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By the way, starting from Nov 8, once you reach 500 edits in the main name space, you'll be eligible for AWB access again. To check it go to "my contributions", select the main namespace, click on the "500", and then take a look. If the history only goes back to Nov 8 or later, then you're ready. [[User:The Transhumanist|The Transhumanist]] 05:05, 2 December 2007 (UTC)
By the way, starting from Nov 8, once you reach 500 edits in the main name space, you'll be eligible for AWB access again. To check it go to "my contributions", select the main namespace, click on the "500", and then take a look. If the history only goes back to Nov 8 or later, then you're ready. [[User:The Transhumanist|The Transhumanist]] 05:05, 2 December 2007 (UTC)
::Regarding AWB, it goes back to September 24th, so I am obviously not ready yet. <font face="lucida calligraphy">[[User talk:Auroranorth|Auroranorth]]</font> ([[User:Auroranorth/Autograph Collection|!]]) 05:48, 2 December 2007 (UTC)


== User page design thanks ==
== User page design thanks ==

Revision as of 05:49, 2 December 2007

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I respond to articles posted here on this page. Please check back for my responses. Thank you.  The Transhumanist   

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'''''[[User:The Transhumanist|<font color="#880088">Th<font color="#0000FF">e Tr<font color="#449900">ans<font color="#DD9922">hu<font color="#DD4400">man<font color="#BB0000">ist</font>   ]]''''' ~~~~~



Basic topics

Hi TT. You've asked some tough questions, which is why I've taken time to answer them.

As you point out to me, you nowhere define "basic topics" (or wikilink to a definition). Create your own definition for this list (read on for how).

I think the fundamental question is neither comprehensiveness, nor RS, but actually POV. In other words, who says that these are the basic topics, not others (excluded) or that the ones listed are indeed basic topics that shouldn't be removed from the listing. At first glance I spotted Mental mapping and thought, "hmm, interesting, but is that a fundamental topic of Geography?". Maybe it is. And maybe it isn't. A Featured List cannot be subject to POV... and this is. So, how do you tackle the POV?

Now, I actually think that answering this question (if it's possible to do so) will answer the RS question too... as you need to find an RS that lists something that approximates to a list of basic geography topics.

And of course, it also answers the comprehensiveness issue too, as anything in your RS should be in, and anything else should not.

The list of notable geographers is, once more, totally POV and should be struck, unless you can find a RS that lists a "top X geographers of all time".

All the other issues you raise are minor tweaks by contrast with this all-encompassing problem. Crack it first, I'd suggest.

Hope that's helpful. --Dweller 10:48, 7 November 2007 (UTC) PS The External links section is too horrible for words. And the See also is very odd.[reply]

Mental mapping is one of the 18 National Geography Standards of the National Council for Geographic Education.
The geographer section is intended to list some examples, to get the reader started. How is that POV? I gathered them from Wikipedia's history of geography article.


And what is odd about the see also section?
The Transhumanist    12:09, 7 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

(Let's keep the conversation here) Your mental mapping answer is the way forward. Explain and cite the inclusion. Tackle all of the sections on that kind of basis and you deal with all objections of POV, comprehensiveness and RS. Geographers section is plainly POV. Why haven't you included any of 1000 other geographers? Let's leave discussing detail like the external links and see also sections until you've dealt with these massive issues. --Dweller 12:26, 7 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Because the purpose of the section is to present some examples of the practioners of the field, as a lead-in for the study of geographers. But if you need an official short list of the greatest geographers, or the most influential, or a list that is the most fundamental/basic for educational purposes, then there's probably a list like that out there in the world somewhere. This is supposed to be an introduction to geography. If examples can't be provided of one of the main components of the field (the people in it), then editors' hands are being unnecessarily tied behind their backs.
Please check "the essence" section, to see if the lead is sufficient. The Transhumanist 17:52, 7 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
TT, I understand why you've included them, it's just that it's impossible for you to justify the inclusion of some, rather than others, as being anything other than your subjective decision. Why not (as a thought) point to daughter articles of types of Geographers, rather than listing any names at all? (List of geologists, List of human geographers, List of laddyda (I don't know much about geography, does it show?!) And Featured criteria does tie hands - you can't take a bio to FA no matter how good it is if there's no decent free image of the subject.
I'll take a look at the essence section when I get a mo. --Dweller 18:02, 7 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Are you saying that the inclusion of examples is inescapably POV? (How else could an editor select the presentation of one example over all other possible examples?)
Does this mean that every example provided within Wikipedia's pages in the main namespace violates WP:NPOV? The Transhumanist 18:48, 7 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
What I'm saying is that when it comes to Featured material, there's more exacting standards. Ask TRM for a second opinion? Happy to listen to his thoughts - he has more FAs than me! --Dweller 23:05, 7 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Are you sure? Are there written FA standards on this? The featured article Hoysala architecture has a list of examples, that seems to be entirely analagous to the list of examples I wish to include. Images that present examples abound on featured articles, and their selection doesn't seem to differ in any way from how links are chosen to be examples. The way you are applying NPOV does not appear to be a standard of featured articles. I tried finding style guidelines on the presentation of examples in Wikipedia articles, and I couldn't find any. There's an essay stub called Wikipedia:Give examples. For an an extreme example of the presentation of examples on Wikipedia, see Examples of groups, an expansion page of Group (mathematics). For a treatment of examples in the real world, see List of mathematical examples. The Transhumanist    23:49, 7 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

LOTD proposal

You either voted on the original list of the day proposal or the revised version. A more modest experimental proposal is now at issue at WP:LOTDP. Feel free to voice your opinion.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/tcfkaWCDbwincowtchatlotpsoplrttaDCLaM) 17:32, 7 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Oh great design mentor

Dear TH, I again humbly come to you with yet another padding issue. It seems that my brain has some sort of mental block, as it appears that padding is the single bane of my design endeavors. I'm yet again trying to get text to stop being bumped right up against a picture box, you can see it here, and I tried putting into place the fixes you'd shown me earlier on someone else's design, but alas, they did nothing this time. Some silly tweak I've done I'm sure, lol. If you have a minute, if you would be so kind to yet again, fix my silly padding issues, I would be so grateful. ~*Curtsy*~ ArielGold 00:19, 8 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you so much, yet again, you've come with the magic wand and fixed it. Margin... padding... argh, lol. So, do I understand this right? Margins placed inside a box's borders, will actually affect how text interacts with the outside of the box? No wonder I don't figure it out, that doesn't seem to make much sense, lol. I would think the margins inside a box would make the information inside that box smaller, and have no effect on anything outside the box. Maybe I'm still not getting it, though (should I be thinking "outside the box"? hee hee). And omigosh, thanks so much for the hidden emoticon stuff! That was so cute! Anyway, I'm sorry to always come to you with silly little issues, but I hope you know how much I appreciate that you've always taken the time to fix them, and some day maybe I'll figure this padding/margin thing out! ArielGold 04:11, 8 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Margins placed in a box's code will place spacing on the outside of the box. Padding in a box's code will place spacing on the inside of the box. I added margins to the box the picture was in. Padding for a box does not affect spacing between elements that are inside that box.
Ahhh, okay that clears it up, I hope! Now if I can remember it next time I run into this issue, that will be the challenge, lol. And who knew there were so many smilies! lol. Have you found every one? I've been looking for the :p smiley, you found it! Smiley 11. That will come in handy, hee hee. Okay I'm off to bed! Thank you again, Oh Wise One, for your wonderful assistance! ArielGold 04:40, 8 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Found one you missed! ArielGold 04:41, 8 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
No, I haven't found every one, new ones pop up from time to time. Though I don't grab every one -- I picked most of the ones on my list because they have relatively small file sizes, and don't slow down page loads much. For places to look, see emoticon, list of common emoticons, Category:Emoticons, and commons:Category:Smilies. (the last one has the most)     The Transhumanist 05:16, 8 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah I got mine from the Commons category, but honestly, even if you loaded up a page with smileys, it wouldn't affect server performance. I mean, consider that these are 15kb tiny images. Now, think about some people's signatures, lol. There are signatures bigger in size than these little bitty pictures. Granted, as I mentioned on my talk page, I don't think they are something to sprinkle all over, but I have found that with the medium of text being difficult to convey tone or intent, a well-placed smiley can go a long way towards letting someone know that you mean your comments as humor, or in a kind way, to avoid misunderstanding. All that rambling being said, I am glad you gave me the smileys and links, because I wanted one with the tongue stuck out to use on occasion, lol! Hope you're having a fantastic Thursday! ArielGold 17:50, 8 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Auroranorth and AWB

While I understand your position, Auroranorth is currently blocked due to disruptive editing using TW. For him to access to any automated tools is counter productive. He had only just completed a period probation after being unblocked for operating sock puppets. AWB requires editors to have had 500 edits, once he returns from this block and has 500 edits without issue I'll restore him to the list. Gnangarra 12:12, 8 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with Gnangarra. There's plenty Auroranorth can do without semi-automated tools like Twinkie or AWB. He needs to show a sustained period that he can be trusted to drive a normal car before being given the keys to the Ferrari. No-one is suggesting that his editing is deliberately disruptive, but experience shows he needs to be supervised closely: when I blocked him the other day I hoped it would encourage him reflect on the damage that can be caused by careless editing. I (along with several others) will rejoice when I can take his talk page off my watchlist and not feel the need to review his activities every few days. PS: You are doing a wonderful job with his coaching and I applaud you for that. —Moondyne 14:40, 8 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Better safe than sorry. You're right, there are plenty of things to do without the tools. Those need to learned too. No problemo. The Transhumanist    02:41, 11 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you

My page

Please go here. Laleena 20:32, 10 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Please don't go. Hide out at the VC for awhile. You can use it as your base of operations. The Transhumanist    02:43, 11 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Coaching

Note left on my coaching page for you. Auroranorth 04:37, 11 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Food for thought

Coaching

Am I going in the right direction with List of basic literature topics? Auroranorth 07:46, 11 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

see your coaching page. --TT

List of basic geography topics

The list is quite clearly heading towards a no consensus right now and even if it gets more support, one really can't ignore opposition from three users. There is no active discussion right now so I could close it right now, but I'll let you choose if you want it closed now or if you would rather leave it open a few more days in hopes of persuading a user to drop their opposition. -- 01:39, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

Added feedback may be very useful. A few more days would be fine. Thank you for asking. The Transhumanist    14:41, 13 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
My personal closure policy is to leave it 12 days if it is definitely not heading for a pass, so I'll leave it for two more days. -- Scorpion0422 16:17, 13 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yo. Let's agree to disagree on this one. --Dweller 16:55, 13 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

12 days is fine with me. Thank you, Scorpion. Dweller, we're not in hostile conflict, the issue at this point isn't whether or not it will pass, but feedback. I'd like to maximize feedback, so I can handle as many issues as possible before preparing the list for resubmission. Keep in mind that the geog list is forging the way for future lists of this type, both in their general design, and in their development as FLCs. That's why I kept pressing you for answers. Also, I'm on a learning curve here.  ;-) The more feedback the better. The Transhumanist    20:35, 13 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Great. I recommend you drop The Rambling Man a line. I greatly respect his opinion. And he's pretty experienced with the featured criteria for lists and articles. --Dweller 20:57, 13 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Done. I look forward to his advice. The Transhumanist    07:49, 14 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

~*Ariel sighs*~

Well, I got the padding thing, figured that out with this newest project, but now I'm struggling with a centering issue, three boxes, the second (middle) box refuses to center align, and instead bumps up against the edge of another, no matter what I do with the margins of the outside box. ~*Sigh*~ I think it is probably a margin issue? But I'm not sure what the proper wording is, I tried setting margins for the outside box, but that did not work, lol. Anyway, if you have a little time and could take a peek, again, you know I'll be greatly appreciative. (And sorry to come to you with such silly little issues so often, lol) ArielGold 22:20, 14 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Done. The Transhumanist    06:27, 15 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Omg, and I just realized I didn't even give you the link to what I needed! LOL I'm sooo sorry for that, and it was wonderful of you to figure it out! Gosh, what a ninny I am, lol. And yeah I thought it might have something to do with that, but I wasn't sure quite how I could solve it. Again, I bow down to your coding genius, lol. Thank you so much! ArielGold 07:04, 15 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
If you want to meet true coding geniuses, check out nestable templates.  ;-) The Transhumanist    07:13, 15 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
LOL The trick is I actually have about 6 sandboxes, all with various names like /project /Projects /Sandbox2, lol. Thankfully I was using the first one I came across and it happened to be the last one you fixed, lol. Nestable templates, huh? Sort of sounds like a kind of bird, lol. ArielGold 07:43, 15 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Interested in advanced code? Here's a set of templates I worked on with Audacity for the welcoming committee. He taught me some things on that project:

I got most of my format training working on the philosophy portal, the Main Page redesign, the help page overhaul, and the community portal overhaul. My overhaul of the community portal was rejected (except for the Community Bulletin Board and the TOTD), but it was for the best, because one section of my version became the Department directory.

The most intricate graphical formatting I ever worked on (back when I was named "Go for it!") was on Wikipedia:Department directory, which uses advanced table formatting. The early versions had triple borders! I couldn't have completed the page at all if it wasn't for Rossami and Catherine, who generously and patiently tutored me in the intricacies of borders, tabling, and nesting tables. I stored their examples and my homework on the following pages:

The best template programmer I know is CBDunkerson. He programmed template:Totd-random, which I based my random task generator on.

The most prolific wiki-layout artist I know is AGK. We worked together to overhaul Wikipedia's welcome page. AGK has redesigned his user page so many times that I've lost count. His UP's history is a great example farm for page format encoding.

I hope you find the above examples useful. Enjoy.

The Transhumanist    09:27, 15 November 2007 (UTC) [reply]

Wow, lol. I've done some minor template work, mostly just custom user notices/warnings, using 1-2 variables, a little bit of infobox tweaking, and my own messing around designing things for myself and others. I think the biggest challenge I had lately was trying to format this page to clear up my watchlist some, I wanted tabs that would lead to different pages, and highlight when active, like the Portal:Science portal uses. I finally figured it out, but I think it took me all day, lol. I really don't have a high enough level of knowledge about .css code and intricacies of some of the quirks here to be able to do super fancy stuff like your table examples, unless I copy and tweak from another source, lol. I've had the bug to redesign my userpage lately, but so far I'm resisting it lol. Thanks for all those links, if nothing else, they are a source of awe and inspiration to me! I think my basic problem is that I'm not a "coder" by profession, so while others sort of "see" in code language what changes and symbols do, I am not able to do that, and have to just make flying guesses and preview to see what changes, if anything, lol. Nested tables are probably one of the things that frustrate me the most, as you've seen, lol. Thanks again for all those links, though, I think I'll drop those somewhere for future reference to see how things should be done. Thank you thank you, again! ArielGold 22:29, 15 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
The examples are useful as starting points on most table configurations. But my big secret is external memory - check this out: User:The Transhumanist/Resources. The Transhumanist    00:44, 16 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Hee hee, yeah I have more than one pages of "cheatsheets", lol. I think you probably are able to "see" what the coding means, though, where I really don't know what all the commands do. I never really got much past basic HTML, because WYSIWYG editors came along, and I ended up using those in the 90s, lol. Ah well, I am blessed that there are editor's such as you, and Phae when she's around, who are so helpful and wonderful, and smart and funny, to go to when I get in over my head. ~*Grin*~ ArielGold 00:50, 16 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Your FLC

Hey, been a while, and as I'm sure you can appreciate, time has been precious, but I'm doing my best to go over my talk page requests for comment, and in that spirit, you have List of basic geography topics up at WP:FLC. I understand there's been a level of opposition and I also believe that you're not 100% happy with the previous outcome. That nothwithstanding I'd like to give you some comments that you may appreciate or you may entirely disregard, I'm not familiar with reviewing lists of basic topics, I'm a specialist kind of guy. So, take my comments as you will, and all the best with them!

  1. Lead is a bit essay-ish. The emphasis and italicising isn't quite what I'd expect from a neutral encyclopaedia. (Don't get me wrong, it makes you want to read more, but that seems to be stuff of the 1930s encyclopaedias!)
  2. "...is comprised of..." - classic grammar argument. Avoid the argument - "...is composed of..."
  3. In-line external links are avoidable. Make them references. So I'd ditch 18 National Geography Standards for example, make it a proper {{Cite web}} link. It may make accessibility to said site more difficult but it's going to help make the article more elegant.
  4. Who said the "National Council for Geographic Education" knew what they were talking about? American council? Not sure but we need to be eclectic.
  5. "as in "the New England states", or as one part of a larger whole, as in "the state of New York, located in the United States". " - again, let's be globally biased, not US-centric.
  6. Not massively worrying but if I was making an FL, then I wouldn't have navboxes which didn't have major topic pages, such as Regions of North America. Create them.
  7. Political divisions section is a bit, well.... sad?
  8. "Some specific areas" section is very geographically biased - you have the globe to choose from, these seem quite Pacific-centric.
  9. Minor point but images vary in size throughout, I'd opt for a uniform thumb size.
  10. It may have been raised before but there are no citations. Mostly it's okay but things like atmosphere composition needs to have something to accredit it, especially in these controversial "Days of Gore"...
  11. I think Dweller may have stated before, there is always going to be an issue of WP:POV with things like "Some notable geographers".
  12. The external links aren't my kettle of fish. Most of them should probably be linked to from sub-topics. In fact, I'd be surprised if this topic needed any external links beside the references I'd like to see that I mentioned above.

Perhaps not the review you were looking for - I'd prefer to take the article on it's "right now" status, review it per "my standards" - but please take it all with a pinch of salt - I'd like to learn more about where you're going with this and if I can help you get it there. The Rambling Man (talk) 00:55, 17 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Critical feedback is exactly what I'm looking for. I'd like to develop the list to featured status without sacrificing its original purpose. I've fixed most of the problems you've pointed out...
  1. removed italics, reduced wordiness.  Done
  2. removed "is comprised of".  Done
  3. replaced inline external links.  Done
  4. Added refs: National Geographic stands behind the standards, and explains where they came from, etc.  Done
  5. Remove US-centric examples from region section, and replaced with non-specific examples.  Done
  6. The red main links on nav boxes have been turned blue, or removed.  Done
  7. "Sad" didn't give me much to go on. Replaced lone link with section lead.  Done
  8. The Bermuda Triangle is in the Atlantic, not the Pacific. For "specific areas", areas that aren't already within the scope of the other sections on the page are not easy to find. I could use some help here.  Not done
  9. Set all right-hand images to 400px. The animated one won't change size.  Done
  10. Citations - will take some work.  Not done
  11. Geographer section needs a new list, from a single source.  Not done
  12. I've come across some webpages on "basic geography". Those would be especially on-topic for the external links section. I need to spend some time browsing curriculum standards.  Not done

Your feedback was helpful, and doable. Thank you. One objection in the FLC pertained to the scope of sections, but it didn't make any sense. That objection can't be accomodated without removing 80% of the list. That would circumvent the purpose of the list. But the main hurdle will be citations. That's tied in with the absense of a definition for "basic". A major objection was that the includability of items wasn't verified, which necessitates a source for each section (which will dictate the contents of each section), or failing that, each item. The Transhumanist    07:59, 17 November 2007 (UTC) [reply]

LOTD experiment

You voted for one of my prior proposals to institute a List of the Day Proposal. I may have already alerted you to an experiment I am conducting at WP:LOTD. Now that the experiment is running I can point out the benefits to the project of the method I am experimenting with that other alternatives don't offer. First, there is a set of orphaned articles for persons who do not have any featured lists of their own or persons that would like to take responsibility for more. Anyone can nominate such orphans. This benefits WP by getting people involved in list articles that might not have active editors to update them or defend them against vandalism. Please consider adopting one of our orphans.

There are several other advantages that will improve the project:

  1. Each list will be encouraged to respond to commentary and feedback during the candidacy period, which will hopefully improve the quality of the articles.
  2. Articles without pictures will be encouraged to find them. E.g., List of Harry Potter films cast members had no image before its nominator added an image for this experiment. This type of thing, of course, improves the project.
  3. Articles are encouraged to add relevant projects to their talk page. This alerts other project to articles that they would likely have an interest in and would be able to either improve or protect.

Again come by and consider adopting one of our orphans this month or in future months either adopt an orphan or give feedback on the candidates.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:LOTD) 17:21, 20 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I think you are drawing out the same plan that does not improve the project as is essentially under consideration right now. What I am saying is that if I could get interest in doing it the way that improves the project, I am willing to do so and am running an experiment right now. However, it seems all those who have produced a lot of FLs are attempting to push through a method that does not improve the project. If I could get those people behind an idea that improves the project we could really do some good. That is why I am pointing out the ways my method would improve the project.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:LOTD) 19:56, 20 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
The difference is that the current proposal entails cut and pasting excerpts, whereas I suggested supplying a link only. The Transhumanist (talk) 23:29, 20 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
You are distinguishing display methods. I am attempting to distiguish selection methods and demsonstrate that the method I propose has the benefit of improving the project.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:LOTD) 16:19, 21 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Your selection method will default to a single individual ordering the FLs, just to keep up with the built-in quota of 365 noms per year. Either that, or the project will redlink (show a redlink instead of a LOTD). The Transhumanist    16:24, 21 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I think you are saying that since it appears that less than 30 nominees exist the project will default to a single person selecting the LOTDs. I think instead I may nominate random FLs up to 40 and see if I can get persons interested in saying which 5 they like the most. If people neither want to nominate or provide feedback, I am not sure I will continue with the experiment.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:LOTD) 16:58, 21 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
That's a variation on the same theme. It's busywork. The lists already passed the FLC nomination process. Why force them through another one? It's an unecessary level of bureaucracy. The Transhumanist    17:21, 21 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Nuclear leapfrog

I saw, good work, thanks will continue tonight. --Stefan talk 06:05, 21 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

List of basic geology topics

And it's still empty! (substantively speaking) Someguy1221 (talk) 07:25, 21 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I'm working on it right now.  :-) The Transhumanist    07:29, 21 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I saw it was you and figured there was more to come. Just making sure you haven't fallen off your rocker ;-) Someguy1221 (talk) 07:32, 21 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I don't have a rocker, I am a rocker. I do have a rocket though, but haven't fallen off yet.  :-) The Transhumanist    07:35, 21 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Lotd candidate?

Glossary of wine terms. Where can one find your criterions for being nominated? --victor falk 02:47, 23 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Only featured lists are displayed in this LOTD program, and those are scheduled in the order they became featured lists. To nominate a list for featured status, see WP:FLC, but be prepared for a ton of work. The Transhumanist    18:52, 23 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

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Template:Deprecation notice Bryan Derksen (talk) 04:48, 24 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Where's my award???

I applied for an award in your Award Center, and worked hard to fulfill the request, but never recieved the award. Can you please give it to me? • EvanS :: talk § email § photos 19:41, 24 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Cool. Will be glad to. For future reference, please read the page's instructions. Thank you. And congrats. The Transhumanist    05:48, 25 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the award!!! I moved it all into one box and you can see what I did here. Something weird happens on my computer when I click on your username, but I still think its the best way to fit it in unless you can help me think of a better idea. • EvanS :: talk § email § photos 15:55, 26 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Also, feel free to change the problem with the link to your userpage at that page if you know how & can. • EvanS :: talk § email § photos 15:57, 26 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Re: List of basic philosophy topics

Thanks! I have quite a bit on my plate so I'm not sure when I'll get to the other basic topics lists, but I think the lists are a great resource and the WikiProject an excellent idea. I'll add my name to the members list before I forget.

What would you think about trimming the basic philosophy topics list somewhat, and merging some sub-sections? I'm inclined to say that more brevity would perhaps benefit readers rather than more detail, but you know the goals of the lists better than anyone. :-)

xDanielx T/C\R 22:44, 25 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Service Badge

Thank you for the Service badge you gave me earlier on! Cheers!! --Zacharycrimsonwolf 14:49, 26 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

That was a huge surprise for me. Thanks a million for the change! --Zacharycrimsonwolf 05:57, 27 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you!

Thank you for your consideration and kind words, it's appreciated! --BrokenSphereMsg me 17:21, 26 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Index lists - RfC

Please see Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)#Index Lists, a complex issue which I've tried to summarize. It concerns unsourced pages in mainspace like List of timelines, List of basic mathematics topics, and List of film topics. Its scope is currently a few hundred pages, and potentially a few thousand pages. Feedback would be appreciated. -- Quiddity (talk) 19:41, 26 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

As of now...

Right now, I can only be on Wikipedia as a small-time contributor - so don't expect any assignments completed any time soon, I'm sorry! Auroranorth (!) 12:01, 27 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Keep up the good work at school. There will be plenty of work waiting for you when you have more time. The Transhumanist (talk) 12:06, 27 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Hmm! Thanks. It's not just school! Auroranorth (!) 12:29, 27 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

TFL

I commented on the list proposal you constructed. I don't think its a matter of overwhelming consensus against you but that Wikipedians have stopped taking this List of the day fiasco seriously, for the moment anyway. IvoShandor (talk) 14:16, 27 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I need my userpage fixed up.

It's a real piece of crap, and I need someone to help with it. Please respond on my talk page. Best, --Gp75motorsports (talk) 23:13, 27 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, may I ask...

...where do I go if I want my userpage overhauled. My main userpage is currently fully protected, so it won't be accessible for a while. Thanks and happy holidays, -Goodshoped 00:09, 28 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

There's a link to the User Page Design Center at the top of this page. The Transhumanist (talk) 04:35, 28 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, I checked it out. -Goodshoped 04:37, 28 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Now here's an idea...

...but it might be a little tough to execute. I was thinking of something that would put together a userpage for you. When you access the page, you'll be presented with eight primary interests, or things that you like that you want to be on your userpages. Then you'd be led to a page where you could scroll through various predesigned userpages. After you select a pre-designed userpage, you select a color scheme consisting of three colors. After you enter your username, the custom userpage would be downloaded to yours. Again, it might be a little tough to constuct, but if you succeed in getting it to work, then it'd be a lot easier for those who don't want to go through all that boring, sensitive syntax. Reply on my talk page. Best, --Gp75motorsports (talk) 02:11, 28 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

P.S. Thanks for the userpage! It looks really sweet. --Gp75motorsports (talk) 02:32, 28 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not a programmer, but here's the next best thing: Userpage design center.

The Transhumanist    04:38, 28 November 2007 (UTC) [reply]

Oh, yeah, I've been there before. Do you know anyone here who's a programmer? I'm trying to see if I can get someone to put it into beta. --Gp75motorsports (talk) 11:47, 28 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I do know some, but that isn't the type of project that would interest them. You should ask the people at WP:BOTS. If it can be done in an automated fashion on Wikipedia, they would know how. The Transhumanist    11:49, 28 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, thanks. Headed there pronto. --Gp75motorsports (talk) 15:05, 28 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Another userpage that needs fixing

You should have some real fun with this. User:AlasdairGreen27 needs some real work on his, as he lives in a trailer. He said he'd get around to it, but he never has. have fun! Best, --Gp75motorsports (talk) 22:07, 28 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I don't generally raid peoples' user pages. If you don't think he would mind, you could fix it up for him, but you should probably ask him first. I'm always glad to help users who come to me for assistance. Sometimes I give them a fish, and sometimes I teach them to fish (you know, like the saying), depending on my mood. The Transhumanist    22:32, 28 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I've already asked him. He said he's eagerly waiting. --Gp75motorsports (talk) 23:26, 28 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Ooh, cool. I can't wait to see what you turn it into. If you run into trouble, let me know. (Don't worry, it's easy. You can do it. Just cut and paste stuff from the WP:UPDC) The Transhumanist 01:37, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

lotd

Is there a reason why the lists repeat at {{lotd}}?--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:LOTD) 22:33, 28 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. It's explained in a comment at the top of the template (click edit this page to see it). The Transhumanist    23:34, 28 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Beginning Portal Review

Hello, I have a question (well a few) about portals and ArielGold said you were an expert in this area. So, if you are not totally busy with existing projects/problems could you look at my portal I just started. Right now, it's in my user area, User:Rocketmaniac/South Carolina2. Actually I copied most of the code from the North Carolina portal Portal:North Carolina. Now that I am done with the beginning edits, I found that clicking on the normal "edit" does not bring me to the actual data. For example, I must go to User:Rocketmaniac/South Carolina2/Intro to edit the intro section. Did I do something wrong? Or did I copy a bad example of a portal? ArielGold thinks it has to do with the fact that it in my user area and will be ok once I move it to the "real" area. (for the actual discussion see User talk:ArielGold page. I am basically new to wikipedia editing so any help is welcomed. Thanks for your time. Rocketmaniac (talk) 00:33, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It's fixed. The Transhumanist    01:22, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
WOW, you made it look easy. Many thanks. In your opinion, what else needs to be (or should be) done to the portal before going live with it? Again, thank you for you help. Rocketmaniac (talk) 02:15, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
If there is no featured article on a South Carolina topic, select one yourself from the encyclopedia, and rename that section "Selected article". The section "Today in South Carolina history" requires ongoing upkeep (one entry per day). Therefore, unless you want to track down 365 entries per year for that section, you should replace that section with something else, or just remove it. Once you've done the these things, look over ten other portals. Implement any good ideas you get from doing that, and then go live. Have fun. The Transhumanist 02:29, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Hey, it's me again. Another question. (I've reviewed 10 other portals and there are a few things/sections I'd like to add to mine) What did you actually do to fix/undo my errors .... so I don't make the same error/mistake again in my editing. Rocketmaniac (talk) 03:32, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Hello again. When you get the time, please look at the "related portals" and "related wikiProject". When you click on the normal edit button, it goes off to another weird page. After that is fixed, I would like to "go live". Rocketmaniac (talk) 12:52, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Never Mind I figured out why those two sections did work and fixed it. (it scary, but I think I'm actually getting the hang of this wiki-editing). Now to figure out how to move it. Rocketmaniac (talk) 13:09, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Hello, this is a message from an automated bot. A tag has been placed on Category:Big Science, by another Wikipedia user, requesting that it be speedily deleted from Wikipedia. The tag claims that it should be speedily deleted because Category:Big Science was previously deleted as a result of an articles for deletion (or another XfD)

To contest the tagging and request that administrators wait before possibly deleting Category:Big Science, please affix the template {{hangon}} to the page, and put a note on its talk page. If the article has already been deleted, see the advice and instructions at WP:WMD. Feel free to contact the bot operator if you have any questions about this or any problems with this bot, bearing in mind that this bot is only informing you of the nomination for speedy deletion; it does not perform any nominations or deletions itself. To see the user who deleted the page, click here CSDWarnBot (talk) 03:00, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Adminship

Hi. It's been six months since your last RfA. I've just refreshed my memory by reading through the oppose !votes and they were mostly prompted (IMHO) by a slightly vague statement regarding why you would need the tools.

If someone were to nominate you for a new run at RfA, what do you think you would do that you currently cannot? --Dweller (talk) 13:30, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Editing protected pages would be useful. The first thing I would do as an admin would be remove class="MainPageBG" from the Main page, because it may confuse editors studying the main page's markup, because that class does not exist. It's code cruft leftover from a bygone age. I would of course check the class again before removing it, to be sure it hasn't been repurposed.
There's also a formatting error on the Main page just above "Today's featured picture", where that section overlaps the bottom border of the section appearing above it. I would fix that too. Wikignome stuff.
I would be able to handle administrative maintenance issues directly and silently rather than find roundabout solutions. For example, editors requesting access to WP:AWB often had to wait several days before being approved because there wasn't an admin dedicated to monitoring and maintaining AWB's check page. So I placed an instruction on the page for editors to report to WP:AN if any request for approval aged over 24 hours, essentially delegating the chore to existing admins. If I was an admin, I would have simply filled the maintenance niche myself.
I do a lot of coaching, including admin coaching. I am proud to have coached and co-nominated The Rambling Man, AGK, and Dweller for adminship. Being an admin myself would enable me to convey a more complete perspective to my students.
If I were an admin, other administrators could contact me to assist with problems too big for them to handle by themselves. Also, I'm logged-in a lot, so the chances are high that I would be available should an emergency arise.
Browsing deleted pages would be useful for making proposals to Deletion Review. For example, many lists have been deleted due to an inappropriate conflict between categories and lists, and due to misinterpretation of the guideline "Avoid self-references" (which I've recently renamed to "Wikipedia:Self-references to avoid"). Guidelines concerning the purposes of lists have changed, and many list deletions no longer reflect this and should be reviewed. To reduce bandwidth (i.e., save reviewers' time), I would make proposals of batches of pages that share the same characteristics.
I move a lot of pages. I frequently come across pages that I'd move but can't; moves with a small problem that would otherwise be routine. Like pages that can't be moved because there is a redirect in the way which has more than one edit or which points somewhere else. Also, I occasionally find a category page that needs renaming, and I used to move these myself, but now adminship is required to do so.

Is that what you were looking for? The Transhumanist 18:49, 29 November 2007 (UTC) [reply]

That'll do me fine; thanks. --Dweller (talk) 19:23, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Something is wrong with your mailbox, btw. --Dweller (talk) 20:41, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Gift

Check this out! I created Category:Userpages that need fixing so that people like you can check out userpages that need a little bit of a recharge. Have fun with it! --Gp75motorsports (talk) 16:40, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

P.S. AlasdairGreen decided to fix his own page. --Gp75motorsports (talk) 16:40, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I prefer to work on the encyclopedia itself. I've tried to reduce the frustration of new users with respect to their user pages by providing easy-to-follow instructions on user page design. The Transhumanist 17:38, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]


Hmm. Maybe I could create a template with a link to the design center? --Gp75motorsports (talk) 19:19, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Like this? -TT 19:37, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Does your user page suck? See the
User Page Design Center

Yeah. I already created a template:

Userpage design

Hello, The Transhumanist! You know, there's this really nice place to go if you want to design your own userpage. It's called the userpage design center. It's got thousands of possible combinations, and each one is super-easy to create. You ought to try it out.

but I need some help on the "If" for the username. --Gp75motorsports (talk) 20:36, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You need to replace the heading codes with bigs. To make the heading like this: heading text , so that you aren't inserting an edit button on people's talk pages. The Transhumanist (talk) 23:10, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Linking a Portal

Hey, I got my Portal moved to a "real" page and everything appears to be fine. Now, what links/redirects do I need to edit to include this new Portal? Is there a template or list to follow? No sense in building a portal if no one goes there and uses it right? Thanks again. Rocketmaniac (talk) 03:37, 30 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Nice Job. Clean and crisp.
I moved things around to reduce white space and balance the columns. You might want to move the sections around some more to get the best placement/order of presentation.
Are purge buttons no longer needed? You might want to look into whether or not your portal needs one.
For links, you need to put a portal template on the corresponding article and category page. See other articles for how it's done there. Add your portal to the portal directory (accessible from Wikipedia:Portals), also add it to Portal:Portals, and to the shortcut directory (see the menu at the top of the Community Portal). Announce your new portal on the WP:CBB (in the section for new portals).
I hope that helps.
The Transhumanist 07:44, 30 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

template change

Please dont be over-bold in making template changes. The template you objected to, NoMoreLinks, survived an almost unanimous TfD in January.. I tried an alternative wording which I think meets your objections, and we can discuss further at Template talk:NoMoreLinks. As for the example you mentioned, I reverted your bold change at Genetics, but using the new template. I am not at all happy with the links at Life extension, and will comment at the talk page there on them. DGG (talk) 07:54, 30 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

No problem. I removed it from one location and then posted the discussion thread on WP:VPP. Rather than remove the template from further pages (as per your request), I've instead touched up the template to cover the issue of quantity. If there are only a few links on a page, we don't want to scare editors off from adding new links. And we shouldn't make preapproval mandatory, especially when there are only a few links to begin with. Though encouraging discussion is very appropriate. I hope you like it. The Transhumanist (talk) 08:44, 30 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

List of basic design topics

I appreciate your edits to list of basic design topics but question if they violate the "basic" focus of that article. What do you think? Some of the topics you have added seem a bit complicated and the list of topics has become rather broad. Regardless, thank you and cheers! —Parhamr 20:24, 30 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Well, any subject introduction would define the subject, including mentioning its subfields. The problem is, in a hypertext medium, mentioning them includes linking to them. So there is some ambiguity between defining a subject and providing coverage of basic terms. If you can think of a solution, please let me know. The Transhumanist 20:56, 30 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
As a graphic designer currently wrapping up my BFA, I might be far too close to the subject for neutrality. From my perspective, the design industry can be divided up into 2D (print communication), 3D (environmental and industrial design) and 4D (motion, interaction and experience design).
Also, designers are protective of their trades; while business and engineering are complementary trades, we assert autonomy from them. It looks like some of your edits have blurred the line. To an end-user of design, this is fine, but to a person who hopes to procure design, there are strong lines of distinction.
I will make some bold changes, possibly too aggressive. Feel free to revert any. —Parhamr 21:13, 30 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps a distinction should be made between the activity of design, and the field of design. Both are "topics". The Transhumanist 21:18, 30 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

First attempt

Ok, I did my work. I think I really butchered it, but you may find something useful in the edit history. I primarily edited design professions and design activities. My writing about professions makes generalizations and is not yet in agreement with Wikipedia guidelines.

Have I only introduced confusion or are we headed in the right direction?

A fair amount of overlap exists between business, graphic design and engineering. Is a visual needed? A Venn diagram?

…I really shouldn't edit Wikipedia while sleep deprived. —Parhamr 22:22, 30 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Take a look. Auroranorth (!) 04:10, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Nice job. I like it. I've touched it up a little. Be sure to watchlist it. It'll be interesting to see what other editors do to it over time. The Transhumanist 06:30, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I love your touch-ups - especially the lead! Is there anything else I need to do before the next assignment? Auroranorth (!) 07:01, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Yes. Explore the lists that support math, starting with List of mathematics topics - see how they are organized as a set and linked together via a TOC template. Compare that set to the set of health lists under construction, starting with Lists of health topics. The difference between the two sets is that the health set has only one base page (Lists of health topics), while the math set has two (Lists of mathematics topics and List of mathematics articles). It's ironic that the math set is less efficient.
I don't use the word "article" in list titles, because the inclusion of topic names (redlinks) usually precedes the creation of articles for them. The difference between a list of topics and a list of articles is that in topic lists redlinks are acceptable and expected, while a list of article implies that there shouldn't be redlinks. After all, a redlinked article isn't an article.
Note that the lead to Lists of health topics needs to be rewritten, so the current one is just temporary (copied from math). Also, I haven't added practitioners (doctors, dentists, etc.) to the template yet. I'm leaving people out of the alphabetical list.
Politics is broad enough to use the same list model as health.
The Transhumanist 08:07, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, I have looked at these closely. I see that the List of basic mathematics topics (articles) is on separate pages (or some other maths one). Anything else? Auroranorth (!) 12:59, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
See Wikipedia:Index templates The Transhumanist 13:04, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, that's what they are. What is '(eom)' on my talk page? Why did you point me to Wikipedia:Index templates? Do I need to create a politics one? Auroranorth (!) 13:09, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
eom = "end of message"
an index template ties all the major lists for the subject together. Give it a go. 13:13, 1 December 2007 (UTC)
Here's another:
I assume you mean create one for politics. OK, I will do so. Auroranorth (!) 13:15, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Completed. See {{PoliticsTopicTOC}} and List of politics topics. Auroranorth (!) 13:42, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Click on the links of the other index templates, and see if you can spot something you missed.  :-) The Transhumanist 13:46, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I hope I don't sound silly saying this, but 'I can't find it, I give up. Tell me!' Thanks, Auroranorth (!) 14:00, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
The box is included at the top of basic, cat, and "lists". 14:07, 1 December 2007 (UTC)
Gotcha, I think. Look now. Auroranorth (!) 14:10, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Hmmm, I didn't spot those. The centering should be built-in - see the health template. But the thing you missed is that the template should be placed on the category page, and at the top of the political science basic topics list (under the hatnote). The Transhumanist 14:19, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Done. What next? Auroranorth (!) 14:28, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You're blazing a trail. I suggest you continue:

  1. Add PoliticsTopicTOC to Wikipedia:Index templates - I'm surprised you missed this one.
  2. Add a new third line to PoliticsTopicTOC, and place the 3 or 4 most major political subtopic lists on there (hint: List of political parties is one of them). (See GeographyTopicTOC and HealthTopicTOC)
  3. Build Lists of politics topics (see Lists of mathematics topics and Lists of philosophy topics)
  4. Build List of politics topics to be comprehensive (hint: after gathering everything you can possibly find from Wikipedia, you'll need to use the Web, and Google). Some things I've learned from trial and error:
    Leave people off of it
    Leave lists off of it (add those to Lists of politics topics or its lists of lists
    Wait until the last possible minute to split it up (it'll become harder to add articles gathered from Wikipedia to it once it is split up). See me before splitting it.

This assignment is larger in scale than your previous ones, so be patient, and keep plugging away at it. When it gets tedious, allocate part of your time to other activities so that you don't get burnt out. As you go, let me know what problems you run into, so we can deal with them most effectively, and also share as you go what you've learned by trial and error. The Transhumanist 20:01, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

By the way, starting from Nov 8, once you reach 500 edits in the main name space, you'll be eligible for AWB access again. To check it go to "my contributions", select the main namespace, click on the "500", and then take a look. If the history only goes back to Nov 8 or later, then you're ready. The Transhumanist 05:05, 2 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Regarding AWB, it goes back to September 24th, so I am obviously not ready yet. Auroranorth (!) 05:48, 2 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

User page design thanks

Hello there, just wanted to leave a note of appreciation for the very useful stuff on your user page design section. I have mercilessly pillaged stuff from there, and from Phaedriel's user page, to revamp my own pages which I could not possibly have done without copying and pasting from you. So many thanks for providing such clear and helpful examples to those of us who can barely understand the code that underlies these pages! Kim Dent-Brown (Talk to me) 20:57, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. I'm glad you found it helpful. The Transhumanist 21:36, 1 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]