Ask something - We can help.

[Raider]

Not sure if this is the one but:

http://download-sheet-music-online.com/eagles.html

Don't get excited, you have to pay...

[Dualnames]

Great.. something I can afford to with 0$

[Stupot]

Could anyone from the UK answer this question for me?
Feel free to answer it if you are from elsewhere but I'm particularly interested in UK results...  it's for a Linguistics exercise.

What word do you use for carbonated soft drinks?

Some people say 'soda', 'pop', or 'fizzy drinks'.
What term do you use? Is it something else entirely?

I'm plotting the results on a map of the UK so could you also please say which county or city you are from.
Thanks in advance guys.

[miguel]

We get this in Portugal but I don't think that's what you wanted to know, Stu.

[Domino]

I use POP

I am from New York State, USA

[Babar]

'Cold drinks'. Or 'Soft Drinks' sometimes. 'Soda' I use for club soda/tonic water.

[InCreator]

A question:

What is the difference between normal maps and bump maps?

I know that normalmap uses 3 channels color instead of grayscale (bump map).
But does it make difference visually? Is normalmapped brick wall better than bumpmapped? Is rendering faster?

Another one:

How do cubemaps work?

I know that cubemap entities should be placed near reflective (cubemap using) materials. But why? What does entity do? Does it "photograph" surroundings and project reflections onto material? Or what? (I know that this wide topic and methods may vary, but I mean "classical" cubemapping (entity + materials), like Source engine does)

[Buckethead]

Bump and normal maps...

I made you a little image


Not sure if it's clear so I'll try to explain.

Bump maps can only define depth with 2 things. It's either lower or higher. Usually pure white is the highest point and pure black the lowest.

Normal maps can define depth from more sides.

I hope that makes sense lol.

Cubemaps...

Cubemap entities are appearently used in Source to give materials (especially refections) a more proper specularity.

I wonder why there isn't just a Specular channel. Oh well not every engine is as cool as Unreal engine 

[zabnat]

What word do you use for carbonated soft drinks?

Limu, limppa or limppari.
And I'm not from UK.

[paolo]

An good example of said infatuation is that girl you masturbate to in the bushes. A good example of love is your significant other pretending to be the girl who you masturbated to in the bushes.

It's a subtle difference, but it's there.

-MillsJROSS

You and Mr Boon write such romantic stuff...

@Stupot: I would say most people say "fizzy drinks" here in London in the UK. Or if you are in the industry that makes them, "carbonated drinks".

@Buckethead: Isn't a normal map just a representation of the actual normals of a surface, while a bump map is a modification of a normal map in order to simulate texture by changing the results the lighting model gives when applied to the surface?

My question, and it's a two-parter:

a. Why do cyclists' magazines claim that it is safer for a cyclist to go through a red light than to wait? If you're waiting alongside a juggernaut that's about to turn in front of you, then yes, you are in a dangerous spot, but getting hit side-on from traffic crossing your path is just as dangerous, surely?

b. Why do so many cyclists (not all cyclists - I don't want to generalise) in the UK think it's OK to cycle on the pavement (the sidewalk) or to go the wrong way up a one-way street? Do their magazines tell them to do that too? If it's because they think the road is too dangerous, then why cycle at all?

OK, rant over.

[InCreator]

a. Why do cyclists' magazines claim that it is safer for a cyclist to go through a red light than to wait? If you're waiting alongside a juggernaut that's about to turn in front of you, then yes, you are in a dangerous spot, but getting hit side-on from traffic crossing your path is just as dangerous, surely?

Huh? By our traffic laws a driver does not have to stop car if bicyclist rides when it's red light. Also, no need to stop if bicyclist rides on a crossing without lights (such as single zebra). When he walks and the cycle is with him, car must stop. When he's on the bike, he's not considered pedestrian and must obey same traffic laws as cars.

It was quite strange when a bicyclist rode over crossing and my driving instructor told me not to slow down.

But I think that suggestion means that if you cross on bike, it's probably safer to maintain speed than stop and try to start gathering speed while on crossing. I've fallen badly off the bike in the center of intersection and stoplights for cars turned green... it was quite terrifying. Exactly because I could not achieve enough speed to balance bike and rode down a walkway curb, which made bike bump and me fall.

That's just a theory though.

[Revan]

Also, another big riddle is - where could I actually get answers to questions like this? I mean, apart from having physics/anatomy/whatever professor as a friend? Internet might have everything, but sometimes seems to lack very basic knowledge of scientific progress. Wikipedia/howstuffworks/etc well-known sites are brief and other sites are either well hidden or non-existing.

Kind of sad that the flagship of information age can satisfy any crazy request for porn, but not knowledge... 

Well if you live in the UK there is a place you can txt with any question and leave them to search the internet for an answer. There is a huge team of them. (Plus it is likely that some one has already asked your question and they have an answer.) It costs £1 tho, so make sure its a good question.

I have used them a number of times, if i have needed an answer and have been away from an internet connection. or if I can't find the answer online. They usualy txt back within 30 mins. (Max i have waited was about 2 hours)

The company is called AQA (Any Question Answered) and the number to txt is : 63336

Hope this helps anyone...


@Stupot:   I live just north of Manchester and pretty much all of the people i know call them Cans   
eg:  "Hi, would you like a Can of <insert generic drink> ?"
But at the same time we do not refer to the generic drink as anything other than its brand name or 'Can'
eg:  "Could you pass us a can out of the fridge"

Hope this helps...

[Trent R]

Revan, that reminds me of ChaCha, a US based texting service that does the same thing. Cool thing is that it's free, except for whatever charges your carrier has.


~Trent
PS-Oooh, just found out they allow calling too!

[Oliwerko]

I want to ask if possesion or usage of surveillance equipment like wireless microphones, phone bugs or even abusive devices like nausea-causing transmitters is illegal. Or does it vary from country to country? I was always fascinated with eavesdropping and today I ask myself, if it's illegal to posess such equipment...

Thanks for pointers, law-guys ! 

[Babar]

I have use for this thread, so I dredged it up!

I'm trying to remember the title of this movie I saw, and I'd google it, but I wouldn't know which words to use to search for it.

I think it was some sort of TV-movie or TV-miniseries or something, because I remember watching it on TV over a period of a few weeks. It was a cowboy western, and involved a teenager kid who dressed in black and did remarkably violent things (clichéd, right? ). I specifically remember his walking ominously into someone's house (or out of it?) with a hangman's rope. It also had this "old adventurer past his prime" character who had to have his leg chopped off at some point in the movie.

Sorry I couldn't be any more specific. If someone knows of it, I'd appreciate telling me!

[Dualnames]

Was the kid, DiCaprio?

[Babar]

I...don't think so. Are you talking about "The Quick and the Dead"? Because DiCaprio doesn't seem to be a villainous character in that, and it only seems to be 107 minutes long.

[Stupot]

The only Western miniseries that springs to my mind is 'Into the West' (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409572/), but I haven't seen it so I wouldn't know if this matches what you're talking about.

When did you see it, and is it an old thing or relatively recent?

[Babar]

I saw it some time between 1999 and 2003, I think. It was a colour movie, seemed on of those "good quality" colour movies (ie. made at least in the 80s or later).

[Stupot]

Did you find your answer Babs?
Any more clues or details you can think of?

I've got one... can anyone remember the name of the talking robot from Hollyoaks a number of years ago?
No-one seems to know what I'm talking about, but I know I'm not making it up.