It would be nice to have vending machines in the library. When it is late at night, the last thing someone wants to do is have to walk outside at 3 AM to Alpine. I know the NYU library has this feature, and it’s nice.

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Ostensibly, drinks are supposed to be in spill-proof containers, and, ostensibly, there’s a no-food policy in the library. (I know, I know ….) The greasy and sugary food damages library materials, and the organic debris attracts pests that also damage library materials. However, we don’t have any bouncers or police — or even wannabe police — on the library staff.

I think that until this policy is done away with on paper as well as in actuality, or until a student lounge area is designated where feasts are officially permitted instead of just actually permitted, then we won’t have any food vending machines in the building. The middle of the West Campus quad should be one place that’s pretty safe for a late night stroll and study break to the vending machines in the Union hallway, although I can understand some trepidation at 3:00 AM.

I don’t know what the long-term plans are for the old Perk area next to the Gothic Reading Room, but once the ground floor of Perkins is renovated later this year, that area will once again be accessible without leaving the building. Perhaps it once again could become a lounge area and include some vending machines. It seems to me it would be ideal for this purpose: inside the building, but outside the library.

Thanks for the suggestion; I’ll share it with others.

After the name of a law office, what do the letters PC stand for?

Is it Post Cibum (Latin: After Meals)?

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Good try, but it’s not even Latin. And, it’s not for “politically correct.” It’s for “professional corporation.” According to Black’s Law Dictionary, this is a type of corporation that provides the sort of services that require a professional license. Medical practices, accounting firms, architecture firms, law firms, and other such businesses, if incorporated, are examples.

How can you tell if you have allergy problems or a cold? The symptoms seem the same: runny nose, sore throat, sneezing.

Thanks and hooray for springtime!

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: I’m no doctor, so I recommend that you search the web (focus on .org or .gov or .edu sites, or selected commercial sites like about.com). According to standard sources and my experience, allergies usually will last longer, colds will go away with time. Colds are more associated with coughs and fever. Colds can build slowly, but allergies can hit quickly. Allergies involve itchy eyes, mouth, and nose. Allergy mucus tends to be thinner than cold mucus (well, it’s warm, even if it’s produced when you have a cold).

Why is Steve such a bastard? That is, what compels an individual to lose all sense of loyalty and dignity in place of being a weasel worthy of nothing but sadness and despair? Thank you AP.

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Wow, this Steve guy sounds pretty bad. Perhaps he had an unhappy childhood or a traumatic experience that messed him up. Perhaps he’s got his sights set on a great professional school and has become a cutthroat sort of guy. Or, maybe it was just a lack of home trainin’.

What is the formula I should use in Excel for question 10 (b) of the Economics 163 theoretical problem set?

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Shame on you, trying to pervert the noble office of Answer Person by having AP do your homework for you! Luckily, I haven’t gotten around to this for a month (the paper suggestion book has priority), so I couldn’t be accused of helping you cheat even if I tried. In Excel, I’d click the function icon up in the toolbar and just see what looks good. Choose the category “all” so you’ll have a longer listing of functions to confuse you.

Sportscaster Dick Vitale is considered by many–if not most–to be annoying and over-the-top. His often partner, Mike Patrick, makes frequent mistakes during broadcasts. Two questions. 1. Why is Vitale so popular if no one likes listening to him? 2. How do either of them keep their jobs since accurate commentary that is pleasant to listen to would seem to be the goal?

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: 1. They figure it’s better than someone being boring, baby. 2. Many people probably don’t agree with you. They either really like a brash over-the-top commentator or pretend they don’t like him but secretly enjoy someone that everyone “loves to hate” (Howard Cosell was the classic 20-40 years ago). I seriously doubt if the average American viewer cares about accuracy (although this was one of Cosell’s strengths). I’m sure you’re welcome to send diplomatic complaints about either of these guys, along with suggested replacements, to ESPN, explaining to them how their ratings will rise if they follow your advice.

When you are using microsoft word or some program, it lists the shortcuts for certain functions. But many of those shortcuts have weird symbols. What do they mean? Like the one that looks like a backwords square root of an up arrow?

Cheers.

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: You may need to ask someone in person (at an OIT lab or a library reference desk). Sorry, I’m just having a hard time visualizing what you’re talking about. When you say “it lists,” do you mean in the toolbar, in the dropdown menus, or where?

There are icons that represent functions that are in the toolbars. In Word, these tell what they do when you mouse over them (you can probably turn this feature on and off when setting preferences). Many programs have some way of choosing between icons or words (often through “options” or “preferences,” or from a “view” menu). Web browsers, for instance, typically allow this. Also, in Word, when you click on a menu, in the dropdown you see the graphic icon to the left of the words.

These icons are made up by staff at the software company, buy I can’t attest to these persons’ graphic arts capabilities or if the companies do usability studies with the icons.

I have heard it claimed that UNC may have a better Chemistry department than Duke. What does this claim mean? Is it true? Would a better department necessarily be better for an undergraduate student?

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: The infamous U.S. News & World Report rankings of graduate programs most recently did rank the UNC Chemistry program higher than Duke’s (tied for 14 versus tied for 43). UNC also ranked 1 in analytic chemistry and 9 in inorganic chemistry. The magazine’s rankings are based on surveys of academics as well as empirical data gathered from universities: peer assessment, student retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate proformance, and alumni giving rate. You can find the latest report at the library’s reference desk, and teaser information at their website: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/rankguide/rghome.htm

It must be that the bigger program at UNC just has more alumni to give! And perhaps there’s been a kickback from the makers of the Junior Chemistry sets that they use in their labs.

Even if you put any faith in these rankings, what I quote above relates specifically to grad programs. And obviously it doesn’t look at individual professors’ specialties and specific resources that might be important for study in particular subfields (perhaps there’s a bias towards large departments). The Wikipedia article on “College and university rankings” hints at flaws and subjectivity in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.

As you suspect, undergraduate education necessarily needs to be more broad, and in the Report’s overall ranking Duke is 5th nationally versus Carolina’s #27 (tied with Wake Forest).

Finally, regarding Duke’s high rankings, overall and in several other areas, Duke Provost Peter Lange says, “Even as we welcome this news, however, we remind high school students and their families to recognize the limitations of these surveys. No ranking can fully capture the life of a university, and students should look beyond the numbers to evaluate carefully which institutions will provide the best fit for their own interests.”

It is becoming challenging and quite distracting to work on computers in Perkins/Bostock – reason being, the keyboards are extremely difficult to use. On numerous occasions, on numerous computers, the keyboards stick making typing useless and my time wasted.

As one of the many who use the library on a daily bases for reserach and writing, I depend on the computers to function properly. I suggest an immediate inventory of keyboards in the library and replacement of keyboards which are functioning improperly. Thanks!

Heath Cosgrove
Graduate Student
ghc4@duke.edu

ps – today I am on computer Ba12,in the basement of Bostock

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Thanks for reporting this. I’ll pass the information on to our systems support people, but I’m guessing the problems relate to the very heavy use the computers get and because of all the food people eat at them.

There’s actually a Computer Problem Report form available from our Information Systems Support web pages: http://www.lib.duke.edu/its/help/forms/compprob.htm but it seems to be designed only for the use of libary staff (e.g., asking for Novell username, etc.)! You can try it in the future, but it’s best to report equipment problems to people at a public service desk in person (the response from this forum can be very, very slow). We’ll certainly look at the keyboard that you’ve identified.

I’m guessing it will be difficult to systematically and quickly “test” all keyboards since these problems become evident only with real-world use. But maybe there is a sort of regular standard test they can undergo. Perhaps we can adjust our routine maintenance to clean keyboards more frequently. Perhaps we can look into the sorts of keyboards used by the military in combat situations, made to withstand debris such as shrapnel, sand, salt water, sugary carbonated water, mayonnaise, etc. Our systems people will look at the alternatives.

Do private, for-profit, hospitals pay income tax? Since non-profits aren’t taxed, it seems like hospitals would be taking a pretty large financial hurdle when switching to the for-profit corporate style of management, huh?

ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: I’m not an investment banker, but there are many more financing options open to a for-profit business regarding the issuance of stock and debt. They don’t just have to rely on fundraising and an endowment. For-profit institutions will have to pay corporate taxes.

You’ll find a lot of discussion on this in medical, public policy, and economics literature.