35 pence a minute October 17, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Government, Technology , add a commentWhy are phone calls so ridiculously expensive in Europe, particularly land line calls in Britain? What is the US doing so well that Europeans are not?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: There are different regulatory structures and historical backgrounds between the telecommunications systems in these different places. Note that, in general, mobile phones are cheaper in Europe while wire phones are more expensive.
One article (search the database Historical Abstracts) suggests that the government owned telegraph service in Britain tried to limit competition from the fledgling phone companies in the late 19th century, making their development more difficult and expensive. Reformers in the USA pushed to regulate the privately owned telegraph monopoly, Western Union, and there were less restrictions on the development of telephone service and a regulatory environment that forced cheaper rates.
follow the money October 17, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentHow much money is given to the NRA each year by the gun industry? By gun industry I mean the companies that produce and sell guns.
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: A lot. AP diligently tried to learn this information, but these companies chased me away with their own products. I’ve only now recovered, over 2 months after you submitted this message.
Searching for words like “donation” and “lobby” in the annual 10-K reports of the Olin Corp. (Winchester) and of Smith & Wesson didn’t didn’t find anything, so these expenses are probably buried as advertising expenses. I think this will require a large, and perhaps undercover, research project in which you’ll need to infiltrate the NRA as well as the executive suites of the various manufacturers.
Fizzy water October 15, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentWhen using a soda siphon to make carbonated water, one suggestion (in the instructions of the siphon) to increase the fizziness is that you use very cold water. This does not make sense to me since solubility generally increases with decreased temperature. Shouldn’t hotter water be fizzier since more CO2 can dissolve?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: You want as much carbon dioxide to be dissolved in the water as possible, so you’d want it cold to get it as loaded with CO2 as possible. As the liquid warms up, there’d be that much more gas to percolate out into the atmosphere. If it started out hot, it wouldn’t have had the CO2 dissolved in it in the first place.
Tattoo October 15, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentI noticed the ugly “Tattoo” statue on the Plaza is gone. When was it removed, and where did it go?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Dealt with in comment 3414A of the paper Suggestion Book: “An Article in the Oct. 26, 2006 Chronicle said that the 2003 work ‘Tatoo’ was designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa and was on loan from the Crown family of Chicago. ‘Paula Crown, Trinity ‘80 and member of the Board of Trustees, is an advisor to the Nasher Museum of Art.’ The story further states that the statue ‘is expected to be on display through May 2007.’” It appears to have gone back to the owners, as there’s no evidence it’s on loan anywhere else at the moment.
