Answerbag: Eli Jerusalem's answers

Answer to Is there any free site for downloading free Engineering books?

Tue, 01 May 2007 16:06:09 -0700

Is there any free site for downloading free Engineering books?

Try Wikibooks <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page> You might also find information at Wikiversity <http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Portal:Engineering_and_Technology>

Answer to When did the Sundance Film Festival start?

Tue, 01 May 2007 16:00:12 -0700

When did the Sundance Film Festival start?

From the Wikipedia article at <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundance_film_festival>: Sundance was started in 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival .... Management of the festival was taken over by the Sundance Institute, a non-profit organization, in 1985, and in 1991 the festival was...

Answer to Where can I get information on French Guiana's educational system?

Tue, 01 May 2007 15:54:34 -0700

Where can I get information on French Guiana's educational system?

I haven't been able to find anything useful on Google (yet), but I would suggest that you contact the American embassy at Suriname <http://paramaribo.usembassy.gov/> which serves French Guiana. I've found in the past that embassy personnel can be very helpful in uncovering...

Answer to When you by tuna from a can,is it already cooked?

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 13:52:42 -0800

When you by tuna from a can,is it already cooked?

The canning process works by cooking the food INSIDE THE CAN or jar. This was the original process for "canning" your own preserves, which some people still do to this day using Mason jars and things like that -- you put the food inside each jar, then put the jars inside boiling water...

Answer to Why does my boyfriend, who is 38 years old, talk like a baby to me when he is showing affection? I wuv you, instead of I love you?

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 05:47:32 -0800

Why does my boyfriend, who is 38 years old, talk like a baby to me when he is showing affection? I wuv you, instead of I love you?

Many people, when they are deeply emotionally involved in something, behave by reverting to their earliest experiences in that same emotional state. Thus, someone whose primary experience in communicating with another in a closely affectionate relationship was when they spoke "baby...

Answer to What is the proper Russian pronouncation of the name "Diana?" Would it be Die-Anne-Uh, Dee-On-Uh, Die-On-Uh, Dee-Anne-Uh, or another variation? Please let me know. Thanks, so much!!

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 04:58:55 -0800

What is the proper Russian pronouncation of the name "Diana?" Would it be Die-Anne-Uh, Dee-On-Uh, Die-On-Uh, Dee-Anne-Uh, or another variation? Please let me know. Thanks, so much!!

Try "Dee-AHN-uh" with a stress on the middle syllable, which is stretched out as if you were saying "AHH" to the doctor with a tongue depressor in your throat, though not quite as long a time. Actually, there will also be a slight 'Wye' (letter 'y')...

Answer to Are 'periods' the American name for 'full stops'?

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 04:51:08 -0800

Are 'periods' the American name for 'full stops'?

Yes. And there are two other meanings of 'period' in American English that non-Americans should be aware of. The 'standard' definition of a period as a unit of time is widely used, but there is also a colloquial usage of 'period' to refer to a woman's monthly...

Answer to Do multilingual people think in different languages all the time?

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 21:26:21 -0800

Do multilingual people think in different languages all the time?

As a multi-lingual person myself, I can tell you that I indeed think in different languages, depending upon context. Usually I think in my mother tongue, but especially when thinking about interactions with native speakers of another language (planning what I'm going to say, or thinking...

Answer to What is "Archimedes' screw"?

Tue, 19 Oct 2004 09:08:08 -0700

What is "Archimedes' screw"?

Archimedes' screw is a simple mechanical device for raising water up an inclined surface. Unlike a bucket or a pump, it cannot raise water vertically, but it is an early example of a device that makes use of rotary motion. It is far easier to understand the device from an illustration...

Answer to What's the difference between a programming language, a scripting language, and a markup language?

Tue, 19 Oct 2004 08:30:45 -0700

What's the difference between a programming language, a scripting language, and a markup language?

While the previous descriptions of the three "languages" explain them, and distinguish between the two "procedural" languages that describe procedures to run, and the "formatting" languages that "mark up" data, a simple nuance can be used to distinguish...

Answer to What's the superstition behind "knocking on wood"?

Mon, 18 Oct 2004 09:07:22 -0700

What's the superstition behind "knocking on wood"?

"Knocking on wood" is done either: 1) to invoke the protection of the spirit of the wood - the dryad - which lived in the tree. or 2) to invoke Divine protection by referring to the wood of the "True Cross."