Posts for Friday, February 3, 2006

Question #22898 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

Comments

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

With regards to Board Question #22669, the change came during my time in seminary. My first year in seminary was Old Testament and we memorized 40 scriptures. My next year was New Testament and we memorized 25. I was actually disappointed at the change. I graduated in 1991 so I'll let y'all do the math. And yes, I did complete all four years (early morning too, and I wouldn't trade that for anything).

- Ageless - who is showing her age (somewhat) by answering this question.

Question #22787 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

Fashion/Style

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I have two large front teeth. It causes me to have gaps in my smile between my top and bottom teeth. Is there anyway I can fix it?

- Wants a Hollywood Smile

A: Dear Wants,

Yes! Go see an orthodontist. Depending on how severe your gap is and how your jaw and other teeth are spaced he/she will probably recommend headgear, a retainer, or a cosmetic solution. Sometimes teeth look bigger because of how far up they are not because they are inherently gigantic.
Cosmetic solutions include shaving down the teeth or getting veneers. These can be pricey and I would ask an orthodontist's opinion before I went into a "smile specialist".

-la bamba, who was deformed before her orthodontist stepped in

Question #22786 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

Literature - Children's

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Why didn't they just use the truth serum on Harry Potter when he was being tried in the fifth book?

- Aardvark

A: Dear Aardvark,

J.K. Rowling actually has a very similar question posted as an FAQ on her website. However, in that question, they want to know why Veritaserum wasn't used on Sirius Black. You can see her answer here: http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=105

So, from that we know that Veritaserum isn't totally reliable and can't always be used to confirm guilt or innocence.

In Harry's case, though, I doubt he'd be able to "beat" the potion, especially since he has very weak Occlumency skills. But, my guess as to why they didn't use it on him: Cornelius Fudge wasn't interested in the truth; he just wanted Harry discredited. So why risk using Veritaserum and having the truth revealed?

--Mrs. Franchise

Question #22785 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

Language & Linguistics - Etymology

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Which came first? The slang term, 'honky' meaning a white person, or the term 'honky-tonk' referring to a cowboy bar (or any cheap bar/dancehall)?

- The Mathemagician

A: Dear Mathemagician,

From the OED:

honky
U.S. Black slang.

A white man; white men collectively. Also attrib. or as adj.
Disparaging in all applications

[1946 MEZZROW & WOLFE Really the Blues xii. 216 First Cat: Hey there Poppa Mezz, is you anywhere? Me: Man I'm down with it, stickin' like a honky. Ibid. 374/2 Honky, factory hand.]

----------

honky-tonk
colloq. (orig. U.S.).

2. 1. A tawdry drinking-saloon, dance-hall, or gambling-house; a cheap night-club. Also in somewhat extended uses, and attrib. or as adj.

1894 Daily Ardmoreite (Ardmore, Okla.) 24 Feb. 1/4 The honk-a-tonk last night was well attended by ball~heads, bachelors and leading citizens.

----------

So the earliest written record of "honky-tonk" predates the earliest written record of "honky" by over fifty years.

- Katya

Question #22781 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

Literature - Children's

Literature - Classics

Entertainment - Movies

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

In the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, at the end of chapter seven (and, I believe, a few other places as well, but this is the only one I can find right now) Beaver says, "It's snowing again...That's all the better, becasue it means we shan't have any visitors; and if anyone should have been trying to follow you, why he won't find any tracks."

I was never around too much snow growing up, so I never really thought much about this phrase. Now, though, I know that when snow falls, it can obscure footprints, but it takes quite a bit to completely remove any trace of them. I'd imagine that in a forest snow might not fall so evenly, so a few patches wouldn't necessarily mean a trail. Then again, if it's been winter for a hundred years, there hasn't been much in the way of a thaw, so there must be quite a bit of snow on the ground, and any step would probably be rather deep. How much snow would have to fall to hide the footprints from four children and a beaver all marching together?

- Mania

A: Dear Mania,
At least a couple inches. Falling snow tends to even out previously made depressions, but it would take several inches to cover the tracks of four people walking through the snow. However, I think the weather of winter-bound Narnia was quite up to the challenge of dropping a few inches of snow. The beaver would have also been correct in his assumption that heavy snow would dissuade visitors. A heavy snowfall makes for difficult traveling and low visibility. At any rate, it's just a story, but it's realistic enough.

- de novo -

Question #22780 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

BYU - Academics

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I'm applying for the communications department in september and I've started to worry about whether I'll make it in or not. It would be disappointing if I had to wait till January to re-apply. Do you know if most people that apply get in? Do you think I'd have a fairly reasonable good chance of getting in?

- Emetelai

A: Dear Emmy,

It depends on your chosen emphasis. Advertising majors are probably the ones who need to worry the most - you pretty much need A's in all the prereqs and a really, really good essay because a ton of people apply and the department only has room for a few. My emphasis, print, is probably the easiest to get into, I've learned. I got A's in the prereqs and a 50 on my benchmark, but even some I knew who received lower scores and grades got in (albeit not MUCH lower). Most of the broadcast and PR people I've talked to had an experience that was something of a mix between what mine was and what the ad majors' experiences were.

Overall, though, regardless of emphasis, if you do really well in the required classes, score well on the benchmark and submit a great essay, I think you have a good chance. Just do your best, and even if you aren't accepted in fall, just do the electives that you don't have to be accepted to complete and you'll be that much ahead of the game. I applied at the end of last summer and while I was in limbo during summer and fall 2005, I got all of my electives done. Now that I'm in the major, all I have left are the required ones. Take advantage of whatever time you get and do your best with it.

I'm happy to hear about another comms major. We all complain about certain aspects of it, but what I'm learning is so valuable and so darn FUN! I'm having a great time and I'm sure you will, too. Good luck with admissions!

Nike

Question #22779 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

Mechanics

Sports

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

On many charlifts at ski resorts, the chairs will slow down when they go through the boarding station, but then when they leave they speed up again. How does this happen? because I'm pretty sure they don't detach from the main cable and I can't think of how else they could get some chairs to go slowly and others to go quickly.

- Not an engineer

A: Dear Not an Engineer,

I assume you are talking about High Speed Detachable Quads (or six-packs, or triples if you are at Alta). The system has obviously fooled you because the chairs do, in fact, detach from the cable and are carried through the station on a seperate track. I will explain...

High-Speed Detachable lifts allow the cable to continually move at a constant speed while taking the chairs off and slowing them down for easier (and safer) loading. Thus, ski resorts increase their uphill capacity without significantly threatening the lives of the customers.

In the Park City area, almost all detachable lifts are made by a company called Doppelmayr CTEC or by one of the two original companies which merged to form it (CTEC, Garaventa, or Doppelmayr). As I explain some of the components, you can visit their website to see more information (or to purchase your own detachable lift, if that is your desire).

Next time you ride a chairlift, look up at the grip holding the chair assembly to the cable. You will notice that it looks something like this:

(You can see a better detail of the chair assembly here. These images all come from Doppelmayr CTEC's public site, and belong to that company. I have included them here for educational purposes only [and free advertising for them])

As the chair enters the station, each of the wheels meets a track which lifts the weight off the cable. One track pushes down the upper wheel, which opens the grip. The other tracks lift the chair away from the moving cable.

A series of rubber tires meet with the traction grip (the long black thing in the picture) and carefully slow the chair down to loading speed. At no point is the chair gliding freely (like used to happen with the old Park City Ski Area Gondola). The wheels are all precision-timed relative to the speed of the moving cable.

You can see the wheel assembly in these two pictures:

and

The pictures are actually focusing on the clutch brake assembly, which helps maintain proper chair distance. There are one or two wheels on the non-passenger side that can stop the chair momentarily to help maintain proper chair distance. Of course, if chairs ever get too close in the station, the system shuts down with a collision alarm (this is usually fixed by simply restarting the chairlift... because the chair usually realigns). Of course, "collision alarm" can sound scary, but you must remember that "too close" for the computer means 6 inches closer than usual. There are so many safety features on these chairlifts, it isn't even funny (in fact, it is annoying sometimes).

In both pictures you can see the grip assembly (similar to that pictured above) being carried along its tracks. The yellow release wheel appears on both pictures (just entering frame on the left and just under the clutch brake on the right).

Once the chair has detached from the main cable and been slowed down to a safe loading speed, more rubber wheels carry the chair around for a 180 degree turn. Then the passengers hop on (or off. The wheels then accelerate the chair forward to meet the exact speed of the main cable... and off it goes.

Did you know that Doppelmayr CTEC has developed an 8-passenger high speed detachable lift!! That is insane. Park City Mountain Resort has four high speed 6-passenger detachable lifts, but I don't know of any resorts putting up EIGHT. Man, that is like a flying sectional sofa!

Anyways, I hope my explanation of detachable lifts has been enlightening for you. I spent many a day skiing trying to figure out how those things work. I have even been up into the terminal houses and watched the works from above. They are impressive pieces of machinery... and they have changed the ski industry.

But, if you are ever at a resort riding a high speed lift made by YAN (which I don't even think is in business anymore)... um... get off. They had some serious safety issues. Otherwise, Doppelmayr CTEC makes some very good, safe lifts. You wouldn't believe how many safety features those things have! But, I think I already said that.

For more information, feel free to visit their homepage above. Or, just find time to stare up into the terminal of a high speed detachable lift sometime. It is a truly enlightening experience (but don't hold up the line).

That is All.

Horatio the Skiing Expert

Question #22774 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

Board

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I've noticed that when a reader signs werf's 'nym at the end of a question, the board writer who answers that question will often alter the 'nym. Do any of you have a particular method (i.e. always use abreviations, the first word of the 'nym, etc.)?

- Heretical in Heritage

(Who, for the record, disliked being compared with NKOTB)

A: Dear Heretical:

In true fashion as above, I usually use the first word in the nym. Some people have really long names, and I just get so EXCITED to answer that I don't want to bother writing the whole name out.

:)

Mojoschmoe

A: dear you,

it's also a good way to set the mood for the response. if you say something particularly poignant, you might pull out some of the more opinionated writers that don't quite share the same opinion. thus, the way they address you may also reflect what they think of the question.

my salutation was done purely as an example, just so you know - i usually save this one for when i'm wholly unimpressed with a question.

ignorant.

A: Dear Resident Hall Heretic,

For some reason, I just think it's so much fun to mess pseudonyms up. No clue why, but it's one of my favorite parts of answering questions. I usually try to make it funny or at least creative in a different way than the reader did. It's nice to put a different spin on things. I sometimes remember a Strong Bad e-mail where he read the e-mail and the sign-off and then began his response, "Well, dumb name, that's a very good question!" Cracked me up. I would never call anyone's name dumb, necessarily, but somehow I think it's just good plain fun to start out my responses in some funny way.

Hey, can I just say to the readers, thank you for being so awesome? You ask such great questions and I love how curious you are. You make it so much fun for us and we're so glad you're here. Thanks. :-)

Nike

A: I looked through all my answers, and compiled a list of when I have not kept the reader's name the same. Here is the list. Use it wisely.

The Leprechaun - Dear scary movie with little green men...
Top Hat (somethingsomethingHAT@gmail.com) - Dear White Rabbit out of the Top Hat
New 24 Watcher - Dear beginning addict
wishes the temple was full all the time - Dear Ditto dude
Tim Zheng - Dear Tim,
Miss Mollie, who thinks it's laughable to listen to Carrie Fisher slam on someone else's height - Dear the Unsinkable Miss Brown,
Heretical in Heritage - Dearest Heretic,
Gen NeXter - Dear "the Next Generation",
Mr. Flexable - Dearest Mr. Fantastic... aka. Mr. Flexable,
Jus' Wundrin - Dear Jus'...in,
She who had a normal temperature growing up - Dear she once was normal temperature,
The Answer is 42 - Dear Universal Answer,
Bad at names but good at asking questions - Attention bad at names,
* - Dear Asterisk,
love, lanada - So, "the nothing",
Drucilda - Dear Drucilda wanting to live in Wyview,
Looking for the right major,
Big E - Dear BigE looking for the right major, (oooh Chiasmus...)
mj - Dear mj (Mary Jane, is that you?)
her ID card - Dear BYU ID
Walker - Dear Texas Ranger,
The Creamery Is a Monopoly - Dear the Creameries are a Monopoly,
Melbabi - Dear Mel's babi... Oh, sorry, I meant Melbabi,
Clipper - Dear they call him clipper, clipper, faster than lightning...,
Junior among freshmen - Dear Junior,
former servant - Dear Every Member a Missionary,
Doesn't want to get sick! - Dear me neither!,
Conspiracy Man -
Conspiracy Man, I knew it was you. How you ask? I think you know...
Maybe I could fit one through my own door - Dear Maybe, (by the way, I love that song in the musical Annie...)
Achoo. Ouch! - Dear Achoo, and Ouch, and anyone else listening in there,
a good friend - Dear Missy's good friend,
Petie the Bird and her roommate (girls who do not want to die of asphyxiation) - Dear Petie and Co.,
Soprano - Dear Mafia Member,
Jason 'the' Foote - Dear 'the' artist formerly known as Jason Foote- (is this your drawing? (link included.)
law student - Dear bet-you've-heard-every-lawyer-joke-there-is-,
cupcake - Dear frosting-covered-yumminess-

In analyzing it, I find that I sometimes include an answer, or a comment on my feelings about this particular question, or address it more specifically to the person, modifying the name to make it unique.

Have Fun Storming the Castle,
-Il Guanaco

A: Dear HiH,

Sometimes changing the 'nym sets the tone for the answer, at least for me. Other times, like now, I don't feel like writing out the whole thing because I JUST CAN'T WAIT to answer a Burning Question.

-la bamba

A: Dear Heritage Heretic,

You may have read that our unofficial policy is "Ask a serious question, get a serious answer; ask a silly question, get a silly answer."

That being said, sometimes we find ourselves answering a bunch of serious questions all in a row. Changing a writer's nym allows us to answer a serious question while still including some personality in the response.

As a side note, when I was a reader (not to long ago...) I loved when writers would change my name. My favorite was when the Reverend wrote "My dearest [alias]."

What would you like us to change yours to?

- Lavish

Question #22766 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

Utah - Provo/Orem Community

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I have an odd shaped poster that I'd like to frame. Do any of you have suggestions for a place in Provo that will do a good job at a decent price?

-art fan

A: Dear art fan,

Look in a newspaper for ads for Joann's, Michael's, any craft store, really. They will often have coupons for 40 to 50% off framing. That should save you a bundle. They do a decent job.

- de novo -

Question #22764 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

Board - Writers

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Why is Optimistic getting a fan club when Petra doesn't have one? She's definitely my favorite writer, and all the Mukherjees and Singhs like her too.

-Petra's mom

A: Dear Petra's Mom,

We're still hoping that Petra and Optimistic get together and just stop the rumors altogether! In that case, it would become kind of a joint fan club.

That is all.

Horatio

A: Dear Petra's Mom and Horatio:

I dunno. . .it seems to me that Lavish herself is moving in on the whole Petra-Optimistic fiasco. Keep your eyes open, this is definately a fast moving Board Drama.

Mojoschmoe, who happens to be the queen of drama herself.

A: Dear Petra's mom,

May I just first say that I'm as astounded as anyone else about the response that I've been getting from the readers. I just write like normal; I certainly haven't been setting people up to make it seem like I have a fan club. I just do my job.

And I feel that I ought to point out that your daughter is one of my favorite writers. She's not as easily replaceable as she thinks she is. A lack of a fan club doesn't imply a lack of respect. I think that if you were to ask the writers (to say nothing of the readers) which writer they respected the most and whose responses they found the most intriguing, I'd guess that Petra would be pretty high up there. At least, that's what most of the writers I've spoken to have said.

We can't all be heroes, but that doesn't make everyone else a loser.

- Optimistic.

P.S.: Horatio - I've said it before, but even if Petra and I were to get together, do you think we'd publicize it all over the Board? I mean, any more than it already has been?

A: Dear Petra's mom,

I, too, love Petra.
I've told her that I am president of her fan club of both the Provo and the Boston branches...still working on getting to New Delhi but it seems that you, the Singhs, and the Mukherjees are holding down the fort quite nicely.

Though we fans are more subtle, we are no less spirited.

YAY PETRA!!!!!!!! (whistles excitedly)

Dear Optimistic,
That was quite the diplomatic response...you know, to get in good with her mom and all.

-la bamba

A: Dear Petra's mom,

Although more subtle in nature than Optimistic's, Petra's fan club is a pervasive and puissant entity with the genre tempermant of Jack Bauer on speed and the wound-up inevitability of a Dan Brown conspiracy. We may shy from the garish limelight of 100 Hour Board sidereal time, but we're always here, breathing in the dust of corners of corners where you can't find us unless we want to be found, in which case you won't really have found us; we'll have found you. And we'll always find you. There's no grave you can hide in where we won't find you. We're the ones keeping the price of natural gas up and the American socialist party down; we're the ones rewriting your children's history textbooks.

(into hack Dan Brown novels, evidently.)

A. A. Melyngoch, Petra Fan Club President, Indiana Office

A: Dear all,

You like me! You really like me!

-Petra, channeling Sally Field circa 1984.

A: Dear Petra's mom,

I feel that since I'm kind of the one behind the development of the OFC (Optimistic Fan Club for those who still haven't caught on) I should be responsible for providing an explanation as well.

First of all, I like Petra too! She's one of my favorite writers and I would wholeheartedly support a PFC (Petra Fan Club, obviously).

But you see, the thing is, if you read the Board you'll notice that Optimistic gets quite a bit of fan mail. As in, more than the average writer. Everyone seems to love our Optimistic.

Why? Well because he's a fine male specimen, of course. In the short period of time that I've know Optimistic even I have learned what a great guy he is. While I refuse to express my respect for him as a writer and friend, I will offer a list of his fine qualities.

Why Optimistic Deserves a Fan Club
1. He was the one that introduced me to your daughter, Petra.
2. He like peanut butter cookies. Why is that a reason, you ask? Well, why ever not?
3. He can completely cream me at Scrabble and yet he remains ever humble.
4. He's always willing to go on Official 100 Hour Board Business with me, even when it requires walking all over campus for his second time in one day.
5. He brought napkins to the last Board party.
6. He helped me pick my Christmas tree. We had to go to four lots to find the one I wanted and yet, through it all, he remained completely patient.
7. He has the Optimistic Seal of Musical Approval™. Even if it was created by him and probably nothing I like would ever be approved, it obviously carries a great deal of importance.
8. He's environmentally friendly.
9. He explained Peircian Semiotics to me.
10. He convinced me to start reading A Series of Unfortunate Events . I know, I know. You're thinking how could someone that convinced you to read such sad books be a person worthy of a fan club? Simple. It's because he... Well the reason is... Hm. Actually, I guess you're right. Well now. This does create a bit of a problem...

I guess Optimistic no longer gets a fan club then. That's good in a way since we weren't exactly sure about all the technical stuff anyway. But aside from #10, doesn't this sound like the kind of guy you'd like your daughter to date?

- Lavish

Question #22760 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

Entertainment - Movies

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Would you say that the movie She's All That is a chick flick? Why or why not?

- Kiki

A: Dear Kiki,

Probably, but I would say that it's more of a teenage movie than anything else. It's a high school prom date kind of movie, but I think both guys and girls enjoyed it. You could probably classify it in the chick flick category, though.

Nike

A: Dear Kiki,

Yes.

Not that I've seen it or anything...

Have Fun Storming the Castle,
-Il Guanaco

PS. Reasoning: it is based on a girl, with a guy that wrongs her, and then realizes he can't live without her (at least in high school). It's like a Jane Austen-esque movie, but without Mr. Firth. Even so, it's still a chick flick.

A: Dear Kiki,

If the people watching it are teenagers or even college students, then no.

If the audience consists of a bunch of spinsters, ice cream, and tissues to commemorate a high school experience that never was, then yes. Quite yes.

-la bamba

A: Dear Kiki,

Let's see: a beautiful girl, uglified by glasses and overalls, prettified by the removal of said glasses and addition of makeup and decent clothes, attracts the undying love of a major stud, the high school Don Juan de la Brea. Simplified a bit: 1 excellent makeover + 1 hot man= Love4Ever. Yep, sounds like the very definition of a chick flick to me.

-Petra

A: Dear Kiki,

Sort of makes me ashamed to be a chick.

-A. A. Melyngoch

Question #22750 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

Legal (law)

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Is it true that a crosswalk exists at every pair of streets that meet at a 90 degree angle even if it's unmarked?

Thanks,
Sidney

A: Dear Sidney,

Yes. But for the most part, at unmarked crosswalks, cars have the right of way, not you.

-CGNU Grad

Question #22489 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

Food & Drink

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I have heard lately that some forms of calcium are absorbed by the body better than others. What kinds are best and what kinds don't work? Why? What about the kind that's in Tums?

- Marilla

A: Dear Marilla:

I asked around, and my teachers said that if you were to have your three servings of dairy that you're supposed to have daily, you should be fine for your calcium intake. Not all calcium is absorbed by our small intestine. It's dependant on how much Vitamin D you've eaten, the acidic condition of the intestine, and the estrogen levels in your body. However, if you want to take a supplement, there are different types of calcium in the supplements.

When looking to buy a supplement, look for the ELEMENTAL calcium level rather than the total calcium content. The elemental calcium content is how much calcium you're actually ingesting. Now that we have that down, we can actually look at types of calcium to buy. Calcium citrate is the best form of elemental calcium. Because of the citrate, it's in an acid environment and is more easily absorbed. Tums contain Calcium carbonante, which isn't in an acidic environment. Because of that, your intestines have to be naturally in a more acidic environment before it can absorb. So, calcium citrate is the best form of calcium supplement to take, not Tums. There are other forms such as calcium gluconate and calcium lactate, but they aren't as prevelant in elemental calcium, so large doses of them are needed.

However, I would recommend getting your calcium from eating a balanced diet and getting at least three servings from the dairy group a day.

Hooray for milk! Especially chocolate.

Mojoschmoe

Question #22289 posted on 02/03/2006 3:01 a.m.

Entertainment - Theater

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Before Christmas break, I attended the final for an auditions class. There were some great monolouges and I have located some, but not all, that I want in my own personal collection. Anyway, Heather Backman did a monolouge entitled "Driving Cross Country." Needless to say, it was one I can't find. It was about a man and a woman driving cross country. The husband was refusing to pull over to let his wife go to the bathroom. Do you have any idea where I can locate this? Thanks.

The Cellist

A: Dear The Cellist,
Ok here's the deal. I contacted Heather Backman to ask her about the monologue. She said that Laurie Harrop-Purser should have at least one of two copies of the monologue. So you can check with her and get a copy. Dr. Harrop-Purser is an assistant professor for Theatre and Media Arts; her office is F 338 HFAC and phone number is 422-4262.
-ME