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April 18 Information
Mars simulation
I recall vaguely that several years ago, maybe 15-20 years ago there were several missions where people would be locked into sealed systems to simulate life on another planet and to see if they could live. The articles I read on the matter suggested that "...the doors will be locked for 10 years..." or something along those lines. What happened to these experiments? Were any of them a success or did they need to open the doors before time? Are they still in there? Did we all forget about them and neglect to unlock the doors? — Preceding
unsigned comment added by
81.131.40.58 (
talk) 07:33, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
As
Brandjacking means something different: How do you call it when a company acquires another with the motivation of taking over this company's brand name - as has happened e. g. in case of
Worldpay? --
KnightMove (
talk) 15:26, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
That's a really good question. Brands, as any asset with value, can be bought and sold, and are all the time. Many brands from the past and present were purchased, and the companies we know by those brands are not functionally the same as the historic company. More examples: Southwestern Bell, which purchased and renamed itself
AT&T in 2005, the
Atari brand name, which has been purchased and divided and parcelled out to several companies over history,
Pan American Airways (disambiguation), etc. Not sure what the phenomenon is, but just wanted to give some example perhaps to help research a possible answer. --
Jayron32 15:36, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
The business concept of
Goodwill has a bearing on this topic, as does the broader concept of
Intangible assets. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195}
2.122.2.132 (
talk) 19:41, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
There are instances where e.g. a fashion designer builds her name into a brand and then sells it. She is then no longer permitted to trade under that name (although she is permitted to make and sell clothes under her own name).
2A00:23A8:830:A600:3089:80E0:7D9B:95DA (
talk) 11:38, 19 April 2019 (UTC)reply
I'm not really sure it needs a specific name aside from "good business". --
Khajidha (
talk) 18:38, 19 April 2019 (UTC)reply
This is hardly necessary, nor sufficient for good business. It's still rather an exception, isn't it? --
KnightMove (
talk) 12:06, 20 April 2019 (UTC)reply
Didn't mean to imply that it was necessary or sufficient, only that it was a good business move and that a particular term (as opposed to a description) wwas not needed. Company A will simply acquire Brand B, just as they might acquire Patent C or Location D.--
Khajidha (
talk) 16:33, 20 April 2019 (UTC)reply
@
Khajidha: OK, my question was worded somewhat imprecisely: I mean that the acquring company takes over the aquired brand name in its entirety, abandonning its former brand name - therefore the example
Worldpay. A similar, not exactly identical example from the same industry is
Paysafe. --
KnightMove (
talk) 15:01, 21 April 2019 (UTC)reply
It would seem that that would be an example of
rebranding. --
Khajidha (
talk) 15:09, 21 April 2019 (UTC)reply
Yes, indeed - bu tin a very special way, for which no name seems to have been established?! --
KnightMove (
talk) 16:05, 21 April 2019 (UTC)reply
Why would there be a specific term for it? I'd think that most instances would simply be described, like "Dorfman's Doodads purchased Willy's Widgets today, the company plans rebrand its Dorfman's Doodads as Willy's Widgets" or "the company plans to assume the Willy's Widgets name".--
Khajidha (
talk) 12:54, 22 April 2019 (UTC)reply
See, that seems more like a question worth asking. The lack of a term doesn't seem to need explanation, but the presence of one does. --
Khajidha (
talk) 22:05, 25 April 2019 (UTC)reply
Thanks to both of you. In the picture I linked, placenames can be seen around the edge, so I believe the stone is meant to indicate the direction (and likely distance if inscribed) those places are from the stone (and thereby the peak). It is this functionality I was asking about, but it is helpful to know about this particular one too.
Arlo James Barnes 19:07, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
I have seen several variations of such objects at various Scenic viewpoints in the UK and elsewhere. There certainly ought to be a name for them, but I haven't so far been able to think of or find one. I'll keep thinking and looking.
(Per Viennese Waltz – although such markers might be added to (or alongside) a UK
Trig point, actual
Ordnance Survey Trig points have a standardised design (including flush metal mountings on the top designed to support a theodolite, etc), which the OP's example does not exhibit.)
[Edited to add – ] Got it! @
Arlo James Barnes: was right: we have an article at
Toposcope (to which Topograph redirects). {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195}
2.122.2.132 (
talk) 06:54, 19 April 2019 (UTC)reply
Do any US state constitutions require more than a majority vote to be amended?
Do any US state constitutions require more than a majority vote to be amended?
Futurist110 (
talk) 19:41, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
[1] has all the methods to amend state constitutions. --
Golbez (
talk) 23:14, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
You can search that link for "supermajority" to find the examples you want. Most states have multiple methods for amending the constitution so the most succinct answer that is still accurate would be, "some of them, some of the time."
Someguy1221 (
talk) 00:28, 19 April 2019 (UTC)reply
Welcome to the Wikipedia Humanities Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the
current reference desk pages.
April 18 Information
Mars simulation
I recall vaguely that several years ago, maybe 15-20 years ago there were several missions where people would be locked into sealed systems to simulate life on another planet and to see if they could live. The articles I read on the matter suggested that "...the doors will be locked for 10 years..." or something along those lines. What happened to these experiments? Were any of them a success or did they need to open the doors before time? Are they still in there? Did we all forget about them and neglect to unlock the doors? — Preceding
unsigned comment added by
81.131.40.58 (
talk) 07:33, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
As
Brandjacking means something different: How do you call it when a company acquires another with the motivation of taking over this company's brand name - as has happened e. g. in case of
Worldpay? --
KnightMove (
talk) 15:26, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
That's a really good question. Brands, as any asset with value, can be bought and sold, and are all the time. Many brands from the past and present were purchased, and the companies we know by those brands are not functionally the same as the historic company. More examples: Southwestern Bell, which purchased and renamed itself
AT&T in 2005, the
Atari brand name, which has been purchased and divided and parcelled out to several companies over history,
Pan American Airways (disambiguation), etc. Not sure what the phenomenon is, but just wanted to give some example perhaps to help research a possible answer. --
Jayron32 15:36, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
The business concept of
Goodwill has a bearing on this topic, as does the broader concept of
Intangible assets. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195}
2.122.2.132 (
talk) 19:41, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
There are instances where e.g. a fashion designer builds her name into a brand and then sells it. She is then no longer permitted to trade under that name (although she is permitted to make and sell clothes under her own name).
2A00:23A8:830:A600:3089:80E0:7D9B:95DA (
talk) 11:38, 19 April 2019 (UTC)reply
I'm not really sure it needs a specific name aside from "good business". --
Khajidha (
talk) 18:38, 19 April 2019 (UTC)reply
This is hardly necessary, nor sufficient for good business. It's still rather an exception, isn't it? --
KnightMove (
talk) 12:06, 20 April 2019 (UTC)reply
Didn't mean to imply that it was necessary or sufficient, only that it was a good business move and that a particular term (as opposed to a description) wwas not needed. Company A will simply acquire Brand B, just as they might acquire Patent C or Location D.--
Khajidha (
talk) 16:33, 20 April 2019 (UTC)reply
@
Khajidha: OK, my question was worded somewhat imprecisely: I mean that the acquring company takes over the aquired brand name in its entirety, abandonning its former brand name - therefore the example
Worldpay. A similar, not exactly identical example from the same industry is
Paysafe. --
KnightMove (
talk) 15:01, 21 April 2019 (UTC)reply
It would seem that that would be an example of
rebranding. --
Khajidha (
talk) 15:09, 21 April 2019 (UTC)reply
Yes, indeed - bu tin a very special way, for which no name seems to have been established?! --
KnightMove (
talk) 16:05, 21 April 2019 (UTC)reply
Why would there be a specific term for it? I'd think that most instances would simply be described, like "Dorfman's Doodads purchased Willy's Widgets today, the company plans rebrand its Dorfman's Doodads as Willy's Widgets" or "the company plans to assume the Willy's Widgets name".--
Khajidha (
talk) 12:54, 22 April 2019 (UTC)reply
See, that seems more like a question worth asking. The lack of a term doesn't seem to need explanation, but the presence of one does. --
Khajidha (
talk) 22:05, 25 April 2019 (UTC)reply
Thanks to both of you. In the picture I linked, placenames can be seen around the edge, so I believe the stone is meant to indicate the direction (and likely distance if inscribed) those places are from the stone (and thereby the peak). It is this functionality I was asking about, but it is helpful to know about this particular one too.
Arlo James Barnes 19:07, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
I have seen several variations of such objects at various Scenic viewpoints in the UK and elsewhere. There certainly ought to be a name for them, but I haven't so far been able to think of or find one. I'll keep thinking and looking.
(Per Viennese Waltz – although such markers might be added to (or alongside) a UK
Trig point, actual
Ordnance Survey Trig points have a standardised design (including flush metal mountings on the top designed to support a theodolite, etc), which the OP's example does not exhibit.)
[Edited to add – ] Got it! @
Arlo James Barnes: was right: we have an article at
Toposcope (to which Topograph redirects). {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195}
2.122.2.132 (
talk) 06:54, 19 April 2019 (UTC)reply
Do any US state constitutions require more than a majority vote to be amended?
Do any US state constitutions require more than a majority vote to be amended?
Futurist110 (
talk) 19:41, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
[1] has all the methods to amend state constitutions. --
Golbez (
talk) 23:14, 18 April 2019 (UTC)reply
You can search that link for "supermajority" to find the examples you want. Most states have multiple methods for amending the constitution so the most succinct answer that is still accurate would be, "some of them, some of the time."
Someguy1221 (
talk) 00:28, 19 April 2019 (UTC)reply