User:Philcha

SEMI-RETIRED

This user is no longer very active on Wikipedia as of 31 August 2010.

GA work GA work
This editor is a Tutnum of the Encyclopedia and is entitled to display this Book of Knowledge with Coffee Cup Stain, Cigarette Burn, and Chewed Broken Pencil.

A little about me

I registered in late 2006, intending to work on dinosaurs. In autumn 2007 I became interested in the Cambrian Explosion, where User:Smith609, a real paleontologist, became my guide and friend. While working on the Cambrian Explosion, I realised that I knew far too little zoology about the invertebrate phyla which are the focus of the Cambrian Explosion, and Smith609 note that the WP articles on in invertebrate phyla were poor. I've improved some to Good Article standard, and hope to cover others in time. Since mid-2011 I've worked on jumping spiders of the genus Portia - these animals' behaviour is about as complex as that of wasps, bees and ants. I also create or improve articles in other topics which I enjoy.

Useful stuff

RfA candidate S O N S% Ending (UTC) Expires Report Pol430 15 5 3 75 16:47, 11 March 2012 6 days' time report TheAustinMan 1 6 1 14 03:21, 12 March 2012 6 days' time report

Sources

• Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard
• Wikipedia:Citation templates
• Citation tool on edit box. Enabled by option in "Gadgets" section of "Preferences".
• Reference generator - runs in a separate Web page, unlike the edit box tool.

Tools

Tools and techniques that have been useful:

• There are 2 for building citations. refTools is more convenient, but you should also check out Magnus' citation builder as well. Magnus' citation builder shows a ref and citation that you can copy and paste into the article. While refTools runs in the edit box, Magnus' citation builder runs in a different page than the article, and it is usually easier to run it in a different tab. The builder outputs the ref and citation as text rather than in box, but you can use the hotkey copy here and then paste in the article's edit box. Table of keyboard shortcuts lists hotkeys for common operating systems.
  • If you specify a URL, you must also specify accessdate. Until mid-2009 the recommended format was the ISO yyyy-mm-dd, but now regular dates are recommended, and a bot has been these working through these. Someone has even an parameter in citations to say whether the accessdate is in form dmy or mdy.
• FIST is good for finding images you can use.
• Just before nominating an article for GA- or FA-review, use User:Dispenser/Checklinks to check that none of its URLs has not died (the checker does all in one hit) and that all required parameters of the citation are present.
• If a URL dies, Internet Archive's Way Back Machine often contains archived copies of Web pages that have gone offline. You need to supply the original URL. When citing archived copies: parameter accessdate= is still required; add parameter archiveurl=... for the link provided by Internet Archive - as well as url=...; add parameter archivedate=... giving the date when the archived copy was made (a link shown in the search results from the Way Back Machine; you have to click this to see the archived content). Occasionally a URL dies during a reviewer. Keep calm, explain what happened, try the Internet Archive and and then fix the link. But some sites use the robot.txt to prevent the Way Back Machine from making a backup copy. In that case you need find another source, or remove some of the article's text.
• The DAB checker checks disambiguation pages.
• Keep Alt text checker in the toolbox but don't use it until WP:ALT has been re-written and got real consensus. At present (end of May 2010) WP:WIAFA excludes WP:ALT.
• For converting old money values to modern ones:
  • Template:Inflation. Based on consumer prices, handles a wide range of currencies. Best used with template:Formatprice, e.g. £{{Formatprice|{{Inflation|UK|35000|1948|r=-4}}|0}} (modern value of a 1948 figure of £35,000) generates £920,000.
  • measuringworth.com has only £(GB) and $(US), but can use prices, incomes and other bases for conversion.
• Chronological list of articles awaiting GA review: User:VeblenBot/C/Good article nominees awaiting review
• Wikipedia:Featured article tools might be useful. This "template" is undocumented, but it seems the way to use it is to add <noinclude>{{Wikipedia:Featured article tools|1=article name}}</noinclude>
• WikEd - the Find and Replace facilities are great for doing global edits. It's often best to switch off its the Syntax highlighter because it has a few eccentricities, especially in moving to & selecting highlighted text. N.B. WikEd does not currently work with Internet Explorer (non-standard CSS; a security hazard) or Opera (seems limited in JavaScript). The tool works fine in Gecko-based browsers like Firefox or K-meleon, and in WebKit-based ones like Safari and Google Chrome, and presumably on KDE's KHTML as WebKit is a port of that.
• There are more tools at Wikipedia:Tools.
• Keeping updating your toolbox, for example add:
  • items that are relevant to the types of work you do.
  • items that have been hard to find, such as the whether the accessdate is in form dmy or mdy.

Other useful items

• Wikipedia:Graphic Lab - not a tool, a bunch of helpful artists
• User:Tony1/How to satisfy Criterion 1a (of FAC - "engaging, even brilliant prose")
• User:Giano/A fool's guide to writing a featured article
• Wikipedia:Simplified ruleset aka WP:SIMPLE - good for educating newbies.

Helpful links

• Requests for: GENERAL HELP!!!
• Request for: adminship - arbitration - checkuser - comment - expansion - investigation - mediation - move - protection - translation - undeletion
• Maintenance | Categorization | Stubs

• New Pages — External linksearch – CSD — AfD — CfD — TfD — RfD — MfD — Stub types

• Edit counter :: Find your edit counts
• Milestone:: Find your n^th edit on any Wikimedia project
• Mayflower Commons Search :: Search Wikimedia Commons for images
• Six degrees of Wikipedia :: Find the shortest path between any two articles on the English Wikipedia
• Article edit stats :: Find article edit counts

My thoughts on style

The part of GA criteria about style and layout is pretty good. But I disagree with quite a lot of the full WP style guide (MOS). I think the rules for using dashes, hyphens, etc. are a waste of time. More seriously, I think MOS aims at the wrong audience. MOS is based on academic style guides, especially The Chicago Manual of Style, which are written for academics and primarily published in hard-copy (paper, dead trees). Most WP readers are teenagers or adults who have the reading capabilities of teenagers. And most WP users read from screens, which have a much lower dot pitch than printers, in other words screens are more "grainy" and readers become tired more quickly.

Researchers on web usability and readability recommend and the BBC gives an example:

• Usability On The Web Isn't A Luxury by Jakob Nielsen and Donald A. Norman says, "Studies of user behavior on the Web find a low tolerance for difficult designs or slow sites. People don't want to wait. And they don't want to learn how to use a home page. There's no such thing as a training class or a manual for a Web site. People have to be able to grasp the functioning of the site immediately after scanning the home page--for a few seconds at most."
• Kathy Henning's Writing for Readers Who Scan advises only "Include one idea per paragraph", "Subheads allow scanners to skip over chunks of copy that don't appear to have a direct relationship to their needs," "Bullet-point parallel words, phrases, or clauses".
• In Web Style Guide, section Editorial Style explains why making scanning must be easy and what is the physical explanation for this, "many users find reading on-screen uncomfortable".
• Example from the BBC: Giant prehistoric dinosaur cousin of T. rex identified

William Strunk, Jr.'s The Elements of Style (1918!) recommends a similar style.

While working on WP internally, e.g. in Talk pages, we all use these techniques to make it easier to present our ideas. Yet WP:MOS insists on techniques that were developed for academics reading from printed pages.

Things I've done

I don't do Featured Articles, as I reckon I can do at least 2 Good Articles in the same time, which is better for readers. This and the first paragraph of this are good examples of the extra work required for FAs.

Improved and got passed as GA

Arts and literature

Dragon's Egg — Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets — Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone — James White (author) — Robert Rossen — Sector General

Chess

Alexander Alekhine — Adolf Anderssen — Emanuel Lasker — Howard Staunton — Wilhelm Steinitz

Video games

4X (with Randomran) — Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares — Warcraft: Orcs & Humans

Paleontology

Evolutionary history of life — Fossils of the Burgess Shale (with Smith609) — Kimberella (with Smith609) — Opabinia — Paleontology (with Smith609) — Small shelly fauna

Sport

Jim Baxter

Zoology

Annelid — Arthropod — Brachiopod — Bryozoa — Chelicerata — Cnidaria — Ctenophora (phylum) — Entoprocta — Flatworm — Maevia inclemens — Mollusca — Nemertea — Phaeacius — Phoronid — Portia fimbriata — Portia labiata — Portia schultzi — Spider (GA reassessment) — Sponge

DYKs that appeared on the Main Page

Agronomic revolution — Jim Baxter — Halofolliculina corallasia — Maevia inclemens — Microbial mat — Phaeacius — Phidippus clarus — Portia fimbriata — Portia labiata — Phylactolaemata — Precambrian rabbit — Turbellaria

New articles

Arts

Culture series — Mambo (film)

Natural sciences

Ausktribosphenidae — Carrier's constraint — Chancelloriidae — Coracoid — Crurotarsal — Dead Clade Walking — Debate about Cambrian Lophotrochozoans _{if not merged later} — Epipubic bone — Evolution of mammals — End-Botomian mass extinction — Epidermis (zoology) — Follicle (anatomy) — Gut (zoology) — Interclavicle — Kuehneotheriidae — Meckelian groove — Microbial mat — Operculum (animal) — Pedicel (spider) — Portia schultzi — Sinotubulites — Suture (anatomical)

Everyday life

Alan Emrich — Development of the World Chess Championship _{if not merged later} — Staunton–Morphy controversy

Engineering and technology

History of IBM mainframe operating systems — OS/360 and successors

Social sciences and society

Memory confusion protocol

GAs I've reviewed and passed

Arts & entertainment

Homer the Moe — Phineas and Ferb — The Rejected — Rocket Science (film)

Botany and mycology

Amanita abrupta — Augustin Pyramus de Candolle

History

Battle of Carillon

Music

His Band and the Street Choir — Mr. Tambourine Man

Paleontology

Tyrannosauridae

Society and business

Great Southern Group

Sport

Ashot Nadanian — Field lacrosse — Lisa Moretti — Milo of Croton — York Park

Zoology

American White Ibis - Blotchy swell shark — Golden White-eye — Northern Bald Ibis — Potcake dog — Rufous-crowned Sparrow — Sperm Whale — Varanus salvadorii

DYKs I've reviewed

Ashot Nadanian — California On-Road Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles Regulation — Russell and Sigurd Varian — Spelling of Shakespeare's name

Contributed to FAs

Tyrannosaurus

Contributed to FA reviews

Fertilisation of Orchids — Corn Crake

Projects

• Phylactolaemata

Awards I have given

• The Reviewer's Barnstar to Kaldari - 15:55, 10 September 2011
• Special Award to Keetanii for merging to create Akita (dog) - 18:14, 6 September 2011
• The Special Barnstar to Casliber - 10:06, 22 July 2011
• The Special Barnstar to Smith609 - 10:30, 7 July 2011
• The Reviewer's Barnstar to RJH - 09:55, 7 July 2011
• Photographer's Barnstar to Kaldari - 11:02, 17 May 2011 (UTC)
• The Anti-Vandalism Barnstar to Danger - 20:50, 1 May 2011 (UTC)
• The Invisible Barnstar to Dispenser - 06:27, 21 June 2010 (UTC)
• The Tireless Contributor Barnstar to Stemonitis - 16:16, 15 June 2010 (UTC)
• Barnstar of Diligence to NYMFan69-86 - 23:29, 7 June 2010 (UTC)
• Guidance Barnstar to JimmyButler - 22:52, 7 June 2010 (UTC)
• InvisibleBarnstar to SunCreator - 17:43, 26 May 2010 (UTC)
• The Cleanup Barnstar to Rjwilmsi - 15:08, 21 May 2010 (UTC)
• What a Brilliant Idea Barnstar to Visionholder - 22:36, 30 April 2010 (UTC)
• The Barnstar of Integrity to Teancum - 01:40, 30 January 2010 (UTC)
• The Good Friend Award to Malleus Fatuorum - 07:52, 18 December 2009 (UTC)
• The Good Friend Award to Geometry guy - 07:50, 18 December 2009 (UTC)
• The Good Friend Award to Mattisse - 07:49, 18 December 2009 (UTC)
• The Reviewers Award to hamiltonstone - 07:07, 16 November 2009 (UTC)
• The Barnstar of Peace to Ottava Rima - 16:40, 20 August 2009 (UTC)
• The Bio-Star to Rusty Cashman - 12:14, 13 August 2009 (UTC)
• The Bio-Star to dave souza - 12:03, 9 August 2009 (UTC)
• The Good Article Reviewer's Barnstar to Mattisse - 09:01, 14 April 2009 (UTC)
• The Cleanup Barnstar to Michael Devore - 12:12, 14 January 2009 (UTC)
• The Mensch's Barnstar to TimVickers - 19:18, 13 January 2009 (UTC)
• The Barnstar of Peace to SyG - 22:43, 18 August 2008 (UTC)
• The Barnstar of Diligence to SyG - 19:25, 6 July 2008 (UTC)
• The Working Man's Barnstar to Quale - 11:22, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Nice things people have said to me

		The Good Article Barnstar
		Thanks Philcha for helping to promote Portia schultzi to Good Article status. Please accept this little sign of appreciation and goodwill from me, because you deserve it. Keep it up, and give some a pat on the back today. --Sp33dyphil © • © 04:49, 15 November 2011 (UTC)

Congratulations!

Thanks for all the work you did in making Portia fimbriata a certified "Good Article"! That really is a very detailed and thorough article! (And that was certainly a detailed and thorough review.) Your work is much appreciated. Thanks also for your reviews. Featured article candidates and Good Article nominees always need more reviewers! All the best, – Quadell (talk) 19:14, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

	The Teamwork Barnstar
	I hope that you get better and in the future find time to contribute once again to this great project. Jezhotwells (talk) 01:37, 6 July 2011 (UTC)

		The Fauna Barnstar
		For your awesome expansion of Portia labiata AshLin (talk) 13:03, 2 July 2011 (UTC)

		The Fauna Barnstar
		To Philcha, for writing several articles about arthropods and molluscs. Axl ¤ [Talk] 17:13, 2 June 2011 (UTC)

		The Tireless Contributor Barnstar
		Philcha, a thank for your endlessly good contributions to chess articles of WikiProjects Chess. Regards, SunCreator (talk) 13:32, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

		The Guidance Barnstar
		Thanks for taking up the His Band and the Street Choir review and going through the article thoroughly, showing me in great detail what was needed to improve it, suggesting techniques, links and language style. This will not only help the article in question, but any other I choose to take to GA in the future. You deserve this! Kitchen roll (talk) 21:30, 30 April 2010 (UTC)

		The Anti-Flame Barnstar
		To Philcha for valiant efforts, above and beyond the call of duty, to mediate in the case of D51 vs MF. When writing your sage words and your appeals for calm you must have felt like a lone voice, but I noticed and I was grateful. Your voice is the sort of voice that makes Wikipedia worthwhile for many. Dolphin51 (talk) 07:45, 10 March 2010 (UTC)

		The Special Barnstar
		Philcha, for being who you are - totally irreplacable! from —mattisse (Talk) 22:25, 15 December 2009 (UTC)

		The Music Barnstar
		For the excellent and thorough job you did reviewing the complicated but important Mr. Tambourine Man article, I award you this barnstar. Rlendog (talk) 21:35, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

		The Guidance Barnstar
		I would like to thank you and Cliff smith talk for your help even though I didn't get around to your suggestions... i feel bad now :( But your small contributions helped, becuase it's the small contribs that add up in the end :P... have a good one Bugboy52.4 | =-= 02:31, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

		The Bio-star
		To Philcha, for attempting to address the bias that our invertebrate second-cousins are up against in being ignored in mainspace (and the image is of an invertebrate too) cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 13:02, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

		The Fertilisation of Orchids Award
		Thanks for asking all those awkward questions and pointing the way to bring a whimsical sketch up to FA standard. Much appreciated! dave souza, talk 12:03, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

	The Working Man's Barnstar
	Thankyou for all your hard work in reviewing York Park. Also for your tireless work in reviewing other GANs. Aaroncrick (talk) 13:26, 7 August 2009 (UTC)

		The Origins Award
		Thanks for all the fish, Philcha, and for doing so much to improve On the Origin of Species. . . dave souza, talk 11:09, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

		The Socratic Barnstar
		For the pointed, lengthy, interactive and incredibly helpful GA review of On the Origin of Species Rusty Cashman (talk) 20:41, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

		The Original Barnstar
		For your thorough work on making Wikipedia a better encyclopædia, I award you this barnstar. Arsenikk (talk) 20:43, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

		The Mammal Barnstar
		For the extensive work and excellent guidance in reviewing the Sperm Whale article, so that this important article could regain its GA status, I hereby award you the Mammal Barnstar Rlendog (talk) 17:16, 10 November 2008 (UTC) Danilot (talk) 19:06, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

		The Tireless Contributor Barnstar
		Either you have an army of impersonators, or you've completely taken over the Biology section at GAN! You've been doing amazing work, both contributing lots of content and giving impressively thorough GA reviews. delldot ∇. 06:12, 8 November 2008 (UTC)

		The Half Barnstar
		For the great work Philcha (a British) and Krakatoa (an American) were able to produce together in order to reach a neutral point-of-view in the article Howard Staunton so that it reached GA-class, I award to each of them half of this barnstar. SyG (talk) 08:30, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

		The Content Creativity Barnstar
		For the tremendous work and material you put in the article Alexander Alekhine during the GA-review, I award you this barnstar. SyG (talk) 21:44, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

		The Working Man's Barnstar
		For excellent work on Chess topics:Staunton, Blackburn, Zukertort‎ , Steinitz and Anderssen. I am very happy to award you this barnstar. SunCreator (talk) 18:15, 10 May 2008 (UTC)