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April 2

Short shoelaces

I've noticed that at least a third pair of my newly bought semi-sports shoes (different brands) comes with quite short laces that loose up frequently during walking. After tying a tight knot both their free ends become just 14-15 cm long, at EU size 45 not enough to tie the shoes robustly - not to mention double knots that are impossible. Seemingly, the lace length should increase with the shoe size, but it's not. Googling reveals other netizens with this issue too. Is it conclusively known why laces are made that short? Heavier footwear like winter boots doesn't appear to have this issue from my experience. Brandmeister^talk 18:44, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Penny-pinching by the manufacturers. They will supply laces as short (read: cheap) as they can get away with. DuncanHill (talk) 18:46, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think this is the main reason, shoelaces only make up a small part of the overall manufacturing cost of a pair of shoes. Also, manufacturers need to follow specifications defined by the brand owner. They can't simply shorten the length of the shoelaces. Stanleykswong (talk) 19:50, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The length of shoelaces depends on how many pairs of eyelets the shoe has. For example, if your shoe has 5 pairs of eyelets, each pair of laces will be 91cm long. Stanleykswong (talk) 20:00, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I think manufacturer should still allow reasonable length for any number of eyelets, because consumers usually tie through all eyelets for the best fit. So the laces should have reasonable length anyway. Brandmeister^talk 21:50, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps you are using a lacing pattern that requires a greater than average length of lace. You might explore other patterns: here is one site that describes some; other such sites doubtless exist.

It may be that manufacturers/vendors in your part of the world deliberately supply shoes laced so as to use as much length as possible simply to keep the laces tidier before sale. Your problem is not one I have ever encountered in the UK.

You could also just buy some longer laces and apply them; they're not expensive (at least, where I live). {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 94.2.64.108 (talk) 06:56, 3 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The length of laces you need depends on the lacing pattern, the number of eyelets and the separation between the eyelets, in turn depending on the design of the shoe, the size of the shoe and the height of the arch of your foot. The more efficient pattern also has less tendency to creep, making one end longer over time and the other shorter.

After making the first half-knot, I like to have about 18 cm left on both sides, but I can do with 12 cm. I never tried double knots; single knots never come loose, unless the laces are exceptionally slippery or way too long. But many people don't pay attention to their knots and there's a right way and a wrong way to tie them, and the wrong way is far more likely to come loose. You can see the difference from the orientation of the loose ends and the loops: transverse is right, vertical is wrong. If you weren't aware of this, check your knots and maybe mirror the first half-knot. PiusImpavidus (talk) 18:50, 3 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I’m glad someone started this discussion. Not only are laces shorter, but I’ve found that since the beginning of the year, for the first time in my entire life, the laces become undone with new shoes. I’ve never had this problem before. I’m guessing that the material used in the laces itself is responsible? This is all very strange. Viriditas (talk) 19:58, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I have this problem too, the laces come undone easily. I suspect this is because of the nylon material used in today's shoelaces. Stanleykswong (talk) 20:20, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I just did an inventory of six pairs of shoes bought within the last two years. The cheaper models (less than $100) have laces that easily come untied. The more expensive models (more than $100) have no such problems. Viriditas (talk) 23:04, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

April 4

hair care

Acidic shampoos are the most common type used and maintain or improve the condition of the hair as they do not swell the hairshaft and do not strip the natural oils. What do they mean by acidic? Hair care#Hair cleaning 58.161.131.180 (talk) 09:02, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It means that (in solution in water) they have a pH less than 7 – which means there are more hydrogen ions in the solution than in pure water. This is also characteristic of acids, such as lemon juice and vinegar (and much stronger acids). ‑‑Lambiam 21:45, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Acidic shampoos have a pH range of 3.0 to just under 7.0. Stanleykswong (talk) 20:27, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

April 5

British Columbia and California

Question is too poorly defined to be answered with anything but an opinion

The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

How alike are British Columbia and California? From what I've found, they both have a city with strong connections to the movie industry. Also, they both have sushi, mountains, and a long coast. TWOrantula^TM (enter the web) 01:52, 5 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Everybody has sushi. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:22, 5 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Faithless electors laws in State of Florida

Hi. Little curiosity: what happens if a presidential elector does not vote as promised? Is his or her vote voided? Are there laws about faithless electors, in the Sunshine State about this? Thank you. 93.150.82.21 (talk) 09:38, 5 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The rules vary by state. See Faithless elector. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:18, 5 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Florida Statute § 103.021:

(6) A presidential elector’s refusal or failure to vote for the candidates for President and Vice President of the party the presidential elector was nominated to represent constitutes his or her resignation of the position. The vote he or she cast may not be recorded, and his or her position as a presidential elector must be filled as provided in subsection (5).

‑‑Lambiam 19:22, 5 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

April 6

Pigeons as food

I was just having a strange discussion with ChatGPT as I'm wont when it reminded me of the following unusual statement: "In New York City during the Great Depression, the police had to deal with flocks of pigeons that people raised secretly on rooftops for food." I don't recall hearing this before, but something about it rings true. I remember reading that squab was considered a delicacy in the 1930s and served in fine restaurants, but I'm also told that pigeons raised by hobos don't taste the same as pigeons raised for restaurants; no idea if that is even true. So did people eat pigeon during the Great Depression, and why were police involved? And finally, is there a taste difference? Would it be the same difference between, let's say, wild feral chicken meat and those bred for mass consumption? Viriditas (talk) 09:48, 6 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

When you find out, you can improve utility pigeons, currently a stub. -- Verbarson ^talk_edits 16:31, 6 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Pigeon is a popular (and tasty!) food in Asia.DOR (ex-HK) (talk) 17:05, 6 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Also in France.^[1] ‑‑Lambiam 19:28, 6 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Roasted squab and stewed pigeon, pigeon pie, pigeon rôti, are all famous dishes. Stanleykswong (talk) 20:34, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Viriditas: Found this: https://www.popsci.com/eat-pigeons-squab/ - not about thirties of the 20th century, but it may be of some interest for you. Also, google for 'squab'. --CiaPan (talk) 20:16, 6 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. Viriditas (talk) 22:05, 6 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Pigeon pie. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:22, 6 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Dovecote. -- Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:40, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

How did they effectively utilize the guano as fertilizer? The article doesn't say. Would they just scrape it into a bucket of some kind, and then spread it on the fields? Viriditas (talk) 10:19, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I have seen dung (not guano) worked directly into the soil during the tilling process. With guano, I've seen it dried to powder form or composted into a thinner liquid that could be sprayed. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 10:39, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

That makes sense. I've read books about the history of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands where there used to be a guano industry of sorts. They would dry it in the sun. Viriditas (talk) 10:41, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Pigeon dung should be well-composted before use as a fertiliser. It's too strong and alkali to apply neat. Some advice here. DuncanHill (talk) 21:47, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I didn't find much about the specifics on Newspapers.com, but I got the vibe that there was concern about pigeons not being held under controlled conditions, as a farm would be. This was a matter for the Health Department in New York, and if the cops got involved, that could be the reason. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:55, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

"The primary non-genetic factors affecting pigeon meat quality include feed composition, stocking density, storage condition, and cooking methods." Influencing factors and quality traits of pigeon meat: A systematic review, Poultry Science Volume 104, Issue 4, April 2025. I would imagine that feed composition, stocking density and storage condition would be significantly different for birds raised on rooftops in the city compared to those on a farm, especially if the rooftop farmers are relying on the birds finding their own food around the city.

"Breed is a crucial factor that impacts pigeon meat quality. Variations in genetic characteristics, muscle types, and protein and fat content among different pigeon breeds directly influence meat quality."[ibid] The American King Club states that the breed was developed in the early 1900s. So specially-bred utility pigeons had been around for decades before the Depression and I expect they had better flavour than feral pigeons would. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 12:09, 9 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

April 7

Ideon

I was recently on a work trip to Lund. My actual destination was an office building on Mobilvägen in northeastern Lund. There were signs everywhere that the area I was in was called "Ideon". But what actually is Ideon? Is it a district or neighbourhood of Lund? Or is it the name of a science park located inside a district or neighbourhood, or what is it? JIP | Talk 12:20, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Most probably it's the name of Ideon Science Park. The word itself possibly of Greek origin - see Peri ideon. --CiaPan (talk) 12:56, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The name was possibly created as a blend of idea + Odeon. ‑‑Lambiam 22:36, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

In Swedish, iden means "the idea." Then, ide by itself is just "idea." So, it is very likely that they were purposely intending the word idea in the title. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 01:18, 8 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Ideon was a redirect to Space Runaway Ideon. I've changed it into a disambiguation page where you will find Ideon Science Park, which currently gives no etymology for the name, though. --142.112.221.85 (talk) 17:37, 12 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Polish zloty vs Belarusian ruble

How it came that Polish zloty has a lower exchange rate for Belarusian ruble (currently 1 PLN=0,83 BYN) and even compared to USD, zloty fares slightly lower than Belarusian ruble? Did Belarus somehow offset the financial advantages of a European country? 212.180.235.46 (talk) 18:57, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

You cannot compare the strength of currencies by their exchange rates. It is like asking, "how come the kilometre has a lower conversion factor for the mile (1 km = 0.62 mi)?" ‑‑Lambiam 22:24, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

That is what measurements like the Big Mac Index are for. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 02:55, 8 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

In 2016, Belarus redenominated the Belarusian ruble at 10000 old rubles for one new. They had previously done so in 2000, at a ratio of 1000. A Belarusian ruble is now 100 million Soviet rubles of 1990. The Polish złoty hasn't been redenominated since 1995; a modern złoty is 1000 złoties of 1990. Also, Belarusian rubles don't always float very freely.

To compare the strengths of currencies, look at the development of exchange rates, not at the current rate. PiusImpavidus (talk) 10:14, 8 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

April 9

License plates without numbers

When a car's license plate, instead of usual numbers and letters, bears some name, like the name of a car dealer here, is it still called a license plate or by some other name (since technically it's not an proper identifiable license plate anymore)? Thanks. 212.180.235.46 (talk) 10:28, 9 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Why wouldn't it be? Keep in mind this is merely an advertisement illustration. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:36, 9 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It is clearly not a vehicle registration plate, and in the US "license plate" is the term used for vehicle registration plates. Still, I think most people will not say, "this is not a license plate" but instead, "this is not a valid license plate". ‑‑Lambiam 12:20, 9 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I've seen boxes of them delivered and the label called them "Custom Placards." However, I found many online stores that call them "Custom (...description...) License Plates." It is correct that they are not license plates in the legal sense. They are license plates in the locus sense. 12.116.29.106 (talk) 13:34, 9 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

In jurisdictions which only use rear plates, there are countless decorative plates that people put on the front. My own DMV office actually sells some of them. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:20, 9 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Here is an example of a valid South Australian custom registration plate https://www.ausrotary.com/viewtopic.php?t=158700 This costs $300pa. A "normal" plate is a one off £33. TrogWoolley (talk) 08:49, 10 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

What happens if you drive to a state that requires front plates? Are out-of-state cars exempt, or are they at risk of being pulled over? AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 10:54, 10 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

No. If you are driving through or visiting, your car is required to meet the requirements of the state it is registered in. If you move to another state, you are required to register your vehicle in the new state and get new plates. The only exception I know of is trailers. Some states require tags on trailers. Some do not. If you have a trailer without a tag, you can get pulled over, but the ticket will likely be foegiven in court with a warning. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 11:03, 10 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

If you are driving through or visiting, your car is required to meet the requirements of the state it is registered in. Well, no. The requirement in California, for example, is that your car bears the plates it is issued. If your car is properly registered in a one-plate state, you are not required to have a front plate. --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇} 04:53, 13 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Custom (legal) vanity plates aside, these are usually referred to as 'show plates' in the UK. That image, of what looks like a right hand drive UK Jag with black and white plates, is showing a show plate and not a UK-legal plate. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 09:16, 10 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

April 15

Questions

Question 1

Do Canadians ever measure room space in square metres?

Question 2

Do Canadians use metric units to measure size of things? Are licence plates measured in millimetres there?

Question 3

Is it so that even in French-speaking Canada, most people give their height in feet/inches and their weight in pounds?

Distances are always given in kilometres nowadays in Canada. Litre and half-litre bottles are common sizes for beverages, fuel is sold in liters, temperatures are given in degrees Celsius and so on and so forth. It's more useful to state the few areas where metric has not taken hold: height and weight of individuals, and square footage of homes for sale are two prominent ones (although, when you get around to making renovations, measurements tend to be made in metric). There is little or no difference between English and French Canada in this regard: the metric system was just as foreign to French Canadians when it was introduced in 1975 as it was in the rest of the country (it was introduced in France after the conquest of New France by the British, and until metrification things in Quebec were measured in pieds and pouces, the old French equivalent of feet and inches). Xuxl (talk) 12:46, 15 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Question 4

Does United Kingdom use kilometre and km/h in any official purposes?--40bus (talk) 20:17, 14 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

4. Define "official purposes". Does HS1 count? Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:02, 15 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Per Driver location sign (UK specific), distance markers use metric, although road signs in the United Kingdom still use miles (and vulgar fractions of miles). 213.143.143.69 (talk) 14:07, 15 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

British railways are still (mostly) measured in miles and chains; if you see a location sign on the railway (which, for the public, is mostly the location plaques at railway bridges and level crossings) you see the location as "XX mi YY ch" (as measured from the depot). As Shantavira notes, this isn't true on HS1 or HS2, which are metric. I asked a friend of mine, who is a civil engineer on the railway, and he confirms this - he says they procured new measuring equipment for HS1/2 which is in metric - but the old lads who actually do the work as so entirely used to thinking in miles and chains, the new measures are dual-marked in mi/ch and m. -- Finlay McWalter··–·Talk 15:52, 15 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Bridge heights on warning signs are given in imperial and metric. On at least one occasion an incorrect conversion led to a vehicle getting stuck under a railway bridge. 2A01:4B00:B70B:B000:6CC9:B28B:A823:5148 (talk) 16:41, 15 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Non-metric ship draught

I just edited Khatanga, Russia#Port, which mentions the town's port and the maximum draught for ships visiting it. Previously, the article said 4.6 metres (5.0 yd), but yards sounds wrong, so I changed it to 4.6 metres (15 ft), because I think draught has historically been measured in feet. But is it? I'm not 100% sure, especially since fathoms might be used here. Draft (hull) doesn't mention measurements directly, and the only relevant image shows metres only. Nyttend (talk) 11:23, 15 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

In Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC documents I quickly found, it is measured in feet, not yards. I know that isn't international, but it shows that in at least one region of the US, feet is preferred. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 13:57, 15 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Most Vessel Documents List the Vessel Particulars in Metric and Imperial Units, for Draught (or Draft) its usually listed in Meters and Feet. See USCG Document CG-1270). Similarly, Most US Port tariff's list the charges based on Overall Vessel Length and list Meter and Ft equivalents. 208.121.35.65 (talk) 17:55, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

April 16

Why rich Americans have homes made of woods instead on bricks and concretes?

I have seen in many movies that those who stay in suburbs even though they own cars still they stay in wooden homes. Their windows don't have strong iron grill.

Wooden homes can easily burn in fire and be thrown apart by cyclones.

They dislike homes made of cement, bricks and windows with iron grill?

Movies show so many serial killers, stalkers roaming in USA.

Many horror movies show some lonely old man staying inside of a dense jungle. No neighbors, no family.

In recent LA fires many rich people have wooden homes and the homes were destroyed in fires. Homes made of bricks and concrete will not be destroyed by fire.

Other than that movies like Back To The Future, Twilight show as if small towns in USA are full of people, but in YouTube I have seen that small towns streets and shops are mostly empty not like people walking on streets, saloon full of people. High schools full of students like Jack Reacher.

Only in old small town videos of 1940s, 1950s I have seen that USA small towns have population density like TV series set in small towns. 2409:40E1:1001:3C30:3D3E:6AB:C2E9:2411 (talk) 06:39, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

In general, they don't. Your question is based on so many false premises it's difficult to know where to start. Maybe you should first gather your information from reliable sources and not from movies and TV shows. Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:55, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I'm waiting for the connection between the wooden houses and the many serial killers, but feel I may ultimately be disappointed. YouTube has a lot to answer for... Martinevans123 (talk) 09:10, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Houses can be rebuilt. The house burning down is not the problem. The stuff inside the house being destroyed is the problem. What is the point of having a burnt out cement frame if everything you own inside it is gone? Therefore, there is no value in saving the walls.

As for windows, there are windows with iron bars in some areas. Those areas tend to be very poor areas. So, iron bars on windows is considered a bad thing. It means that you can't trust your neighbors. There are societies where people feel it is acceptable to steal from one another. In most of the United States, theft is considered wrong. If something does not belong to you, don't take it. Again, this opinion is less frequent in poorer areas, but it is not absent. Poorer people can be honest. Richer people can be thiefing dirtbags.

The United States is a car culture. Gasoline is very cheap compared to most other countries. In large cities where attempting to drive is difficult, you find people walking. In small towns where driving is easy, people drive. Much of the United States is suburban. Housing is condensed into neighborhoods. Outside the neighborhoods, there are light commercial areas with grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants. It is possible to walk to the nearest store, but driving is easy and convenient. There are many small towns with main streets that are closed and boarded up. You will find that those places do not have convenient parking, which prohibits people from diving, parking, and walking around. Small towns that specifically create good roads and plenty of parking continue to have strong commecial centers and people walking through them.

Very few Americans look like Jack Reacher (the accurate version, not the short Tom Cruise version). Depending on the source, an average man in the United States is between 5'8" and 5'10" (1.73 to 1.78 meters). Jack Reacher is at least 6'3" (1.91 meters).

Finally, your opinions are clearly based on movies and television shows, which are not real. If I were to base my opinions of India based on Bollywood movies, I would claim that everyone in India lives in cardboard houses and, for no apparent reason, random crowds all start dancing in unison at weird times. Movies are not real. Television is not real. Even reality television is not real. If you want to know what it is like in any other country, go there. You will find that the people there are working to pay bills so they can spend quality time with their families. That's it. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 11:02, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Concrete houses can stand up pretty well to tornadoes (assuming that's what you meant by "cyclone", an obsolete term for a tornado, which turns up in The Wizard of Oz), but they tend to be ugly. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:58, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

"Hey Jethro, there's a twister a-comin'. Ah can feel it in ma knees!" Martinevans123 (talk) 15:06, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Courtesy link: The Beverly Hillbillies. Jethro ought to listen to Granny too, but perhaps he wouldn't. True story: My grandma was from Nebraska, and when she was a youngster, her brothers and their house were picked up and scattered by a tornado. Fortunately for them they didn't get hurt. More importantly (to my being here), she and my great-grandma had enough sense to ride out the storm in their storm cellar. Modocc (talk) 17:54, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

(Secondary courtesy link: Gary Larson - "Dang! Get inside Ma...".) Martinevans123 (talk) 20:14, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Gee, Nebraska sure do sound kinda excitin'! Martinevans123 (talk) 18:26, 16 April 2025 (UTC) [reply]

Dorothy was from Kansas. And the twister comment reminds me of the presumably-Kansas-born farmhand Hunk yelling, "It's a twistuh! It's a twistuh!" ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:47, 16 April 2025 (UTC) [reply]

Kansas or not, I bet he never got decent house and contents cover... Martinevans123 (talk) 19:51, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Cyclone is the proper meteorological term for a low-pressure area with spinning winds, ranging all the way from dust devils to polar vortices. In India, I expect it normally refers to a tropical cyclone, the weather phenomenon in the US also known as a hurricane. PiusImpavidus (talk) 19:42, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Wood floors are often preferred because it's far kinder; it's more elastic and less jarring to our bones when we move about, and gypsum board is used for lining walls and ceilings, for the same reason, and because it is fire-resistant. In addition. smaller buildings' structural frames don't have to be constructed to bear the masonry's additional weight which could be prone to collapsing during a catastrophic earthquake. Modocc (talk) 15:27, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

To call gypsum board fire-resistant isn't necessarily true. With normal drywall, the gypsum is held together by a layer of paper on either side, which is very much flammable. You can however purchase special drywall which is treated with fire retardants, but I personally think that's just an upsell for contractors. Source: Have done a lot of drywalling. MediaKyle (talk) 20:02, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Concrete and brick is very much the standard in most of Europe (the Nordic countries are an exception; they love wood). I never considered it jarring on my bones, despite never wearing shoes at home. I'm a forefoot striker when unshod. PiusImpavidus (talk) 20:31, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I think that in much of the western world windows with iron bars are mostly associated with prison cells. PiusImpavidus (talk) 20:40, 16 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

April 17