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April 29[edit]

Rare book message board[edit]

Other than Reddit, which I have been using, does anyone here use any rare book message boards? I want to discuss some very specific issues with rare books that I do not expect anyone here to know. For example, Ben Hur first edition had a star cover and a flower cover. Which came first? Why two covers? Is one preferred over the other? 75.136.148.8 (talk) 13:50, 29 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

There was rec.books.collecting way back but it is probably dead by now. 2601:644:8501:AAF0:0:0:0:6CE6 (talk) 10:10, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

https://www.i2pn2.org (a free usenet server) lists rec.collecting.books among groups available. TrogWoolley (talk) 10:43, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

April 30[edit]

Where can a person find what Simpsons characters appeared in a scene for no reason?[edit]

I have this memory of a book or web site telling us all the things we might have missed in episodes of The Simpsons. With the ability to record and freeze, we can see a lot more than we used to. For example, many scenes have characters from the show who don't have any reason for being there. They don't have lines but they're just there. I have no idea how to do a search for such a thing.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 22:04, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The Simpsons Wiki over at Fandom perhaps? --Ouro (blah blah) 06:16, 1 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Your criteria "for no reason" makes this impossible to answer. As an example, Larry showed up in many scenes in Moes bar with no obvious reason. No lines. Just sitting at the bar and drinking beer. But, it wasn't for NO reason. In a recent episode, the entire point of his character is that he was always in the bar, but was not interacted with. Then, he died and the remaining bar regulars pondered their relationship with him. So, it was all a build-up for that episode. 75.136.148.8 (talk) 16:19, 2 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

When I say "for no reason" the big example that comes to mind is when the family is in church. Nearly everyone on the show is shown in that church at the Sunday service. Even people we wouldn't think of as religious. Dr. Hibbert has a different and more lively church, and yet he is sometimes shown at the Simpsons' church. There are numerous examples. Before there was the Internet as we know it, I recall someone listing all the stuff we might not have noticed if we didn't record and freeze. I was hopping someone still did that.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 20:49, 2 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

May 1[edit]

Monk-related question[edit]

In an episode of Monk, there's this church where T.K. and Stottlemeyer were going to get married. In that scene, an explosion occurs among a pile of gifts right after Randy finishes playing the steel pan. Where was this filmed? TWOrantula^TM (enter the web) 21:39, 1 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Looking at screenshots posted online, I see St. Brendan Church in many of them. It is at 310 South Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. Does that look correct to you? 75.136.148.8 (talk) 16:16, 2 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yep! That's the one. I even looked up the Wikipedia page for it. TWOrantula^TM (enter the web) 01:09, 3 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

At that address in San Francisco, Google Maps shows a car-repair place. But at the same street address in Los Angeles is St. Brendan Catholic Church, Los Angeles. That would be the one. I believe that Monk, like many TV shows, often filmed scenes in Los Angeles although it was set elsewhere, in this case San Francisco. --142.112.220.50 (talk) 22:04, 3 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

May 2[edit]

Witch of the Phantom[edit]

Hello! I wonder if anyone can identify a particular figure of the classic Phantom cartoon. I remember having a copy of the Phantom once were the Phantom became involved in a witch trial: a woman was being persecuted for sorcery as a witch, and falsely accused of eating children. This album would have been from the 1980s or 1990s: the strips were still black-and-white. I expect it would have been an adventure of the 3th-5th Phantom, considering the time period. I lost that album as a child and have tried to find it, but I don't know which number it was and what the episode was called. Can anyone help? Thanks!--92.35.238.97 (talk) 23:57, 2 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps you can find something helpful at [1]. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 17:39, 7 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

May 8[edit]

Onion alliance[edit]

Does anyone know the origin of the phrase "onion alliance"? This is a phrase I associate with Survivor but the phrase may have been used on a different social strategy game before? I know that early seasons of Survivor has "onion alliances" but were called "sub alliance" and "core alliance" instead. (78.19.40.32 (talk) 18:53, 8 May 2024 (UTC))[reply]

Here's one theory:[2] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:41, 9 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

May 9[edit]

Thoroughbreds[edit]

Why did their races get shorter over time and why are turf (grass) tracks more important in Europe while in the US the grass track(s) are inside the main outer one made of soil or sometimes artificial substance (not fake grass)? The US Triple Crown races and flagship race of the Breeders Cup (the North American "horse Olympics") are on dirt so if it rains before and during the race the soil could become mud. And why are US races shorter than European (England has 5-6 furlong races too its flagship race (St Ledger Stakes, 14.6f) is longer than the Breeders Cup Marathon which was 12 furlongs then 14 then cancelled for race strength never reaching the other races. Our Triple Crown is 10, 9.5 and a "Double Crown" winner humbling 12 furlongs (cause our horses are bred for more fast-twitch muscles), while Brits have Group 1 races up to 20 furlongs while we don't have any grade 1, 2, or 3 races above 16 furlongs (there are almost 100 grade 1 races in North America – none over 12 furlongs). Also England's 21.65f Queen Alexandra Stakes was the longest pro flat race on Earth before being usurped by Australia's current longest (22.87 furlongs). Australia's most famous race is 15.91 furlongs.Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 23:36, 9 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Because like many other activities and pursuits, sports that are developing on different continents in near-isolation from one another tend, because of local factors, chance events and different decisions, to diverge from one another in their development. Compare with American Football and Rugby Union, which in the 19th century were the same game, but which are now very different. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 188.220.175.176 (talk) 08:51, 10 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Does anyone know that are the local factors, chance events and local decisions? Did that fox hunter-invented thing where they bet on hurdle races influence Commonwealth and European breeding? However the oldest races at list of British flat horse races (1751, 1752 and 1758) are all 30.5 to 33.5 furlongs. It seems we avoided the NASCAR of horse jumping cause it didn't become a major sport till 19th century and fox hunting with horses and dogs and rich people was never popular here. And Europe mostly avoided our weird secondary horse sport of harness (chariot) galloping is a foul racing cause reasons. The most famous races of France and Japan are the metric 12 furlongs while ours is exactly 10 furlongs. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 13:42, 10 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

This Australian is busting to know what that 22.87 furlong Australian race is. HiLo48 (talk) 09:41, 10 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

As soon as you can explain how Australia turned the old rugby sport into something that looks kind of like rugby, kind of like soccer, kind of like basketball, kind of like quidditch, and I'm sure there is some darts, ballet, and Greco-Roman wrestling tossed in for good measure. 75.136.148.8 (talk) 11:09, 10 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

There may have also been influence from Marn Grook, an Aboriginal Australian form of football that predates white settlement. HiLo48 (talk) 00:13, 11 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Kind of like ball punching. You can't pass the ball without punching it I think. Also you can touch the ball on the ground once every ~~20 meters or so~~ 15 meters if you're too amateur at the basketballesque dribble every 15 meters to be allowed to keep running from your opponents trying to sportingly hit you thing. I believe they have to run into them in less risky ways (i.e. no headbutting), hug till they're down and turn to avoid landing on them to minimize chance of injury. This was developed as a way for cricketers to use Australia's unusually large sports fields (which are oval) in the offseason. They didn't want it to be too easy to score since they could only practically increase defenders to the current eighteen. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 14:05, 10 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The ball punching (more formally called hand-passing) is believed to have come from Gaelic football. There are two legal ways to dispose of the ball, hand-passing and kicking. Dropping it by accident is also OK, if you're not being tackled at the time, but it's not terribly productive. HiLo48 (talk) 00:19, 11 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I watched one game once because it was listed as the professional sport with the least pay and viewership gap between men and women leagues. It is one of those games where you can't stop watching even if you have no clue what is heppening. 75.136.148.8 (talk) 16:44, 10 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Even less than tennis, gymnastics synchronized swimming and figure skating? Indeed, very interesting, the goalposts are also a more interesting form than even Hogwarts' hoops and cricket's wickets and bails. Would be weird if gridiron, basketball, soccer or hockey had consolation points though. Like if there was a second rim 2 feet wider that gave half a goal. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 17:53, 10 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Consolation points? In Canadian football, if you miss a field goal, you will often get one point (instead of three if the ball passes between the uprights). Xuxl (talk) 20:38, 10 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, the rouge point. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:57, 10 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The Jericho Cup, it's not big enough to have a Wikipedia article. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 13:43, 10 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Wow. Thanks. It's great to be taught something new about my own country, my own state even, by a non-Australian. Yes, they do things differently in Warrnambool. HiLo48 (talk) 00:09, 11 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

UK vs US Racing – How do they compare? has some detail. Interestingly, races are run in the opposite direction in the US (anti-clockwise) because of William Whitley, who just wanted to be different from the British way of racing. Alansplodge (talk) 13:19, 11 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

May 11[edit]