, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

From some (quick) searching, "Liberal Arts" seems to be a general word to encompass subjects that will contribute a broad-based education, like philosophy, psychology, music, art history, archaeology, languages, etc. Wikiversity has materials on many of these subjects (though not necessarily in great detail yet). Cormaggio ^talk 02:26, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Please understand that materials here do not necessarily reflect at all what similarly titled courses may be like at a "real" university.

At my alma mater, the General Education requirements included:

• 2 Writing classes (first-year and advanced)
• basic Math (often waived)
• Biology
• Natural Science (1 course other than Biology)
• Physical Science (a course combining Physics, Chemistry, Geology, and Astronomy. This was in addition to a Natural Science course)
• Social Science (gov't/psychology/sociology)
• American Heritage (a combination of US History, Gov't, and Econ)
• Foreign Language (the equivalent of 4 semesters' worth. This could be replaced with advanced math or music courses, however.)
• Civilization (2 semesters of World History)
• Arts & Letters (1 course that could be considered to broaden one's cultural perspective)
• Religion (12 credits)
• 120 credits total required for graduation (if you don't have another major, that's a lot of electives)

That could give you an example of an idea of what a Liberal Arts degree at one university would entail. The Jade Knight 04:27, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Thanks. I'm going to create a Liberal Arts portal. Laura Bogart 12:54, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

drug testing

--65.68.181.102 23:00, 31 July 2007 (UTC)How can someone cleanse their hair of all toxins and chemicals related to drug use?

The only way I know of is to cut off any hair grown during drug use. If it's been a long time since you've used drugs, you won't need to cut it very short. StuRat 00:34, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

How do you study effectively?

School homework has always been no problem for me, and I usually finish all of my Homework before the school day is over. But last year when I actually had homework, I didn't know how to study. I would just re-read material and practice math problems. Neither seemed to help me. Flashcards didn't help either. Anyone know effective techniques? --68.43.39.35 19:56, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

Can you identify what type of problem you are having ? I'm assuming you do poorly on tests, but is it because you didn't know what to study, knew to study it but couldn't memorize it for the test, or you just freeze up during tests ?

The first step is to decide what's important, then you can work on memorizing that. You can judge what's important based on what questions they ask at the end of the chapter or what problems they pose. If the book is yours to keep you can use a highlighter on the passages in the book that answer those questions. I'd aim for maybe one thing per page that you highlight on average (although you may have some pages with lots of good info and others with very little). I would expect flash cards would help, provided you have the important facts on them.

Also, be sure to take good notes in class. The teacher will likely cover only some of the material in the book, and that's your clue that this material is more important. Also, they will sometimes say outright "now this is important" or even "this will be on the test", so be sure to take notes on, and later memorize, those items. You can circle them or highlight them while taking the notes so you remember that they are important. StuRat 01:58, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

Create your own notebook regarding the class or subject as if in twenty years you will need to use it for reference material in conducting your own class can be very educational. Tutoring others in the material, say in a study group, can also broaden and deepen your command of the material. Mirwin 13:59, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

Persuasion

What are the most effective ways to be persuasive through speach?

You might want to read W:Dale Carnegie's book W:How to Win Friends and Influence People. BTW, "speech" doesn't contain an A. StuRat 04:23, 12 August 2007 (UTC)

Rhetorics w:Rhetorics is probably what you are looking for, and perhaps you would like to look into Toastmastersw:Toastmasters --220.245.117.234 12:10, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

mixing a monomer black pigment with oil based polyurethane

Can a monomer black pigment that is normally used with polyester resins be safety mixed with a commercial oil based polyurethane finish? --71.102.178.7 22:59, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

Intracranial pressure

Copied from here: w:Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Science/2007_August_11#Intracranial_pressure.

My EEG revealed a slightly high intracranial pressure. However IMHO after downing the pressure to normal I will a bit more passive and slow. Does it make much sense? --Vado

I believe that doctors, upon finding something "abnormal" (outside the typical range), often decide, incorrectly, that they need to correct it. If this condition has been with you all your life, your body may have adapted to it and may actually function better with that pressure. It may adjust to the new pressure, or it may not, only time will tell. --StuRat 04:11, 12 August 2007 (UTC)

Conflicts

--ARE ALL CONFLICTS DYSFUNCTIONAL? COMMENT.. please help me and send some good answers and explain why have you said a yes or no...

This seems like a poorly worded homework question to me. Some methods for resolving conflicts are dysfunctional (like killing anyone who disagrees with you) while others (like reaching a compromise) are not. StuRat 21:02, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Why was Karl Rove so considered a political genius by many?

--192.223.226.5 17:34, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

The "win at any cost" approach Rove took, which apparently included illegal activities, seemed to work, at first. However, once Democrats gained control of Congress (mainly due to Iraq), the Republicans could no longer block Congressional investigations of fellow Republicans, like Rove. Then, once Rove's illegal activities were exposed to the light of day they hurt the Republicans far more than they had initially helped. StuRat 22:47, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

"illegal activities" <-- does anyone know of a published analysis of the legality of political figures such as Rove making decisions about how the Justice Department makes hire/fire decisions? --JWSchmidt 03:57, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

As I understand it, the issue was employees of the Justice Department who refused to charge Democrats with crimes, on highly questionable grounds, right before the 2006 mid-term elections, so they would be discredited and lose the elections. Rove then convinced Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to fire seven employees, claiming it was for "performance reasons" (that is, saying they were incompetent). Not surprisingly, those seven objected to this treatment. While this type of behavior is a total perversion of the purpose of the Justice Department, abusing it for blatant political goals, contrary to the service of justice, I'm not sure of any statutes under which Rove could be charged with a crime. StuRat 05:48, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

I might not remember this correctly from last Spring, but I thought Monica Goodling testified under oath that she had broken civil service rules with respect to her DOJ duties and that she had done so under the direction of the White House staff and political appointees in the DOJ. The President then refused to let White House staff like Rove testify under oath about their role in Monica Goodling's activities. So my question is really a hypothetical: if White House staff ordered Monica Goodling to break civil service rules, is there something like a conspiracy charge that could be brought against people in the White House who told Monica Goodling to break the civil service rules? --JWSchmidt 06:05, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

I don't know if there is a traditional legal prosecution route. However, according to W:Impeachment#Impeachable_offenses, impeachment applies to '"The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States" who may only be impeached and removed for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."' So, they could be impeached for relatively small offenses. This has been widely open to Congressional interpretation, but abusing the Justice Department for purely political goals seems like an area that would fall well within those guidelines. Alternatively, Congress could go with W:Contempt of Congress charges against those who either lie under oath or refuse to testify. StuRat 13:55, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

What is the purpose and function of RSS in terms of bloging?

--192.223.226.5 13:37, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

RSS is a protocol for basically distributing content and making it clear when content has changed. For blogs this works well for viewing many blogs at a time in a common format (or using a blog reader), and it also can alert readers when a new blog entry has been added. --24.147.86.187 23:10, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Did High School in the United States cost money in 1915?

--Angelica Klosky 16:15, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Some useful information. I think it would be best if you specified a particular state...too much of education law is at the State level to make sweeping statements for the entire country. Some states did not exist in 1915. --JWSchmidt 16:48, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Health risks for sitting in front of a computer

--196.46.106.90 13:45, 27 August 2007 (UTC) What are health risks for someone who sits in front of a computer for 6 hours or more ?

1) The lack of exercise and unhealthy eating habits (eating fast food while at the computer) may lead to obesity and other medical problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

2) Eyestrain is a concern.

3) Radiation is a concern with CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors, but not with newer LCD and plasma screen displays.

4) An uncomfortable chair lacking sufficient padding may lead to sores on the legs and back.

5) Back strain may result from poor sitting posture.

6) Carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive movement disorders may occur from using the keyboard, mouse, joystick, etc., repeatedly. StuRat 00:17, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

Social isolation can also become a problem if computer use grows excessive such as with addictive game playing or non interactive web browsing. Mirwin 02:42, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

Agreed, that makes a nice addition to the list. StuRat 15:42, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

UFOs

--196.46.106.90 14:05, 27 August 2007 (UTC) "What can be generalized as the world stance on UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS [UFOs]" --196.46.106.90 14:05, 27 August 2007 (UTC)—14:05, 27 August 2007 (UTC) Mapambazukoleo.

Unidentified Flying Objects fall into several categories:

1) Weather phenomenon, such as W:ball lightning.

2) Astronomical phenomenon, such as the Moon reflecting off water and then clouds to make the clouds in an area glow.

3) Human activity, such as weather balloons and experimental aircraft.

4) Hoaxes.

5) Mirages, such as those generated when a distant light passes through rising heat waves, which can cause the light to appear to move rapidly.

6) Unexplained. This doesn't mean they are aliens, mind you, just that no explanation has yet been found. StuRat 00:17, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

The U.S. Air Force's stance is ... do not call us. LOL. Seriously. My brother and I chortled quite a while when we saw the press release in the newspaper. Mirwin 14:07, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

To overcome a confused mind.

--122.164.104.34 13:16, 28 August 2007 (UTC) I have realised that am a highly confused person. I analyse a lot and finall dont come to a conclusion. Please tell me how to stabilize myself in my ideas, decisions and views too.

How about if you use a schedule to keep yourself on track:

1-2 PM record PRO and CON arguments.

2-3 PM rank arguments by importance.

3-4 PM decide based on arguments and rankings.

How long you allow for each step will vary by the importance of the decision. If deciding whether to accept a job in another country and move your entire family, several days for each step might be appropriate. When deciding whether to have spaghetti for dinner, I'd keep it to a minute for each step.

There are also meds to help people stay focused, like W:Adderall, but they have side effects, so I'd use those only if no other method will work. StuRat 13:48, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

Screenwriting

If there is a foreign film about a true story involving a countries traditonal legend can anyone from another country adapt the story into their own version? (The preceding unsigned comment was added by 192.223.226.5 (talk • contribs) 18:31, 28 August 2007)

Why not? Traditional legends, by their nature, cannot be under copyright. —162.119.64.112 21:35, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

But make sure you are adapting from the legend, and not the adaptation. You and I could both adapt from Grimm's Cinderella, but if my adaptation was mistakenly on the Disney version, and I adapt some of the Disney-specific aspects (singing mice, for example), I'd be in legal trouble. --24.147.86.187 23:08, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

BIOETHICS

--125.22.249.72 12:50, 29 August 2007 (UTC) WHAT IS PHILANTHROPHY

That's giving money to charity, especially on a large scale. StuRat 03:00, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Uh, no, that would be philanthropy (The preceding unsigned comment was added by 41.208.10.82 (talk • contribs) 12:34, 11 September 2007)

how to pack a set of cabinet

--121.41.17.144 06:40, 31 August 2007 (UTC) I will move to a new house and want to pack my cabinet then ship to the new house, but I don't know how to pack it.could you please show me the sketch-map.Thank you.

First, obviously, you should empty it of it's contents. If it has drawers, remove them, along with any loose shelves. Next, secure any doors that are prone to fly open (by tying string around the cabinet and attaching to the door handles, for example). You could also remove the doors, but I don't think that's necessary. Finally, wrap the entire cabinet in an old blanket or bubble wrap to prevent damage during the move, and do the same for any drawers and shelves. Also, don't stack anything heavy on the cabinet, as most cabinets aren't designed to bear a heavy load. These instructions assume that the cabinet is in reasonably good shape. If it's particularly fragile, then additional steps would need to be taken. StuRat 18:57, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Also, if these are "built-in" cabinets, the "non-show" surfaces (such as the back) may have rough edges and/or exposed nails, etc. You will need to be especially careful when covering those, to ensure that they don't damage other furniture during the move. Try to arrange the cabinets in the moving truck so that the rough surfaces are adjacent to each other, as well. StuRat 19:01, 31 August 2007 (UTC)