Posts for Monday, September 8, 2008

Question #47325 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Comments

Health

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Re: Board Question Board Question #47250: Katya, bless you for referencing the Dangerous Decibels website. It's one of the best children's hearing conservation programs I've seen. I just wanted to reiterate that damage to hearing can occur at levels much lower than those at which sound is physically painful (but once again, see the Dangerous Decibles website for time-level information). Additionally, hearing loss due to noise exposure can be insidious--that is, occuring very subtly over time.

Moviegoer, I wouldn't get tied in knots over that single movie theater incident, but don't be afraid to take earplugs to the movies if you think they're too loud (You can get high fidelity musician's earplugs if you're worried about sound quality). Just be sure to insert them properly, as most people don't (see http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/topics/hearingloss/earplug.htm for info on foam earplugs).

If you're concerned about your baby in noisy situations, they do make hearing protection for children(for example, http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/chearpr.html).

If you have any more questions about your hearing, any audiologist would be more than happy to answer them (see www.audiology.org and click on "Find an audiologist").

--AudBall, who couldn't refrain from writing

A: Dear AudBall,

Thanks for the shout out! (And thanks to Dr. Sommerfeldt, who taught my descriptive acoustics class at BYU.)

- Katya

Question #47300 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Science

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Has there been any developments to convert brain waves into images, to see what a person may dream, or access memories or anything similar?

- Nanti-SARRMM

A: Dear Ethel,

Yes, there has been research into this area. The military has been given a 4 million dollar grant into developing thought recognition software which works by monitoring an EEG.

Carnegie Mellon University can also pick up 60 specific words you may be thinking of based off of your thought patterns.

There is also a lot of research being done into using brain waves as computer input. Currently there are a few brain input devices available to the public, one of which is Emotiv's Epoc or OCZ's Actuator.

-Polly Esther

Question #47299 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

BYU - Academics

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

What all encompasses Computer Engineering? Is it just low level circuit programming, or does it involve more programming skills for stuff like the cmos and what not? What are some things that they do specifically?

- Interested by the ECEn class list.

A: Dear Interested,

I'm a Computer Science major, so I've had C.E. majors in my classes, but I don't know a ton about the major. Luckily, my friend bismark is a C.E. major, and had plenty to say:

as i am sure you have been able to gather, computer engineering sits in between the computer science and electrical engineering. on the electrical engineering side, we take the core analog and digital circuitry courses. these classes cover things from resistors, capacitors, and inductors to mosfets and bjts to nand and nor gates. an example of a project you do in these classes is you build a stereo amplifier. on the computer science side we take the basic programming courses, covering the basic programming concepts, data structures, simple algorithms, etc. an example of a project in these classes is a web crawler program that will index all of the words on a given web page. then there are the classes that fall squarely in the computer engineering category, namely ee 124, ee 224, ee 320, ee 324. these classes cover low level C and assembly programming, hardware description languages (verilog and vhdl), and computer architecture like the way cpus process instructions and memory caching. to me, these are the most exciting classes since obviously they are the most geared to comp e majors. in 320 we program an FPGA to do all sorts of things, like output a scrolling message on a series seven segment displays. in 324 we dig through assembly code to find bugs and study how buffer overflows work.

once you get to your senior year you get to do some really cool stuff (this is where i am right now). 425 is a real time OS class that we get to learn all of the subtitles of embedded system programming. 427 we get to program a board with some microprocessors and FPGAs to get a fully functional space invaders game. i wont be in 451 till next semester, so i can't give too many details yet, but I hear its some pretty cool digital circuit design stuff.

so, you get to do a lot of really cool stuff, and you also get a nice set of both electrical engineering and computer science classes. if you are interested in low level software and digital computer hardware, this is the place to be. and if you ask me, the biggest advantage of a computer engineering major is being able to take the much much easier ee 362 instead of the ee 360/361 combo.

-bismark

Thanks, bismark!

-Yellow

Question #47296 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Computers - Internet (general)

Board - Writers

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

How many email accounts do you have? LOL ^_^ I've got, like, four! Haha

- sqrt(-1)

A: Dear Square Root,

Eight or nine, though I only compulsively check one of them.

-Buttercup

A: Dear i,

Only one. And it gets no spam.

--Gray Ghost

A: Dear imaginary werf,

Five that I use with any frequency, but three of them go to the same address.

- Katya

A: Dear Squirt,

Three including my BYU email account. Two of them are almost exclusively spam. Guess which one is my real one. (Hint: . . . I can't STAND BYU's email server).

- Rating Pending (who can be reached right here, thank you very much)

A: Dear ejfnakjnf{:>:"><{":PL}::

Three.

-Humble Master

A: Dear [Rating Pending stole my idea, though he had it first],

I've got ... six. Two work ones that go to the same account ... my Board one, my regular Gmail, my Hotmail, and a Yahoo one where I really only use the ID, for the IM and Launchcast and stuff. Ummm, and I think my Juno one still exists (mistuhdahcy or something haha), and I WISH this one from freshman year still existed (minutemaid@etoast.com). So maybe that's like 6.5/7.

-Olympus

A: Dear Goldeneyes Silverhand Dactylos

I have nine. Most of them forward to my main account, though, and the ones that don't forward rarely get checked.

-Azriel

A: Dearest imaginary friend,

At first I was going to say two, one hotmail and one gmail. Then I remembered my Board addresses. Then Rating Pending's response reminded me of my BYU account, and Olympus reminded me of my Juno account. Turns out I have eight, all forwarded to my main two. And with all that, I still only get two or three emails a month. Not my medium I guess.

Much speech leads inevitably to silence.(V,6)

-Tao

A: Dear imaginary friend,

By my count, I have five Gmail addresses (four of which forward to the other, primary one), three BYU aliases (all of which also forward to my main Gmail account), and two Yahoo! addresses (which are mainly used for signing up for stuff). So...ten addresses. Not too bad. Even with all of those, though, I only really sign into my main Gmail account and one of the Yahoo! accounts with any regularity. The rest I leave alone unless I get a message (forwarded to the main Gmail account), at which point I sign in to the appropriate account and respond from there. The remaining Yahoo! account gets virtually no traffic at this point anyway.

—Laser Jock

Question #47295 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Language & Linguistics - English Usage/Grammar

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I would like to know the proper grammar for the word "anyway" and its plural: "anyways," specifically as used to start a sentence or paragraph that is returning to topic after the writer or speaker has deviated from the intended topic.

Not only would I like to know the proper use of this word for myself, but I would also like this knowledge to be broadcast to the whole of the readership of the 100 Hour Board so that they can implement the correct usage of this word in their writing and speaking.

Thank you,
The not yet dead Curious Cat

A: Dear Heir apparent to Strunk & White,

According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.), "anyways" is a nonstandard form of "anyway," so "anyway" is always correct.

Rest assured that this knowledge will be "broadcast" to everyone who reads this question. Not only that, but we now have a resident Board proofreader who may take it upon herself to standardize the usage in writer responses. As for the usage of Board readers, we haven't generally corrected such minor style issues because, frankly, we're not that uptight.

- Katya

Question #47292 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

BYU - Faculty/Staff

BYU - Honor Code

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Do male BYU professors have to comply with the shaving part of the Honor Code? One of my teachers has a full beard! It looks really nice, but...is that legal?

-To shave or not to shave

A: Dear shaver,

Yes, they do. See Board Question #10727.

- the librarian

Question #47291 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

BYU - Academics

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

If it's not a 'large-scale counting question', what time are most BYU students in class? Is there a way to find out between what times there are the most people between classes?

-Enochlophobic

A: Dear Enochlophobic,

Your question isn't a "large-scale counting question." In fact, it's a "search the archives" question. According to Board Question #11098, the most popular class time is 12 pm, and the second most popular time is 11 am. My guess, then, is 11:50 am-12 pm is when the most people are between classes.

- Katya

Question #47290 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Relationships - Family

Relationships - Wedding Prep.

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I’m getting married (hooray!). I want to start out on the right foot with my soon-to-be in-laws. This might seem dumb but I’ve been stewing about this problem for awhile. Bridemaids: who do I pick? I know I want my 2 sisters (one who’s married) and my best friend, but what about my fiancee’s sister and 2 sisters-in-law, all of whom are married? His family is really close and I don’t want to leave them feeling left out. Another facet to this dilemma: his two sisters-in-law are gorgeous and I’m afraid I would feel overshadowed by their amazing good looks. So what should I do?

- Bride to be

A: Dear Bride ~

I will give you one piece of advice for all decisions like this: Ask your fiancé.

No, really. He knows his family best. Especially since, as you say, they are close. He'll know better than we do if they will be offended or not.

And trust me, unless you are marrying into a vampire family, you won't be overshadowed. The color white simply draws the eyes.

~ Dragon Lady

A: Dear Bride to Be,

Dragon Lady has some excellent advice. Also keep in mind that bridesmaid dresses are notorious for being hideous for a reason my dear. Now I'm not telling you to go out and find dresses that are monstrous on purpose, but you can certainly use colors or styles that will look plain or unflattering next to you.

I can relate in a way... I'm not getting married right now, but of course I'll want my sisters to be my bridesmaids. Due to some weird defect of genetics my sisters are significantly prettier than me and the thought of having them stand next to me- looking even more beautiful than me is upsetting. So trust me, they sure aren't going to be wearing stunning dresses to MY wedding.

Weddings can be stressful enough- so don't sweat the small stuff. Do what you want to do! Just be glad that you are marrying a man who only has eyes for you (or at least he should only have eyes for you) and enjoy your special day!

~Krishna

A: Bride to be,

I would not worry unduly about being overshadowed by anyone. Your fiancé is the most important person there for you, and you for him. A shadow can never fall on one's source of light.

TINMAN

Question #47289 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

BYU - Student Life

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I’ve seen this kid in the library a few days in a row now studying. I swear he looks like he’s no older than 12 (max)! I’m pretty sure he’s a student because he was reading a physical science textbook. Do you know of any really young students enrolled here (or even semi-young)? Maybe the freshman just look younger ever year…

- super senior

A: Dear Super Senior,

I actually met a kid on campus who is 14 and currently attending BYU. You may be a super senior but this kid is a super freaking genius. Maybe he should write for the Board since I cannot imagine that he has a social life...

~Krishna

A: Dear s²:

Here is a good list of enrollment stats for students under 18 at BYU over the past several years, but I suspect that the vast majority of those are 17.

The youngest person to graduate from BYU in the past year was 18: Biology is a fairly involved major, so I can't see squeezing it in in much less than two and a half or three years. I would say that would make the youngest, very rare, freshmen here 15 years old.

This guy probably just looks younger, and is 16 or 17. People thought I was in fifth grade when I had started high school: some people are late bloomers physically, and early ones academically.

---Portia

A: Señor Súper,

Another possibility is that you are correct in your assessment of age, but not in scholastic status. I remember spending a few days visiting my sister here at BYU while I was still in high school; while I did attend some of her classes (statics was far more interesting as a curious high-schooler), I also spent a large amount of time in the HBLL. Finding a twelve year old with an interest in the sciences reading a college level text wouldn't be too surprising either. I'm no super genius, but the poor science program I grew up with left me hungry for more, and I had two or three college texts by twelve. Visiting a library big enough to seat my hometown without breaking fire code was like living in a dream.

Without stirring abroad
One can know the whole world;
Without looking out the window
One can see the way of heaven. (XLVII,1-4)

-Tao

Question #47288 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

LDS - Culture

Social Science - Psychology

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

In an effort to make me a little bit happy that the University of Utah beat Michigan in football last Saturday, my husband told me that many of their players are RMs. (I maintained my stance that my two favorite teams are BYU and whoever is playing against Utah). I teasingly told my husband that liking somebody for his religion is just as bad as disliking somebody for his religion.

That did get me thinking, though, especially about Mormons who favored Mitt Romney just because of his faith. (I recognize that most who supported him did so because they agreed with his politics, but I am sure there were some who liked him only because he was Mormon- just as there were some who disliked him simply because he was Mormon).

Do you agree that liking somebody just because of his/her religion is just as bad as disliking somebody just because of his/her religion?

- some girl

A: Dear some ~

Depends. I'm more likely to trust an LDS person if I'm in need of help than someone else, but that's just because I know their values. That doesn't mean I would turn down help from a Catholic, though. Also, if I'm somewhere out of my comfort zone and I meet two people, one LDS and one not, I'd probably befriend the LDS person first. Mostly because we have the same values and such, so I know I'd feel more comfortable. (Also, I grew up in a Mormon bubble. I've never had a non-LDS friend. Wait, scratch that. I've had one.)

However, that doesn't mean that I'll automatically discard the non-LDS person and not consider them my friend. Nor does it mean that I'll end up liking the member. It's quite possible that I'll end up being friends with the non-member and disliking the member. (Y'know, there are LDS people at BYU that I am not friends with...)

But what about some random person, like a movie star or actor or sports star or politician? Mmmm... if you're basing your opinion of their talent on their religion... yeah, I'd say you're in the wrong. Being LDS (or Muslim or Catholic or Buddhist) doesn't make you a better football star or actor. (I would say it did have an effect with Mitt Romney as we then knew at least some of his values.) Nor does it make you a worse one. I think when you judge a person, you should judge on the applicable criteria. Judge football players on their skill, not their religion. Judge actors based on the quality of movies they're in and the quality of their acting. Judge a politician on if they will do the things for our nation that you would like done.

~ Dragon Lady

A: Dear some,

No, I don't agree. I think that it's wrong to let a superficial feature outweigh more important considerations — you shouldn't vote for / hire / read all the books of someone just because they're Mormon — but it's pretty natural to feel like you have a bond with someone when you have an unusual thing in common, and those natural bonds can mean that you want them to be successful in life, because you feel that it reflects well on everyone in that group.

- Katya

A: Dear chickface,

For me, it partially depends on what you mean by "just as bad." I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to "like" someone if the only thing you know about the person is that you share a common religion. Why is liking people, thinking positively of them, having good assumptions about them, a bad thing? If you dislike someone because of their religion, we call that prejudice. You could argue that you can have a positive prejudices ("grandmothers are nice people"), but I'd be more inclined to call liking someone for that one reason "naïvete." I think it's a wrong to trust or mistrust someone or to hire or fire someone because of their religion. However, if I am familiar with someone's religion, and I know they practice it (sorry) religiously, then I think that I simply have another bit of information about that person that I will consciously or unconsciously use to make decisions about them.

Another thing is it depends on what you mean by "liking" them (see how much my opinion depends on what you mean?! See? See?!). I think that it is wrong to assume that someone that I don't know, and don't know anything about, is a nicer person, has higher morals, and is more honest, kind, loving and considerate than someone else who I don't know, if the only thing I know is that Person B is a member of my same religion or church. But like Katya said, I think it is the case that I would feel a bond, a connection with that person and, in my case, I would be more inclined to pay attention to, learn more about, and in sporting events, root for that person. I don't like them more than someone else. I simply have more information about them and feel more connected.

- Rating Pending (who watched the gold medal match of men's volleyball simply because one of the team members is LDS)

A: Dear Katya

Religion isn't a superficial feature.

Dear some girl

There is nothing wrong with liking someone, or at least feeling connected to them, because you share something in common. But that isn't likely to automatically bond you as friends, nor should it be expected to. I can instantly bond with another comic book fan, but if all we have in common is liking comic books, that's not going to be the greatest friendship in history. Same goes for sports fans of the same team.

Which segues me to your point about the Utah/Michigan game. Read this article. It neatly sums up the point that it goes against principle, but this year BYU and Utah fans should be rooting for each other's teams, because nothing could be better for them than two undefeated teams facing off in the last game of the season.

-Humble Master

Question #47287 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

LDS - Seminary/Institute

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I need some help. I've tried talking to my parents and friends about this, but they just get mad at me, and I don't get much help in the end.

I hate seminary. My freshman and sophomore year I absolutely loved it, but then my junior year, we started to learn about the old testament. My teacher would teach false doctrine and personal opinions that he could not support with church resources when I asked for them. I would ask him where that was found in the scriptures, and he couldn't find it, and then we'd argue.

Now, it's my senior year and I don't trust him at all. It's like everything he says, I have to make sure that he isn't just making it up and that it's really church doctrine. This makes seminary miserable for me. I also have started to feel like he isn't really called of God, because he wasn't set apart, he just went to school for his calling.

I've prayed for him, and for me in seminary for the past several monthes, I try really hard to participate, but I'm really struggling. I really want to like seminary. What do I do?

-thanx

A: Dear thanx ~

First, he didn't "just go to school". I'm assuming that you must be in a released-time seminary, based on the fact that your teacher wasn't "called." Mom works in the Seminary system and over the many years I have watched as student teacher after student teacher have come and not gotten hired, even though they were really good. I have a friend that oozes "Seminary Teacher" out of the ears, and he really wants to do it. But he didn't get hired. It's hard to become a seminary teacher. Also, it's not just based on how well they teach... there is a lot of thought and prayer that goes into the hiring process. Sure, it might not be their calling, but I'm pretty sure God still has a hand in who gets called. So keep that in mind.

Second, perhaps teaching you 100% pure gospel isn't the only reason he's there. Perhaps God has other thoughts in mind. Maybe he's the guy that can best help a certain struggling classmate of yours. Perhaps there are those who would become inactive, but because of your teacher, they pull through the hard times.

Every teacher is going to teach werf's own personal beliefs at some point or another. That's the beauty of this gospel... you can learn things on your own, you can receive your own personal revelation. Of course, teachers should rely on "official" doctrine, but let's face it, personal belief slips in, and I don't think it's always a bad thing. It's nice to be able to learn from other people, too... not to have to do it all yourself. Also, it's hard to be a teacher. You try teaching a seminary class sometime and make sure you have references for every little bitty point of doctrine you cover. Don't assume anything. Don't teach anything that you don't have a ready reference for. Trust me, it's hard.

If you continue to struggle, talk to your teacher in private. Don't argue! Go in there as a student genuinely wanting to learn. Explain to him that sometimes you struggle believing some things because you can't see the doctrine behind it. Ask him if, perhaps, he'd be willing to take some time after school to explain the things you don't understand. This will be good because a) you will have the extra time with him to ask questions and b) he will probably start taking extra time to make sure he's not teaching false doctrine.

Also, do you only have one option for a teacher?

Keep praying. God will help you... if even just to soften your heart and give you the strength to plow through.

~ Dragon Lady

Editor's Choice

A: Dear Ethel,

Along with agreeing with Dragon Lady's comments, I'd like to point out what it takes to be hired as a seminary teacher.

They do have to take a class on how to teach seminary, as you mentioned, and have to have a bachelor's degree at least. After that there are two years of observational student teaching, along with many evaluations. After that they have to go in for a General Authority interview. If the General Authority feels good about them, he approves their name to go to the Church Board of Education (which consists of the First Presidency, members of the 12 and the General Relief Society and Young Women presidents). It’s a long process and, as Dragon Lady mentioned, it's very difficult and demanding. He's not set apart, no, but he's very specifically called and recommended by apostles.

I can fully understand not getting along with certain teachers. I had one in Seminary and know how difficult it can be to feel motivated to go to a class when you don't feel comfortable there. I really liked DL's suggestion to talk to your teacher. It's a lot easier to forgive perceived wrongs when we understand the offender.

I really do hope you can find a way to enjoy seminary. Good luck!

-Polly Esther

Question #47281 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Computers - Programming

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I just noticed the other day that the "sharp" symbol in the programming language C# could be considered two + symbols put together, which could be a nod to its syntactic similarity to C++. Was this intentional?

Bumblebee

A: Dear Bumblebee,

When I was first introduced to C# a number of years ago, it was my immediate assumption that the similarity between the sharp and the double-plus was intentional. The C# language has nothing intrinsically to do with music, so there would be no motivation for that particular naming scheme. (Granted, there is usually very little reason behind the naming of a particular language, but let's move on.) The similiarity between the two names has always implied to me the progression from C to C++ to C#.

My personal opinion, though, doesn't really count for much. It could be that the strong relationship between them that I perceive could be a very fortunate happenstance. I've been able to find a number of blogs which claim that the similarity was intentional, but none of the articles I read directly citing the designer of the language said anything.

So the best I can do for you is "I think so."

-Yellow

Question #47279 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Food & Drink

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Yesterday I decided to fix myself some tomato soup, so I went down into our basement and found a can of soup in the food storage room. I brought it up and opened it, but I noticed that the soup was, well, weird-looking. It definitely did not look right to me, so I looked at the bottom of the can and saw that it had expired August 2007. Considering it was now September 2008, I decided to throw the can away and not eat it. Am I really as wasteful/selfish/terrible as my mother says for doing this?

-Hates wasting, but also hates expired food

A: Dear Hates wasting,

Highly acidic canned foods such as tomato soup have a shelf-life of approximately twelve to eighteen months, so it's quite likely that your tomato soup had indeed gone bad. I certainly wouldn't say you're a horrible person for protecting your health and respecting your body - in fact, I think it would be a terrible waste of time and resources if you had gotten yourself sick off of the soup and wound up in the hospital.

~Hermia

Question #47278 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

BYU - Campus (physical) - Buildings - Library

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

So, I was walking into the Library, drinking the last of my Jamba Juice, when I was told that I wasn't allowed to have Jamba Juice in the Library. It's all good though, since it was gone. Are there signs that say, 'No food or drink allowed in HBLL'? Or does it only apply to Jamba Juice?

- Strawberry Nirvana

A: Dear Strawberry,

The rule applies to nearly all food and drink. I have never seen any signs prohibiting both food and drink (although apparently there are some signs prohibiting water in certain areas), but the library's website states:

FOOD
To avoid damage to the collection and maintain a clean environment conducive to quiet study, the library has a NO FOOD policy. Exceptions may be made only in the case of non-messy, bite-size foods which are consumed in a responsible manner.
DRINKS
Water in containers with lids that can be tightly secured is allowed in all public areas of the Library except:
·Special Collections reference area and reading room
·posted areas in the Music/Dance Library (listening lab, recording archive, viola and harp rooms)

~Hermia

A: Dear SN,

There are signs, but they are off to the side; I guess you missed them. If you look on the glass right next to the main entrances to the library, there are signs that say "Thank you for not bringing food or drink into the library."

As Hermia noted, that isn't a universal ban. (You can also see Board Question #31713, which addressed a similar question.)

—Laser Jock

Question #47277 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

LDS - LDS Music

Music - LDS Music

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

So, the other day, I had a dream that a new hymnbook was published. What is the probability that this will happen in my lifetime?

- Giovanni Schwartz

A: Dear Gio,

The edition we currently use was first published in 1985. After browsing the BYU catalog, it looks like the edition before that (which I barely remember) was first published in 1948. If that same pattern of publication holds up, we should expect a new hymn book around 2020.

Of course, there are a number of reasons that the current hymn book might be expected to have a longer "shelf life" than the older edition, but I'd be surprised if we didn't see another hymn book within the next 50 years, or so, if only so that "Come thou Fount" can be put back in!

- Katya

Question #47276 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Music

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I'm working on compile a list of songs. The criteria are:
1) it must be upbeat in tempo and feel and just have a sort of (urgent?) energy to it
2) it has got to be catchy
3) bonus pretzels for clapping sections, multi-layered vocal climaxes, and/or lo-fi sound
4) the singer has to get into it towards the end, if not screaming (well, not screaming) then at least significantly more intense than the majority of the body of their work
5) if they play it on pop stations, it's probably not my bag and therefore shouldn't be included in the list, but there may be exceptions if the song is really good regardless of radio play

Here's some examples: Me and Mia by Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Flathead by the Fratellis (even though this sounds a little bit too polished), Aside by the Weakerthans, Sons and Daughters by the Decemberists, This Year by the Mountain Goats, Four Winds by Bright Eyes, and Into the Mystic by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from the Once soundtrack. If you want to listen to those for reference in case you haven't heard those songs, check out hypem.com, you can probably find most of them there.

So my task for the board is between the lot of you to come up with as many songs as possible that you think may fit this bill. The more you come up with, the more I will have after I do a final pass and weed stuff out.

- You Will Surprise Me If You Listen to All the Bands I Mentioned

A: Dear music snob,

Surprise! I listen to them all. Ha.

I don't listen to the radio so I'm not really sure if any of they play any of these.

"Go" - Apples in Stereo
"Dancing Shoes" - Arctic Monkeys
"Zak and Sara" - Ben Folds
"The City Is At War" - Cobra Starship (you may want the edited version)
"Godhopping" - Dogs Die In Hot Cars
"I Saw It On Your Keyboard" - Hellogoodbye
"Mouthwash" - Kate Nash
"LDN" - Lily Allen
"Butterflies and Hurricanes" - Muse
"Television, Television" - OK Go (and many, many more by them)
"Are You The One?" - The Presets
"Hotel Song" - Regina Spektor
"High Life Scenery" - The Rocket Summer (this may be a bit too pop-ish for you?)
"A-Punk" - Vampire Weekend
"Nature of the Experiment" - Tokyo Police Club

Also, I would HIGHLY recommend muxtape.com. There is some incredible music there. They're apparently having some minor problems with the RIAA, but should be running again soon.

-habiba

A: Dear Surprised,

I don't listen to all of those bands, but I'm 5 for 7. Not too bad, if I do say so myself.

I'd recommend the following:

"Ruby Blue"--Roisin Murphy (The sound quality of the video is lousy, but you get the idea.)
"The World The People Together (Come On)"--The Dandy Warhols (If this exact song doesn't suit you, try some of their other stuff.)
"Breathe Me"--Sia (I started out by suggesting her song "Buttons," but I think "Breathe Me" works better.)

That's all I've got off the top of my head, based on your qualifications.

-Buttercup

A: Dear you,

Yup, 4/7. Doesn't quite match up to Buttercup, but still not bad.

Anyway, I think the missing link to your list here is clearly "The Chicken Dance." Clapping sections everywhere.

Other than that, I think closely fitting your criteria could be "Painted by Numbers" by The Sounds, almost anything by Tally Hall, maybe "Napoleon Dynamite" by The Hussys (no, that isn't misspelled), maybe "Inner Peace" by Nellie McKay, maybe "Rocketship" by Shiny Toy Guns.

It's a little late. So I apologize if you don't agree with any of those, but I think if they don't exactly fit, they come close. And they're all worth knowing, regardless.

-Olympus

Question #47274 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Fashion/Style

Products

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Okay, so a gemstone with a four-sided crown is called a table cut (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/mckunegerbils/Table_cut.jpg )

And a gemstone with an 8-sided crown is called an Old Single Cut (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/mckunegerbils/Old_single_cut.jpg )

But what do you call a gemstone with a six-sided crown? (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/mckunegerbils/Gem.jpg )

- Diamond Joe Quimby

A: Dear DJ. Quimby,

From the cuts you mentioned and your name I presume you are talking about traditional diamond cuts. Rough diamonds come in a couple of different shapes, octahedral is usually considered the best for gemcutting, although asymmetrical diamonds (known as macles) have been used regularly as well. The earliest diamond cut was the point cut, an octahedron just as the rough stone. The table cut you linked came next and is simply a point cut with some of the top half removed to make a table. Due to the low number of facets diamonds with this cut appear black (and they are often portrayed as such in old paintings). Facets are what give diamonds their dispersion or 'fire'. The old single cut (also known as an old eight cut) was simply a matter of trimming off each of the four corners of a table cut, effectively doubling the number of facets. The precursors to our modern brilliant cut diamonds had double the facets of the eight cut, thus were known as double cuts.

Enough history, on with your question(s). For your written question: to put a hexagonal crown on a diamond would require sacrificing a fair amount of stone for less facets. Unless of course you aren't starting from a diamond that wasn't octahedral in the rough. A macle that lent itself towards a hexagonal cut would be rare but possible. Such a cut would fall in the category of 'fancy' cuts. For your implied question: The third image you linked to is actually an old eight (single) cut (it isn't a regular octagon, and the table is barely touched by the corner facets, but there are eight sides there). The old single that was labled as such seemed to be cut to a regular octagon, increasing dispersion somewhat at the cost of carats. An irregular octagon is much more common, as it preserves more of the original stone while only losing a little fire.

The highest renown is without renown,
Not wishing to be one among many like jade
Nor to be aloof like stone.(XXXIX,19-21)

-Tao

Editor's Choice

Question #47273 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Food & Drink

Periodicals

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

This is a toughie.. My dad told me about an article he read in a doctor's office. It was about the health values of several foods. Basically it gave a grade to most common foods, from 1-100, based on how healthy it was. He remembered that Broccoli and Blueberries were ranked 100, and things that had no value like soda were ranked 1 or 0. I can't find this article but it sounded really interesting, any luck? Maybe if you guys can't, a reader has seen it somewhere, it must be pretty recent because my dad saw it at the Doc's office last week.
Thanks

A: Dear Chorewelcome,

Not so tough at all. Although you must realize that just because your dad read the article in the doctor's office recently, this does NOT mean that the magazine in question was recent (if the August 2006 Highlights for Children I was perusing last week at the optometrist's is any indication). The little known magazine where your dad most likely read that article was a little rag called The National Geographic. The September 2008 issue has a one page listing of a new system of food ranking called the Overall Nutritional Quality Index.

The system gives foods a single score from 1 to 100 that is derived from an algorithm that takes into consideration a variety of nutritional considerations. Other 100 score foods include fresh strawberries and raw spinach. Ground beef (cooked at home) is 31. Soda has a score of 1.

The lists provided in The National Geographic and at the ONQI website are not comprehensive, but do give a good idea of the kind of nutritional value these foods provide. Likely this will be another way people will become excited about, and then ignore nutritional information. (Newsflash: fresh fruits and vegetables are good for you! Refined sugar is not! Thank you science!)

- Rating Pending (who is glad that 1% milk is a 81. This should offset all the cold cereal he eats, which is probably a 2 or a 3.)

Question #47272 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

LDS - Policy

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Who presides during Sacrament meeting if the Bishop and both counselors are sick/traveling? Thanks

A: Dear Ethel,

If all members of the bishopric were absent, ideally there would be a member of the stake presidency there to preside and conduct. However, if not, it would be the high priests group leader.

-Polly Esther

A: Dear ... Mom?

Last week that happened in both my parents' ward and my student ward. I'm not sure how their ward did it, but since my branch obviously doesn't have high priests, a member of the stake presidency presided and the elders quorum president conducted.

-Olympus

Question #47271 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Employment

LDS - Temples

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Regarding employment at BYU as a figure drawing model--would such employment be prohibited or best discontinued upon going through the temple?

--Curious Former Employee

A: Dear Curious,

I don't think that's any of our business.

-wet blanket

A: Dear Curio,

Oh, absolutely. Just as BYU lifeguards (who have to wear a pretty skimpy uniform as well) cannot be endowed.

I do need to offer my congratulations, though. I'm sure that this is a way few people have ever thought to get uptight about the temple garment before. Kudos.

- Furious George

A: Dear Curious-

...In other words, it seems like the general consensus is -- like so many other non-doctrinal quibbles -- "it probably really doesn't matter, but it's obviously something that you're going to have to decide for yourself." Nobody seems to have any strong opinions otherwise.

-Foreman

Question #47270 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Health

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I played Laser Tag a while back at one of those fancy arenas where they had a mist throughout the whole place that made it so you could see your laser beam. It was fun, but afterwards my legs cramped up really bad and I was really sore the next few days. My question is this - What is that mist they use and could it have contributed to the cramping, or am I really just that out of shape?

Bumblebee

A: Dear Ethel,

Almost all fog machines use a mineral oil, Glycerol or Glycol based "fog juice" to create the fog. Although all fogs are safe for breathing, they are associated with different side effects (though experiencing one is rare). Glycol based fogs cause headaches, dizziness, or drowsiness since Glycol shares similar properties as alcohol. Glycerol and mineral oil based fogs can cause respiratory problems over long term exposure (or short term for asthmatics), longer exposures cause more problems with chest tightness and wheezing.

As long as you are in good health, being in an artificially foggy laser tag arena shouldn't affect you adversely at all. I suspect your legs just got tense from all the high stress that laser tag induces (at least it gives me some stress). Some light stretching before and after your next laser tag outing will help prevent cramps.

-Polly Esther

Question #47269 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Computers - Internet (general)

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

At least a third of the job postings on the Provo craigslist are about either online surveys, online marketing systems, or things that seem highly suspicious. Many of these postings contain some kind of halfway-hidden jibberish or just random letters in no particular order. My question is, what purpose is served by said gibberish?

- Jean Valjean

A: Dear Jean,

Those ads are the craigslist equivalent of spam; they're being posted by automated programs ('bots'). One way to tell if an ad is spam is to look for identical ads posted to many different craigslist sites. To try to get around that, some spammers put random gibberish in their ads so that each one is slightly different. If you see this gibberish, the ads are pretty suspicious, and you should flag them as spam/overpost and ignore them.

—Laser Jock

Question #47268 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Cartoons

LDS - Scriptures

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I have no idea what the answer to my question will be. But say I wanted to make a cartoon-ized (respectfully) of the Book of Mormon.

For example there are passages which describe actions or family trees which would be represented by a little movie - and those places where a prophet speaks large passages would be designated with a big speech bubble containing all the text which could then be clicked to contain a little movie containing a visualized representation of those words. Then provide all this on the web. At the same time (different section) branching off into movies explaining the Plan of Salvation's parts.

I have the drive to do this - that's for certain, but I do not have the knowledge. Such as what program should I make for this point and click / movie representation - which could also easily be transferred to the web. And then how would I set up that website? Which provider would be the best for such a huge project?

- Enamored with the Scriptures

A: Dear Ethel,

There are a few things you could use for your project. I would recommend learning Adobe Flash which would seem to best suite your needs from the information provided. Other technologies you might look into could be Macromedia Shockwave (now owned by Adobe), Javascript (although this would be a lot more difficult to use), or you could look into SVG. But Adobe Flash is the easiest, most comprehensive, and widely used of them all.

Polly Esther

A: Dear Enamored,

In case you hadn't heard, a few years ago, a Book of Mormon graphic novel was released (I believe there were at least three installments at the time, up to the vision of the tree of life). You might want to see what that author did and how he depicted sections that were almost entirely literary.

This doesn't really help you find the right program to use, but might be something you'd want to look at.

- Rating Pending (who personally doesn't picture the Holy Spirit looking quite like that . . . )

Question #47266 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Literature - Children's

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

Regarding Board Question #47097, could you please enlighten me on the symbolism of "The Wizard of Oz" as it relates to early 1900's politics? I've never heard it was an allegory and find that incredibly fascinating!

- Dorothy

A: Dear Ms. Gale:

This Wikipedia article gives a good summary of that view of the book. By this interpretation, Dorothy is the American everywoman; the yellow brick road is the gold standard that will lead to prosperity and happiness; the Wizard is like unto one U.S. president or another, and so on. I thought it was fairly interesting when I first heard about it, but Baum's own admission that he wrote the book merely to be entertaining casts a spurious light on the whole thing. It's probably best to chalk it up to a "Dark Side of the Rainbow"-esque coincidence until more conclusive research is unveiled.

---Portia

Question #47263 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Utah - Provo/Orem Community

Q:

Dear friends,

Hey! So, the time we knew would come at last has come at last. My significant other and I have decided to take the plunge, make the leap and tie the knot (all at the same time!). Now we are looking for engagement rings.

Where can you find engagement rings in Provo?

Ha, ha, just kidding.

The real question is: where can we find jewelers with rose gold rings for trying on? We went to a couple different people today and nobody had any rose gold that we could find.

- Lexi Khan and MysteriousGuy

PS. If you have any suggestions regarding which engagement rings are awesome and which are not, that would be cool too. :o)

A: Dear Ethel,

I met a man on a plane once (this sounds like the start of a great adventure. Alas, it is not.) who wanted to take his girlfriend (now wife) to New York to go ring shopping in the diamond district. In the end she decided she'd rather have the ring right then instead of waiting for a time when they could fly to NYC.

Dream Big, Ethel...

-Polly Esther

A: Dear Lexi,

I strongly suggest going to Sierra West Jewelers. If you don't like what they have in rose gold you can basically change anything to be what you like. Disgruntled had such a good time picking out a diamond for my ring with his friend they didn't leave for several hours...it was an hour after closing when they finally left. My family has done business with Sierra West for a long time dealing with repairs and restoration and with new jewelry and have always been dealt with fairly. And if you ask, you can get a free strand of fresh water pearls with your ring purchase (I swear I'm not a spokesperson). Congrats and good luck!

- steen

A: The last time I went looking for wedding rings I spent a fair amount of time looking for rose gold. Most of what I did was online, but I do remember the Shane Company having some rose gold rings. I would presume that they would have some available to try on. Good luck and congratulations.

The multitude are joyous
As if partaking of the offering
Or going up to a terrace in spring.(XX,7-9)

-Tao

A: Dear Lex,

On a slightly different note... have you considered a cultured diamond? I know you're passionate about humanitarian causes in Africa, and this is a great way to be sure you're not fueling bloody civil wars in Sierra Leone. Plus, they're chemically indistinguishable from a mined diamond and they're a third of the price. There really is no downside to it.

Congrats on the decision!

-Cognoscente

Question #47251 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

LDS - Doctrine

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

What's the difference between the Second Anointing, the Second Comforter, and the Calling and Election?

-xkcd 395

A: Dear x:

Second Comforter:

The scriptures speak of two Comforters. The first is the Holy Ghost. The Second Comforter is the Lord Jesus Christ. When someone obtains the Second Comforter, Jesus Christ will appear to him [or her] from time to time, will reveal the Father, and will teach him face to face

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him (John 14:18, 21, 23).

Calling and Election:

Righteous followers of Christ can become numbered among the elect who gain the assurance of exaltation. This calling and election begins with repentance and baptism. It becomes complete when they 'press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end.' The scriptures call this process making our calling and election sure.

Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-11).

The Second Anointing appears to be related to (a now-defunct part of) the temple Endowment ceremony, and I don't feel comfortable either researching more or posting it on this public forum.

---Portia

Question #47233 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

BYU - Campus (physical)

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

My roommate and I are having a bit of a dispute. Was it BYU or was it Provo that caused the south bike-ramp to be under construction for the busiest 2 weeks of the entire school year?

- Frustrated biker

A: Dear Ethel,

Since the ramp is on BYU property, even if Provo required the construction BYU would have to approve. Therefore I would assign the blame to BYU regardless of Provo's involvement. Placing the blame is always a good way to resolve feelings.

-Polly Esther

Question #47173 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Family History/Genealogy

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

I recently took some steps in starting my family history and am excited about finding out details of my ancestry as my family has been in the United States for very few generations. I've run into a bit of an interesting situation. My father's family is Chinese (Cantonese speaking, if that makes any difference) and came to the US in the 1960s. Because of the quality of record keeping (read: poor), none of my relatives on his side from his generation on back know their birthdays. In addition, my father doesn't know how to anglicize his father's name (and probably his grandparent's, etc. names). How much of an issue is this? Will not knowing birthdays or pronunciations lead to other problems? Also, will we have to settle on an anglicization of my relative's names? Or would I be better off going to Hong Kong to do the temple work? This is all pretty confusing. If you can even just point me in the right direction that would be helpful!

-princess lotus sun

A: Dear princess ~

A good first place to start genealogy work is with the Church. Lucky for you I am at the Federation of Genealogical Societies right now. Even luckier for you, I was bored today and paid attention to one of the FamilySearch demos... about their new wiki! So doing a bit of looking, I quickly found their wiki page about China. It's not the most complete page in there (the wiki is still in beta) but it still has quite a lot. There are links to information about censuses, vital records, emigration, etc. Just because your great aunt doesn't remember her birthday doesn't mean the government never wrote it down. Sadly, at the moment, most of those aren't available online. But if you're ambitious enough, you could contact their government agencies and see if they can't help you. The wiki also includes research tools that will lead you to other places on the web to assist in your Chinese family tree quest.

I talked to the FamilySearch guys at the booth and they said that there are tools to anglicize your Cantonese names, but it's not entirely necessary as there are temples in the US that do Chinese-speaking sessions as well. If you do want to anglicize it, the Church is typically using pin yin, unless the name is commonly known in Wade Giles, then you can use that.

In order to the temple work for your family, you'll need the name of the ancestor, the place of an event (birth, marriage, death) and the year that it occurred. So if you even know what year they were born and where, you can do their temple work.

Good luck! Also, if you have any more questions, I recommend contacting your local Family History Center. That's what they're there to do. You can find a Family History Center locater on the FamilySearch homepage.

~ Dragon Lady

Question #47101 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Health

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board,

On cigarette ads and cigarette cartons, the surgeon general's warning is posted. But on alcohol ads there is nothing warning people of hazards to health posted (I don't know if there is anything posted on alcohol containers). Why is that? Alcohol can have just as many harmful effects.

- treadmill

A: Dear Ethel,

Cigarettes must have a warning because California requires a label on carcinogens (cancer causing agents). Alcohol does not require a warning because it doesn't cause cancer. Also, alcohol has not been proven to have any long-term adverse affects unless abused. Cigarettes, however, will start to cause problems with your health almost immediately (excluding the side effects of alcohol causing death because it makes people reckless and stupid).

-Polly Esther

Question #46927 posted on 09/08/2008 3:01 a.m.

Etiquette

Restaurants

Q:

Dear 100 Hour Board, especially Foreman,

Regarding Board Question #45993: I've worked a number of menial jobs, primarily of the retail variety, but I've never worked in food service. What specific advice can you give me on how not to be one of "those customers"?

- Emiliana

A: Dear Emilio!-

Many apologies for how mightily delayed this is. As I hope some of you noticed, my Board participation was patchy at best over the summer. Now that I'm back in ol' P-town and hopefully in a sustainable schedule, I plan to be much more present. I'm back. Hooray!

Anyway -- yes, there are many ways to make a nuisance of yourself as a customer. The idea here is to avoid this tendency, and usually it's more easy than you may expect. The biggest thing would be -- as I brought up in the post you mentioned -- to treat the person helping you as a fallible human being. They really do have feelings, family, dreams, and desires (most of which probably don't involve taking your food order). They are also capable of making mistakes, but most of them are just like you and want to make it up to you if they do slip up. Too many people treat employees of whatever establishment they happen to be visiting as order-taking robots. Don't do that, and you should be 95% okay.

Other than that, here are a few random tips:

-Avoid outrageously stupid questions. Yes, it happens sometimes, but it does get on a cashier's nerves a little bit after the 30th person asks where the straws are when they're literally right in front of you. Now, this is rarely malicious, but it can really wear (see this comic). Don't be afraid to ask questions, but try to be observant first.

-Never yell, and try to avoid excessive anger. Again, these are people. Most servers (for instance) are even taking the brunt for the mistakes of other people along the chain. Often, whatever happened isn't their fault or is something they have no power over. If you're really slighted, ask for a manager, who can at least make decisions to get things fixed. Besides, ripping on the server that your burger is too well-done is a good way to wind up with a spit sandwich.

-Be decisive. If you're not ready to order when the server asks, say so; don't keep werf standing there for 5 minutes while you're still studying the menu. Likewise for other establishments -- if you don't know what you're ordering, why are you in line? How did you even make it to the front of the line without thinking about what you're getting? Everyone, not just the employee, will hate you.

-When appropriate, tip. There seems to have been a few discussions on here lately about the necessity of tipping in the food service industry. As Cognoscente said, "If three extra bucks isn't in your budget to demonstrate your appreciation for service when you eat out, then stay home. Folks in the service industry don't work their butts off to bring your ungrateful self refills because they feel like it." Or in the words of Bill Murray: "my friend, do not be a jerk."

As you can see, most of this is common sense. Be nice, don't waste tons of time, do unto others, blah blah blah. If you're even considerate enough to ask this question, chances are you're doing fine. Food service employees everywhere salute you.

-Foreman