User talk:ErrantX/Archive/2012/October
The Signpost: 01 October 2012
Does Wikipedia Pay? is a Signpost series seeking to illuminate paid editing, paid advocacy, for-profit Wikipedia consultants, editing public relations professionals, conflict of interest guidelines in practice, and the Wikipedians who work on these issues by speaking openly with the people involved. This week, a scandal centering around Roger Bamkin's work with Wikimedia UK and Gibraltarpedia erupted ... In light of these events, opinions on how to avoid future controversy are as important as ever. ... The Signpost spoke with Jimmy Wales to better understand how he views the paid editing environment and what he thinks is needed to improve it.
Following considerable online and media reportage on the Gibraltar controversy and a Signpost report last week, the Wikimedia UK chapter and the foundation published a joint statement on September 28: "To better understand the facts and details of these allegations and to ensure that governance arrangements commensurate with the standing of the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikimedia UK and the worldwide Wikimedia movement, Wikimedia UK's trustees and the Wikimedia Foundation will jointly appoint an independent expert advisor to objectively review both Wikimedia UK's governance arrangements and its handling of the conflict of interest."
Five articles, three lists, and nine images were promoted to "featured" this week.
The Toolserver is an external service hosting the hundreds of webpages and scripts (collectively known as "tools") that assist Wikimedia communities in dozens of mostly menial tasks. Few people think that it has been operating well recently; the problems, which include high database replication lag and periods of total downtime, have caused considerable disruption to the Toolserver's usual functions. Those functions are highly valued by many Wikimedia communities ... In 2011, the Foundation announced the creation of Wikimedia Labs, a much better funded project that among other things aimed to mimic the Toolserver's functionality by mid-2013. At the same time, Erik Möller, the WMF's director of engineering, announced that the Foundation would no longer be supporting the Toolserver financially, but would continue to provide the same in-kind support as it had done previously.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film series, we spent some time bonding with WikiProject James Bond. The project is in the unique position of having already pushed all of its primary content to Good and Featured status, including all of Ian Fleming's novels, short stories, and every film that has been released. Work has begun in earnest on the article Skyfall for the release of the new Bond film later this month. The project could still use help improving articles about Bond actors, characters, gadgets, music, video games, and related topics
DudleyOdd that it didn't attract more supports; you can ask Graham if you can put it right back up again instead of waiting two weeks, since you dealt with all the comments you got and you're relatively new to FAC. - Dank (push to talk) 21:49, 2 October 2012 (UTC)
New US Deception Unit ArticlesI'd just like to let you know that I plan to write further articles covering the remaining US deception units created for Operation Fortitude. An article covering the 11th Infantry Division has just been added. I'm planning to tackle the 48th Infantry Division next. One problem will be the lack of insignia for the 25th Armoured division when I tackle that one.Graham1973 (talk) 09:30, 23 September 2012 (UTC)
Absolutely brilliant! The "new articles" target I set for deception articles has been blown out of the water thanks to your efforts. I unilaterally reworked the WW2 deception template yesterday - I hope it looks ok?? I see you sorted out the formations segment, it looks great. This person who did the insignias; do you think he would be able to do one for the 1st SAS? I only have a textual description, nothing else. Today I plan to try and go through Holt's Appendix and fill out User:ErrantX/Sandbox/List of Allied fictional units during World War II --Errant (chat!) 09:28, 29 September 2012 (UTC)
I've taken the liberty of adding some information from "Garbo: The Spy Who Saved D-Day" to your sandbox page. The book being the only good source I have on the Starkey OOB, which was 21st Army Group, having 2nd British Army, 6th British Army & 1st Canadian Army under its control. Information comes from Pg 138 & 139 which deals with Garbos role in Operation Cockade.Graham1973 (talk) 09:53, 3 October 2012 (UTC)
Please comment on Talk:Human penisGreetings! You have been randomly selected to receive an invitation to participate in the request for comment on Talk:Human penis. Should you wish to respond to the invitation, your contribution to this discussion will be very much appreciated! If in doubt, please see suggestions for responding. If you do not wish to receive these types of notices, please remove your name from Wikipedia:Feedback request service. — RFC bot (talk) 19:15, 8 October 2012 (UTC) The Signpost: 08 October 2012
Wikipedia in education is far from a new idea: years of news stories, op-eds, and editorials have focused on the topic; and on Wikipedia itself, the Schools and universities projects page has existed in various forms since 2003. Over the next six years, the page was rarely developed, and when it did advance there was no clear goal in mind.
On this day five years ago, the WikiProject Report debuted as a new Signpost column with an overview of WikiProject Biography. Today, we're celebrating two milestone: five years of the WikiProject Report and the tenth birthday of our first featured project. WikiProject Biography is by far the largest WikiProject on Wikipedia, with over one million articles under the project's scope. As a comparison, WikiProject Biography is three times larger than Wikipedia's second largest project, and if WikiProject Biography were split into its 14 subprojects and work groups, it would still make the list of the 20 largest WikiProjects... four times.
This week the Signpost interviews Arsenikk, an editor of six years who has brought sixteen lists through our featured list process, mostly regarding transportation in Norway but also about the 1952 Winter Olympics and World Heritage Sites in Africa. Arsenikk tells us about why he joined the project, what moves him, and how editors can join the sometimes daunting world of featured lists.
The Wikimedia Foundation's engineering report for September 2012 was published this week on the Wikimedia Techblog and on the MediaWiki wiki, giving an overview of all Foundation-sponsored technical operations in that month (as well as brief coverage of progress on Wikimedia Deutschland's Wikidata project, phase 1 of which is edging its way towards its first deployment). Three of the seven headline items in the report have already been covered in the Signpost: problems with the corruption of several Gerrit (code) repositories, the introduction of widespread translation memory across Wikimedia wikis, and the launch of the "Page Curation" tool on the English Wikipedia, with development work on that project now winding down. The report also drew attention to the end of Google Summer of Code 2012, the deployment to the English Wikipedia of a new ePUB (electronic book) export feature, and improvements to the WLM app aimed at more serious photographers.
Current discussions on the English Wikipedia include ...
Orphaned non-free media (File:Encase.png)
If you have uploaded other unlicensed media, please check whether they're used in any articles or not. You can find a list of 'file' pages you have edited by clicking on the "my contributions" link (it is located at the very top of any Wikipedia page when you are logged in), and then selecting "File" from the dropdown box. Note that all non-free media not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. Hazard-Bot (talk) 04:05, 11 October 2012 (UTC) Orphaned non-free media (File:Encase logo.jpg)
If you have uploaded other unlicensed media, please check whether they're used in any articles or not. You can find a list of 'file' pages you have edited by clicking on the "my contributions" link (it is located at the very top of any Wikipedia page when you are logged in), and then selecting "File" from the dropdown box. Note that all non-free media not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. Hazard-Bot (talk) 04:05, 11 October 2012 (UTC) Hey Tom, following on from our chat t'other day, I just thought I'd remind you to nominate Clarke at WP:MHACR—I reckon it will breeze through, but there are almost always minor issues that fresh eyes can pick up, and the exposure will stand it in good stead for another FAC bid. Best, HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 20:12, 14 October 2012 (UTC) Please comment on Talk:Electronic engineeringGreetings! You have been randomly selected to receive an invitation to participate in the request for comment on Talk:Electronic engineering. Should you wish to respond to the invitation, your contribution to this discussion will be very much appreciated! If in doubt, please see suggestions for responding. If you do not wish to receive these types of notices, please remove your name from Wikipedia:Feedback request service. — RFC bot (talk) 20:15, 14 October 2012 (UTC) Fair playI posted a comment at my usertalk for you...did you have a chance to look at that thread Malleus was whimpering about? The one where he insulted three editors? Anyway, nothing can be done or will and I won't blame you if you decide to not light a fire, which you may not even think need be done.--MONGO 09:55, 22 October 2012 (UTC) A beer for you!
On root causes versus surface symptomsI noticed your "warning" on my talk page regarding calling out MONGO for his lies; I see you also warned Malleus and MONGO himself. Well done. Are you also going to look at the actual lies MONGO told? You'll find links to them at User talk:MONGO#moved from page. Let me also be very clear that I have no regrets about the language I used in dealing with MONGO; malicious behaviour like this thoroughly deserves to be called what it is. A user who lies maliciously, expressly to get another user into trouble is beneath my contempt. This remains the case. --John (talk) 09:29, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
ErrantX...simply put, John and I simply don't get along...we haven't for years and I doubt we ever will. This is a big pedia and we can avoid each other, but we tend to bump heads whenever we interact. Earlier this year John said he would stay away from me for a year...until a week ago this was the case. Anyway, would it be possible for you to approach John and hammer out an interaction ban we can mutually agree on, akin to the one I've outlined above? I thin it would benefit myself, John and more importantly, the pedia. If you wish to not get in the middle, that's understandable.MONGO 11:15, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
I've left a note to John on his talk page - it might be worth a read as some portions apply to both of you (although it seems like you have decided the course of action you would prefer). As I said; if John is interested then I am happy to broker an IBAN on the understanding that it would be entered into the editing restrictions, and that I would be fairly harsh in handing out sanctions for it being broken. This is because I did a couple of IBANs in the past and they floundered due to gaming & lax enforcement (although ultimately it worked out in both cases, the interim was a pain in the neck). I think you are welcome to comment on Malleus, or talk/work with him, in similar venues (say an Arbcom page or whatever) but threaded discussion or mention of each other (even tangentially) would be out. That would probably include the dispute that includes the three of you (i.e. 9/11). --Errant (chat!) 15:12, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
The Signpost: 22 October 2012
Unlike the long-running disputes that have characterised attempts to reform the RfA process on the English Wikipedia, the German Wikipedia's tradition of making decisions not by consensus but knife-edged 50% + 1 votes has led to a fundamentally different outcome. In 2009, the project managed to largely settle the RfA mode issue in 2009 indirectly.
One clarification request concerns the civility enforcement case – specifically, Malleus Fatuorum's perceived circumvention of his topic ban. It has resulted in thousands of bytes spent in vitriolic discussions, multiple blocks, and "no confidence" motions against the Arbitration Committee and one arbitrator, among other ramifications.
Planning for Wikivoyage's migration into the WMF fold built up steam this week following a statement by WMF Deputy Director Erik Möller about what the technical side of the migration will involve. Wikivoyage, which split from sister site Wikitravel in 2006, is hoping to migrate its own not-inconsiderable user base to Wikimedia, as well as much of its content, presenting novel challenges for Wikimedia developers
Current discussions on the English Wikipedia include...
It is well known that women are underrepresented in the sciences, and that high-achieving female scientists have often been excluded from authorship lists and passed over for awards and honours solely on the basis of gender. Also significant has been the underplaying in the academic literature, news reporting, and online, of women's current and historical contributions to science.
The WikiProject Report normally brings tidings from Wikipedia's most active, inventive, and unique WikiProjects. This week, we're trying something new by focusing on Wikipedia's dark side: the various regional and national WikiProjects that are dead or dying. How can some tiny municipalities and exclaves generate highly active, cross-language, multimedia platforms be successful while the projects representing many sovereign countries and entire continents wallow in obscurity? Today, we'll search for answers among geographic projects large and small, highly active and barely functioning, enthusiastic about the future and mired in past conflicts.
Eleven articles, including one on Franz Kafka, three lists, one image, and one portal were promoted to 'featured' status this week.
Please comment on Talk:Levomefolic acidGreetings! You have been randomly selected to receive an invitation to participate in the request for comment on Talk:Levomefolic acid. Should you wish to respond to the invitation, your contribution to this discussion will be very much appreciated! If in doubt, please see suggestions for responding. If you do not wish to receive these types of notices, please remove your name from Wikipedia:Feedback request service. — RFC bot (talk) 20:15, 26 October 2012 (UTC) The Signpost: 29 October 2012
The first round of the Wikimedia Foundation's new financial arrangements has proceeded as planned, with the publication of scores and feedback by Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) staff on applications for funding by 11 entities—10 chapters, independent membership organisations supporting the WMF's mission in different countries, and the foundation itself. The results are preliminary assessments that will soon be put to the FDC's seven voting members and two non-voting board representatives. The FDC in turn will send its recommendations to the board of trustees on 15 November, which will announce its decision by 15 December. Funding applications have been on-wiki since 1 October, and the talk pages of applications were open for community comment and discussion from 2 to 22 October, though apart from queries by FDC staff, there was little activity.
This week, we're checking out ways to motivate editors and recognize valuable contributions by focusing on the awards and rewards of WikiProject Military History. Anyone unfamiliar with WikiProject Military History is encouraged to start at the report's first article about the project and make your way forward. While many WikiProjects provide a barnstar that can be awarded to helpful contributors, WikiProject Military History has gone a step further by creating a variety of awards with different criteria ranging from the all-purpose WikiChevrons to rewards for participating in drives and improving special topics to medals for improving articles up to A-class status to the coveted "Military Historian of the Year" award.
The TimedMediaHandler extension (TMH), which brings dramatic improvements to MediaWiki's video handling capabilities, will go live to the English Wikipedia this week following a long and turbulent development, WMF Director of Platform Engineering Rob Lanphier announced on Monday ... Wikidata.org, a new repository designed to host interwiki links, launched this week and will begin accepting links shortly. The site, which is one half of the forthcoming Wikidata trial (the other half being the Wikidata client, which will be deployed to the Hungarian Wikipedia shortly) will also act as a testing area for phase 2 of Wikidata (centralised data storage). The longer term plan is for Wikidata.org to become a "Wikimedia Commons for data" as phases 2 and 3 (dynamic lists) are developed, project managers say.
Thirteen articles, ten lists, nine images, one topic, and one portal were promoted to featured after peer reviews.
A paper in the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, coming from the social control perspective and employing the repertory grid technique, has contributed interesting observations about the governance of Wikipedia.
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