I do hate to do this, but after the latest Wikicup incident, I need a short Wikibreak. >Email me if you're desperate but I need some time off Wikipedia, and am taking it unless I hear otherwise. <span style="text-shadow:grey 0.118em 0.118em 0.118em; class=texhtml">'''[[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]]''' <sup>([[User talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]])</sup></span> 20:21, 2 October 2014 (UTC)
I do hate to do this, but after the latest Wikicup incident, I need a short Wikibreak. >Email me if you're desperate but I need some time off Wikipedia, and am taking it unless I hear otherwise. <span style="text-shadow:grey 0.118em 0.118em 0.118em; class=texhtml">'''[[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]]''' <sup>([[User talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]])</sup></span> 20:21, 2 October 2014 (UTC)
|style="font-size: x-large; padding: 0; vertical-align: middle; height: 1.1em;" | '''The ''[[Wikipedia:WikiProject_Military_history/Awards#WikiChevrons_with_Oak_Leaves|WikiChevrons with Oak Leaves]] '''''
|-
|style="vertical-align: middle; border-top: 1px solid lightsteelblue;" | On behalf of the coordinators of the Military History Wikiproject I am very pleased to present you with the WikiChevrons with Oak Leaves, in recognition of your sterling service to our WikiProject over many years. This includes almost six years as a Coordinator (November 2008 to September 2014), your co-editorship of the ''Bugle'' newsletter (November 2010 to September 2012) during which time you helped put in place the format still in use today (and went on to edit the Wikipedia ''Signpost''), and your participation in writing an amazing 25 Featured Articles. You were also a co-recipient of the Majestic Titans Oak Leaves recently but, owing to your continuous service as a coordinator till now, this is your first individual award, and it is long overdue! Ed, you are, quite simply, a MilHist institution. Thanks/cheers, [[User:Ian Rose|Ian Rose]] ([[User talk:Ian Rose|talk]]) 06:48, 4 October 2014 (UTC)
|}
Revision as of 06:48, 4 October 2014
This user is busy in real life and may not respond swiftly to queries.
By the order of the coordinators of the Military history WikiProject, Parsecboy, Cam, TheEd17, Dank, and Saberwyn are hereby awarded this Chevron with Oak Leaves award for the roles that each played in assisting with the creation of the 63-article Featured Topic Battlecruisers of the World. Since each of you have an equal claim to an award for the years long effort that they put into the total project by working on their corner of it and each of you has made contributions of truly incredible quality or importance in the area of military history, culminating in the completing the single largest FT to date on Wikipedia and passing a milestone by bringing an entire classification of ships - battlecruisers in this case - up to GA-Class, A-Class, or FA-Class. As Majestic Titan editors, you are collectively being recognized for this outstanding accomplishment with this shared WikiChevron with Oak Leaves Award, the first of its kind to be award to a group of editors. Congratulations to each of you for your outstanding achievements, and keep up the good work! For the coordinators, TomStar81 (Talk) 07:12, 2 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]
On behalf of the coordinators of the Military History Wikiproject, I am very pleased to present you with the WikiChevrons with Oak Leaves, in recognition of your sterling service to our WikiProject over many years. This includes almost six years as a Coordinator (November 2008 to September 2014), your co-editorship of the Bugle newsletter (November 2010 to September 2012) during which time you helped put in place the format still in use today (and went on to edit the Wikipedia Signpost), and your participation in writing an amazing 25 Featured Articles. You were also a co-recipient of the Majestic Titans Oak Leaves recently, but owing to your continuous service as a coordinator till now, this is your first individual award, and it is long overdue! Ed, you are, quite simply, a MilHist institution. Thanks/cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 06:48, 4 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]
It's set up; could use some help with the descriptions, but can finish it tomorrow if you can't help. Probably best not to publish the Signpost without it, given Portal:Featured content. Adam Cuerden(talk) 06:35, 5 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Participation: Thanks to all who participated! Out of 51 people who signed up this drive, 33 copy edited at least one article. Final results, including barnstars awarded, are available here.
Progress report: We reduced our article backlog from 2,987 articles to 2,236 articles in May, the lowest backlog total since we began keeping records in 2009! Since at least 300 new articles were tagged during May, that means we copy edited over 1,000 articles in a single month. Amazing work, everyone!
Blitz: The June blitz will run from June 15–21. This blitz's theme is Politics. Sign up here.
Election: You can nominate yourself or others for the role of Coordinator for the second half of 2014 here. Nominations will be accepted until June 14. Voting will begin on June 15 and will conclude on June 28.
When a barnstar isn't enough. For outstanding work on the Signpost each week, writing and marshalling the troops. - Dank (push to talk) 16:20, 8 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
... More than 1000 items exist in 10 language versions, but not in the English WP. Tamawashi (talk) 17:39, 11 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hey Tamawashi, I'm not fully certain of what you're trying to tell me. Are you saying that there are over 1000 geography-related articles on other Wikipedias that the English Wikipedia does not have? Ed[talk][majestic titan] 01:58, 13 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Many more than 1000, but there are 1000 geo items that are present in at least 10 other Wikipedias. The third link above (correct link in source, wiki rendering is broken) shows, that in position 1000 there are still 10 other Wikipedias having a text. Maybe there are 10 000 items that are present in 5 Wikipedias and not in the English Wikipedia. If the list of these items would be known to more editors, it might trigger some article creations in the English Wikipedia. And what I think is very important, is, that even stubs have a big value here, since via them readers can find the articles in the other Wikipedias and the content that exists in Wikidata. Tamawashi (talk) 02:22, 13 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
1) The island of Taiwan has no article in the English Wikipedia. 2) A redirect is not an article. 3) Persian Empire - I wonder why it is not linked 4) Fresno de Caracena is some kilometers away from Caracena. E.g. check Spanish Wikipedia which has articles for both. 5) "Only when we get to Nolay, which on en.wp would be located at Nolay, Soria, do we find something that isn't on en.wp." - Not sure whom you include in "we", but I don't belong to that group. In the mean time I found that the article about Ido Wikipedia had been redirected. Other Wikipedias do not treat that Wikipedia edition in that way: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1154766. So the big French, English, German, Italian are of the opinion that this small Wikipedia merits no article. There may be more indication of cultural bias. I would be very happy to read about the Ido Wikipedia, but some content control group stays in the way :( . Who are these control people? White male computer geeks? Tamawashi (talk) 08:33, 13 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Is it surprising that the content of the English-language Wikipedia is weighted towards topics most of interest to/familiar to English-speaking people? This has been long-known (and I think has been the subject of some Signpost articles in the past), and while it's obviously a problem (and an opportunity for article writers!), I imagine that other language Wikipedias have pretty much the same issue. The island of Taiwan appears to be covered in the Geography of Taiwan article BTW - which has similar content to what's in Australia (continent) (a country which everyone agrees is over-represented!). Nick-D (talk) 08:42, 13 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
FC
I should have this ready tomorrow night: have a bit of a cold just now, plus have been really busy the last couple days due to my birthday and a few other things. Adam Cuerden(talk) 03:19, 12 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Adam Cuerden: happy birthday! I hope it was a good one with cake and a drink or four. As I said, I'll be publishing on Friday UTC, so you have a little time. Thanks for all your hard work! On a side note, would you like me to start looking for someone to accompany you, or would you have someone you would enjoy working with in mind? I don't like you shouldering all of this burden each week. :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 03:27, 12 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
It would be nice to have someone; it is a fair bit of work. It would be nice to have someone experienced with featured articles or lists, so that - you know how I sometimes highlight a Wikipedian's work? I know the FP people pretty well, but if I had an FA or FL person, they could highlight notable contributors to those projects as well. Adam Cuerden(talk) 13:45, 12 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
The ed17 Do I not count as accompaniment? :( I can finish this report if necessary. --Pine✉ 03:19, 13 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry Pine, that wasn't meant as an insult! You're not available each week (I think?), so I was going to look for someone permanent. That would also free you up for more meta stories, like the interview you proposed! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 04:59, 13 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
OK, yes, I'm not necessarily available every week and having a regular help to Adam would be ideal. And yes, there would be a benefit in freeing up some of my Signpost time for Meta reports. I'm looking forward to seeing how this first interview goes. --Pine✉ 07:45, 13 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Aye. I do appreciate your work, but which weeks you're available can vary a lot, and this doesn't always match the weeks where I'm a bit busy. Also - I might well be wrong on this - but so far as I know, you aren't particularly active in featured processes (outside of FP), so, like me, would need to research FA, FL, FT, and FPO contributors: having someone who knows them already would be helpful. =) I might well be wrong, though; since I'm not active, I'm not quite sure who is. Adam Cuerden(talk) 09:05, 13 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I know enough about the other processes to recognize frequent contributors and be able to interview them, but feel free to try to recruit an expert from one of the other processes. Hahc21 has done a lot of work with FLs. --Pine✉ 08:06, 14 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I did not know that! Any FA or FL or FPO contributors we should highlight in the coming week? Adam Cuerden(talk) 10:24, 14 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I can help a bit with FA too, though it's been awhile. One possible person would be Imzadi1979, who has continued his large series of Michigan highway articles this week with U.S. Route 31 in Michigan. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 20:58, 14 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Allergies are knocking me out. FC will be very late if noone else can do it. Adam Cuerden(talk) 21:55, 19 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Adam Cuerden: Thanks for letting me know. I'm hoping to publish tomorrow US time ... think you can make it? I can try pinging someone, or we can leave it as a list of links. At the least, would you be able to add in relevant pictures? Ed[talk][majestic titan] 02:29, 21 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
We really, really should NOT publish as a list of links. Portal:Featured content has between ten and a hundred times the views of any other Signpost article. I'll try. back to bed for now, though. Adam Cuerden(talk) 03:50, 21 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
It's about 2/3rds done. If someone can help with the FPs, we can get it out. Adam Cuerden(talk) 15:59, 21 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
It's done. Publish away. Please get me some help for next week, though. Adam Cuerden(talk) 19:41, 21 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Adam Cuerden: You're awesome. I will hunt someone down, even if I can only get them to commit to helping out on a temporary basis while I work on a more permanent solution. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 00:23, 22 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
The Wikipedia Library: New Account Coordinators Needed
Hi Books & Bytes recipients: The Wikipedia Library has been expanding rapidly and we need some help! We currently have 10 signups for free account access open and several more in the works... In order to help with those signups, distribute access codes, and manage accounts we'll need 2-3 more Account Coordinators.
It takes about an hour to get up and running and then only takes a couple hours per week, flexible depending upon your schedule and routine. If you're interested in helping out, please drop a note in the next week at my talk page or shoot me an email at: jorlowitzgmail.com. Thanks and cheers, Jake Ocaasi via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 23:41, 20 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Gamaliel:@Mark Miller:@Keilana:@Andrewman327:@Jayen466:@Tony1: - I will be away for the next two weeks, and consequently will be unable to contribute to this month's ITM. I apologize, and hope others can pick up the ball this month. GoPhightins! 02:08, 22 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Ed, please do not change significant features of my reports without talking with me first. The alteration that you made implies that there was a five-year struggle, which there was not. The struggle was mainly in the past two years with the civil registration process. I appreciate people making copyedits or formatting improvements to my reports but please talk with me first before changing the substance of what I've written in a report that has my name in the byline. Thanks, --Pine✉ 08:29, 23 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Please review the edit histories of all involved - I think WP:DRN might be a better choice with so many POV pushers involved John Carter (talk) 22:26, 24 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
The character formatting menu, or "Style text" menu lets you set bold, italic, and other text styles. "Clear formatting" removes all text styles and removes links to other pages.
Do you think that clear formatting should remove links? Are there changes you would like to see for this menu? Share your opinion at MediaWiki.org.
The user guide has information about how to use VisualEditor.
The VisualEditor team is mostly working to fix bugs, improve performance, reduce technical debt, and other infrastructure needs. You can find on Mediawiki.org weekly updates detailing recent work.
They have moved the "Keyboard shortcuts" link out of the "Page options" menu, into the "Help" menu. Within dialog boxes, buttons are now more accessible (via the Tab key) from the keyboard.
You can now see the target of the link when you click on it, without having to open the inspector.
The team also expanded TemplateData: You can now add a parameter type "date" for dates and times in the ISO 8601 format, and "boolean" for values which are true or false. Also, templates that redirect to other templates (like {{citeweb}} → {{cite web}}) now get the TemplateData of their target (bug 50964). You can test TemplateData by editing mw:Template:Sandbox/doc.
Category: and File: pages now display their contents correctly after saving an edit (bug 65349, bug 64239)
They have also improved reference editing: You should no longer be able to add empty citations with VisualEditor (bug 64715), as with references. When you edit a reference, you can now empty it and click the "use an existing reference" button to replace it with another reference instead.
It is now possible to edit inline images with VisualEditor. Remember that inline images cannot display captions, so existing captions get removed. Many other bugs related to images were also fixed.
You can now add and edit {{DISPLAYTITLE}} and __DISAMBIG__ in the "Page options" menu, rounding out the full set of page options currently planned.
The tool to insert special characters is now wider and simpler.
Looking ahead
The VisualEditor team has posted a draft of their goals for the next fiscal year. You can read them and suggest changes on MediaWiki.org.
The team posts details about planned work on VisualEditor's roadmap. You will soon be able to drag-and-drop text as well as images. If you drag an image to a new place, it won't let you place it in the middle of a paragraph. All dialog boxes and windows will be simplified based on user testing and feedback. The VisualEditor team plans to add autofill features for citations. Your ideas about making referencing quick and easy are still wanted. Support for upright image sizes is being developed. The designers are also working on support for viewing and editing hidden HTML comments and adding rows and columns to tables.
Supporting your wiki
Please read VisualEditor/Citation tool for information on configuring the new citation template menu, labeled "⧼visualeditor-toolbar-cite-label⧽". This menu will not appear unless it has been configured on your wiki.
If you speak a language other than English, we need your help with translating the user guide. The guide is out of date or incomplete for many languages, and what's on your wiki may not be the most recent translation. Please contact me if you need help getting started with translation work on MediaWiki.org.
VisualEditor can be made available to most non-Wikipedia projects. If your community would like to test VisualEditor, please contact product manager James Forrester or file an enhancement request in Bugzilla.
Please share your questions, suggestions, or problems by posting a note at mw:VisualEditor/Feedback or by joining the office hours on Saturday, 19 July 2014 at 21:00 UTC (daytime for the Americas and Pacific Islands) or on Thursday, 14 August 2014 at 9:00 UTC (daytime for Europe, Middle East, Asia).
Thanks, Adam! Stressful week here too. Publishing will be soon. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 17:23, 28 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Main Page appearance: Alaska-class cruiser
This is a note to let the main editors of Alaska-class cruiser know that the article will be appearing as today's featured article on July 23, 2014. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page. If you prefer that the article appear as TFA on a different date, or not at present, please ask Bencherlite (talk·contribs). You can view the TFA blurb at Wikipedia:Today's featured article/July 23, 2014. If it needs tweaking, or if it needs rewording to match improvements to the article between now and its main page appearance, please edit it, following the instructions at Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/instructions. The blurb as it stands now is below:
The Alaska-class cruisers were a class of six cruisers ordered prior to World War II for the U.S. Navy. Officially they were classed as "Large Cruisers (CB)", although others regarded them as battlecruisers. Their intermediate status is reflected in the naming of the ships after US territories and insular areas, rather than states (battleships) or cities (cruisers). The idea for a large cruiser class originated in the early 1930s when the Navy sought to counter German Deutschland-class "pocket battleships". Planning of what became the Alaska class began in the later 1930s after the deployment of Germany's Template:Sclass-s and rumors that Japan was constructing a new battlecruiser class. To serve as "cruiser-killers" capable of seeking out and destroying such ships, the Alaska class was given large guns, limited armor protection against 12-inch shells, and machinery capable of speeds of about 31–33 knots (36–38 mph, 58–61 km/h). Of the six planned, two were completed and a third was cancelled during construction. Alaska and Guam(pictured) served for the last year of World War II as bombardment ships and fast carrier escorts, and were decommissioned in 1947. (Full article...)
You (and your talk-page stalkers) may also be interested to hear that there have been some changes at the TFA requests page recently. Nominators no longer need to calculate how many "points" an article has, the instructions have been simplified, and there's a new nomination system using templates based on those used for DYK suggestions. Please consider nominating another article, or commenting on an existing nomination, and leaving some feedback on your experience. Thank you. UcuchaBot (talk) 23:02, 26 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
An editor has asked for a discussion to address the redirect User:Russavia/Pricasso (draft). Since you had some involvement with the User:Russavia/Pricasso (draft) redirect, you might want to participate in the redirect discussion if you have not already done so. Darkness Shines (talk) 11:18, 29 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
After an extremely close race, Round 3 is over. 244 points secured a place in Round 4, which is comparable to previous years- 321 was required in 2013, while 243 points were needed in 2012. Pool C's Godot13 (submissions) was the round's highest scorer, mostly due to a 32 featured pictures, including both scans and photographs. Also from Pool C, Casliber (submissions) finished second overall, claiming three featured articles, including the high-importance Grus (constellation). Third place was Pool B's , whose contributions included featured articles Russian battleship Poltava (1894) and Russian battleship Peresvet. Pool C saw the highest number of participants advance, with six out of eight making it to the next round.
The judges would like to remind participants to update submission pages promptly. This means that content can be checked, and allows those following the competition (including those participating) to keep track of scores effectively. This round has seen discussion about various aspects of the WikiCup's rules and procedures. Those interested in the competition can be assured that formal discussions about how next year's competition will work will be opened shortly, and all are welcome to voice their views then. If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is at good article candidates, a featured process, or anywhere else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews. If you want to help out with the WikiCup, please do your bit to help keep down the review backlogs! Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove yourself from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. J Milburn (talk·contribs) The ed17 (talk·contribs) and Miyagawa (talk·contribs) 18:48, 30 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Wikicup in the Signpost
If it's not a problem, I'd like to hold the Wikicup until the Signpost after the next one. It'll give a little more time to sort out the pictoral guide with things the Wikicup participants select. Plus, it looks like I'm back to soloing FC. Adam Cuerden(talk) 22:29, 30 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
That's fine, Adam. I'll get to work finding someone permanent asap, and will email Ian to see if he can help out for another couple of weeks at the least. Thank you very much! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 22:36, 30 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I'm following up on your talk page about the issue I raised on the Signpost talk page (on audio transcripts). I'm presuming you are aware of that discussion. Could I ask if you intend to respond at some point? I'm asking because the point has been raised (with hindsight) that different actions here by you might have helped head some of this off (I can expand on this if needed). The thought has also crossed my mind that an open letter to the Signpost (signed by some of those that commented there), or an article for the Signpost on the accessibility issues, might help. Would you be willing to publish something of that nature if I and others were able to put something together? Carcharoth (talk) 06:53, 5 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Carcharoth: talk page stalker here. Ed is usually open minded about op-eds if they are written to address a specific issue so an op-ed about accessibility would probably be ok. --Pine✉ 07:58, 5 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Carcharoth, thanks for your comment here. My intention was to delay a transcript by a couple days to satisfy Tony's desire while not unduly inconveniencing users. He and I fought viciously over it, as I was well aware of the problems deaf users face. In the end, he threatened to quit, so against my better judgement, I compromised on a short wait.
Then the community, in the form of Keilana, impressively stepped up on their own and made a transcript. With that out, I felt that the 'deal' between Tony and I was off; edit-warring to keep the transcript off the article would make the Signpost, and everyone involved, look (and personally speaking, feel) far worse than we already did. As you can see, Tony disagreed, so that's the exact road we went down.
Having said all that, I don't intend to respond on the Signpost's talk page. I view it as a reader comment section that I don't want to unduly influence, although I will of course be taking all of the posts there on board in the future. I think it goes without saying that if we do an audio interview again (this was the first, to my knowledge, that we've ever done), that we will endeavor to provide a transcript—and if something prevents us from doing so, we will explicitly ask the community to pitch in.
As for your accessibility article idea, I think your energies may be best focused on an op-ed that explains the barriers deaf users face on Wikipedia, and forcefully argue for changes that positively benefit you and the countless other deaf editors on the projects. Using this experience as a catalyst and making your case to the wider movement may have more impact. What do you think?
Thank you for your comments, both here and on the two Signpost talk pages. You have my deepest apologies. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 18:02, 5 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Ed, as one of the more vocal annoyed people I do appreciate the response and explanation. You can probably tell I was pretty narked over it. Your explanation of how it happened was pretty much what I expected. However I dont think even in the pursuit of content compromises should be made over your principles. As EIC its also your responsibility to help set the moral and ethical standards by which your writer's/contributers follow. I hope in future that the next time someone threatens to take their ball and go home, you let them. There are always more balls out there Ed. Only in death does duty end (talk) 18:13, 5 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, Ed, for explaining what happened here. Your apology is accepted and appreciated. I will try and find the time to do an op-ed piece though I'm not sure about the timing or when I'd find the time. I'll try and get back to you on that by the end of the weekend (I may find some time to make a start tomorrow). Carcharoth (talk) 19:58, 5 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
What does accessibility look like?....Just offhand, there were a couple of other individuals on that thread talking about, I think, file hosting options. Might be good to get the folk with pieces to the accessibility puzzle all together in the same Signpost issue, so they can get to know each other better....—Neotarf (talk) 21:46, 5 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Carcharoth, thank you. You may find it easier and more rewarding to collaborate with two of the other editors here? Ed[talk][majestic titan] 01:22, 7 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Accessibility is hard. For instance, as I understand it, for a couple years, Wikipedia has used a CAPTCHA system unusable by the blind, and requires it for every edit, I think up to autoconfirmed. Could Ed have done better? Yes, but it's probably better to explain how, ideally with accessibility checklists. Adam Cuerden(talk) 21:50, 5 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I, too, am grateful for your comments, Ed. It is always sad to see an immensely talented person go off the rails and sink into rage over the most minor sort of criticism, and I am sure that you were in a terrible bind. Take care, Ed, your work at the Signpost is appreciated. Cullen328Let's discuss it 22:00, 5 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the catch - I knew he was a prolific MILHIST author, but hadn't realized he worked so much on ships. Adam Cuerden(talk) 04:22, 6 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Adam Cuerden: No problem, I work (on and off...) in the same topic area, so it was an easy catch for me. :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 05:48, 7 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Since you provided helpful comments and/or reviewing in related quality assessments, I'm dropping a notice that battle of Öland is now an FAC. Please feel free to drop by with more input!
I'm wondering if I could lean on your better knowledge of WikiProjects and community contests and related things. I recently came into a cache of reproduction WWI and WWII posters from the the NARA Trust Fund (like these) which we thought would make excellent contest prizes. I'm interested in having spontaneous, non-self-serving challenges (like "there is no article on the concept of national archives, like the existing national library article; free poster to the first person who writes one!"). But I'm not sure where to list that where it would actually get enough visibility to be successful (without spamming), and I'm not interested in anything that would involve a lot of overhead, like creating a new contest page at WP:NARA and then investing a lot of time promoting it to the community. Any idea where this kind of thing could go? Dominic·t 20:43, 7 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Dominic: Well. Ruling out the quick and dirty way (spamming) kind of limits your options. ;-) Just ideas from the top of my head, but you could work through the Military history coordinators (oh which I am one) to create a central page and promote it to the project members? And perhaps you would monitor the page and approve/deny article suggestions ("is fall of Constantinople important enough? Yes. Is USS LST-198? Probably not")? Granted, this does hinge a bit on what you meant by "spontaneous". Ed[talk][majestic titan] 02:57, 8 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Putting it in the Signpost might not be a bad idea, but I'd suggest telling Ed alone, so that noone'll get a heads up by reading it before publication day. Adam Cuerden(talk) 03:06, 8 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Adam does have a point... you might consider keeping the start date quiet so there's no bad blood later ("you started early!"). Ed[talk][majestic titan] 17:40, 8 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, I wasn't being so optimistic that it would get that competitive. I was just hoping for any response. :-) Let's try the WikiProject first and see how it goes. I guess all I meant by "spontaneous" was that I want this to be informal; I'll keep doing this as long as I have supplies/postage and people are happy with the idea, but I didn't want to make a big deal out of it (or use the Signpost megaphone, probably) unless the community is clamoring for it. Anyway, here's a draft of the idea: User:Dominic/Challenge. Do you think that could be supported by the Military history WikiProject? (I'm not necessarily seeing this as limited in scope to the topic area of military history, but I'm not sure if that is a problem for you.) Dominic·t 19:17, 8 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Dominic: Ah, I see—fair enough :-) I'll post this on the coordinator's talk page and see what we can put together. It's not a problem to promote the page even if it's not limited to milhist (we're pretty informal), but can you find at least one milhist article so that we have a raison de etre to send it around? Ed[talk][majestic titan] 06:00, 10 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Dominic: Just following up here—any chance of adding a Milhist article to the mix before I go to the coords? :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 17:40, 14 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Just added one that I am aware of now, though I haven't compiled a list yet so it's pretty specific (but passes the notability test in my opinion). Dominic·t 20:38, 15 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I've added a query on the coordinator's talk page! You may want to think up a couple more articles so that you can attract a broader segment of participants, though. :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 03:04, 16 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Dominic: It's been advertised in Milhist's Bugle, and I'll put a blurb on WT:MILHIST once you've put a couple more articles up (both are currently taken :-) ) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 06:40, 20 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
FC
Think I've got FPs; think you'd be willing to do lists? I'll probably do them if you can't, but with the two articles in this week, I want to get ahead a little. How's the WikiCup report look? Adam Cuerden(talk) 20:41, 9 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hey Adam, I'll try to get to them after work tomorrow. I'm working on a Wikimania financials piece, so it's a little complicated at the moment. :p The WikiCup report looks pretty good to me. I like the gallery ... I can't wait for regular images to look like that (aka no frames). Ed[talk][majestic titan] 06:00, 10 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks to some excellent work by SchroCat, I woke to find I just had to btweak the images and write to he last FP description. By the way: I used a gallery for the Pont du Hard at the bottom. It now automatically scales to the window: very convenient for a panorama. Adam Cuerden(talk) 12:17, 10 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
It scales to the width of a user's window? Absolutely brilliant! Nice work, Adam. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 21:18, 11 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Mexico report: Edit-a-thon of Museo Soumaya; simulthaneous edit-a-thon in Argentina, Mexico and Spain about Spanish Exile; new cultural partner of Wikimedia México
Netherlands report: Music edit-a-thon; Library workshops; Videos, maps and Japanese art donations; Wiki Loves Earth
Sweden report: Wiki Loves Monuments is being prepared for Sweden
I should probably warn that I'm going to be very, very busy in August. I should still be able to do image selection, but the writeups take a few hours, so I really can't promise too much on that account. Adam Cuerden(talk) 22:19, 10 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for letting me know. I'm still working on finding someone to help you out! :-) Heading over to SchroCat now, actually. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 21:18, 11 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Signpost next week
(As in, not the one about to be published, but the one after)
Godot13 has hit 100 featured pictures since the start of the year. I would like to do a short interview with him. Any objections? Adam Cuerden(talk) 01:03, 12 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Ed! It seems that most of the new issues of the Signpost are published with an edit summary of "Sorry for the delay". Are they all missing some publication deadline, or is there some in-group joke that I've missed? Thanks! GoingBatty (talk) 01:37, 14 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hey GoingBatty, we're technically supposed to publish on Wednesdays (or for this week, 9 July), but we rarely make it due to a combination of factors... mostly contributor availability. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 04:03, 14 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry to spring this on you, but it's a thankless job and I'm sick of the abuse. So I hope you can find someone masochistic enough to take it on. Serendipodous 23:37, 15 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Serendipodous: Thankless is definitely understandable, and I'm sorry that I didn't remember to watch the page this week. Had I done so, I would have stepped in long ago. Is there anything I can do to convince you to stay? Otherwise, I'm going to be very sorry to see you go. I've always liked the section as something different than our normal material. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 00:14, 16 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I dunno. I'm going though a difficult time right now and I really don't need this additional pressure. Maybe when I've sorted some things out in real life, then I'll come back. Serendipodous 00:19, 16 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Same reason I'm out: 10 days of abuse, mockery, insults (some of them sexualised and violent); then Wales' referring to me as an abuser on his high-traffic talk page, an accusation for 3000 watchlisters to see for day after day at the opening: that sealed it. Why would I want to bust my guts every week serving a community I now despise? And that's aside from the related internal issues. Go to hell and burn, I say to the community. Tony(talk)
@Serendipodous: I hear ya. In the meantime, I'll try to find someone to fill the gap created by your departure, but even if I get a person, you're always welcome back (smaller workload for you, right? :-) ). Best of luck, and let me know if I can help with anything on-wiki in the future! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 03:04, 16 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Serendipodous: Sorry to butt in, came here for something else but saw this and wanted to say that I'm sorry to see you go. I've always enjoyed reading the traffic report. I can't imagine why someone would subject someone else to abuse over something like that, but people always manage to amaze me with their stupidity. I hope we can preserve this feature in some form or recreate it when you return from your wikibreak. Gamaliel (talk) 21:46, 17 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Thankfully, Milowent is going to take it over for the moment. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 04:37, 18 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hey Ed. I was wondering if you had time to take a look at a Request Edit here to add a History section, create a more neutral Lead that isn't UNDUE with lawsuits, introduce an Align Technology section about the product's manufacturer, and optionally cut out a massive body of OR/synth for medical claims. It should make it almost GA-ready, once I add a more proper section about all the medical studies on the subject.
John Broughton reviewed the draft already, but he typically just provides feedback without actually performing the request edit - he's asked me to only rely on him as a backup for such tasks. CorporateM (Talk) 23:13, 17 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hey CM, I'm far too busy at the moment to look into this thoroughly. Sorry! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 04:37, 18 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Also Adam Cuerden, I'd like to publish before work tomorrow (about seven hours) or at least on my lunch break (ten to eleven) as I have a time-sensitive SR to go out. Can you get the FPs finished by then? Sorry for the short notice! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 04:43, 18 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hi The ed, there is an update to MediaViewer, the story you recently covered in the Signpost, see [1]. Would it be possible for me to have a chat with Adam (here or on IRC) when we both have time so I can learn the ropes? Thanks, Matty.007 19:28, 18 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the link, Matty -- I'll put it in an IB for next week. As for IRC, I'll let you and Adam agree on a time that works best for both of you :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 02:01, 19 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I've finished reading the books and am starting to work on the review. (Thanks again for the invitation.) What's the deadline for the next Signpost and how do I submit the draft? Thanks, Newyorkbrad (talk) 18:50, 20 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hey Newyorkbrad, the deadline for this edition is Wednesday, but I'd like to run the review on the 30th, as I have a different opinion piece ready to go for this coming week, and I'd rather not dilute theirs or yours by running them together. As for submitting the draft, we normally have opinion writers submit them by Google doc or email (but if you're uncomfortable with that, I've created a spot for you in our newsroom). :-) Thanks again! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 00:17, 21 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I'm happy to run on the 30th. What would the deadline be for that issue? Thanks, Newyorkbrad (talk) 00:19, 21 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
The 30th, as we typically publish a day or two after the listed date. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 00:25, 21 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I really wish you wouldn't publish when the one part of the Signpost seen by 20,000 people a day - about a hundred times the views of any other part of the Signpost - isn't done. It automatically updates Portal:Featured content, and makes all of us look bad. If you do that again, I'm going to resgn, because you've just basically told me that I'll be spending the next three hours dropping any plans I had for tonight, such as sleeping. Adam Cuerden(talk) 02:34, 26 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hey Adam Cuerden, it took me a few minutes to find it, but this is why I made this change—to give you time to complete it. Don't worry, I had the portal in mind when I published, but I do apologize for not letting you know in advance. Sleep and come back tomorrow when you're refreshed. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 02:40, 26 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
That would probably have best been told me before I put in an hour and a half of panicked work, but... never mind, it's done. Adam Cuerden(talk) 03:32, 26 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Heads up for the Signpost. Also, note that next week's FC is the last one before August starts up, and I will not be able to do anything like last night's work again, someone else will need to write all of it, I can help with images, but that's it until the end of August. I mean, maybe I could do more, but it cannot be my responsibility. Adam Cuerden(talk) 18:15, 26 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
That's fine, Adam. We have Matty, who's agreed to help out; SchroCat is keeping an eye on it; Ian can pitch in if needed; and I can always call in a favor or two. :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 04:51, 27 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks
For the administrative assistance at SMS Goeben. Srnec (talk) 18:58, 29 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Well, I've done all the FPs. There was worries about inaccuracy in your description of The FP, but I got the author of the article to do a replacement, so that's fine. Not very many good illustrations in the articles or lists this week. Only one that was close was the Alastair Sim list, but those were tiny images, and I do like to give people something they can click on and be impressed by. Title's a horrible old wordplay joke, but tell me that you wouldn't make it given that FA and that FP. Adam Cuerden(talk) 23:52, 29 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I like the title! Will comment on your page about the inaccuracy. And remember, there's no need to be 'fair' in the imagery. We're here to make the page and P:FC look good. :P Ed[talk][majestic titan] 23:54, 29 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Oh, I know, but I do like to try. Hence why there's suddenly a Red Skelton image at FPC. ;) That happens more often than you'd think... Adam Cuerden(talk) 23:58, 29 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Oh, one warning: I've noticed a lot of FPs have been promoted already this week. Shouldn't be too many more - looks like probably about 15 total - but FPs are the ones I find most time-consuming. If you'll finish the FLs this week, I'll ease the way towards the changeover by starting the documentation work instead. Adam Cuerden(talk) 00:03, 30 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Never mind. Turns out most were in a set. Adam Cuerden(talk) 00:34, 30 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, Adam! Just how much will you be able to do in the coming month? Some, I hope? :p Ed[talk][majestic titan] 02:21, 30 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Let's not plan on anything more than layout - choosing images and such. Anything above that is a bonus. Adam Cuerden(talk) 05:52, 31 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Could always fall back on quotes from the articles. I'll try to do more, but if I say I can do more, it removes the point of me asking for the time off, to make sure I needn't put in time I don't have. Adam Cuerden(talk) 06:02, 31 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
"It's a lovely painting, and I rather wish this issue of the sign"... Adam, I don't think that sentence is done. I'm so curious, wish that the Signpost what? — Crisco 1492 (talk) 01:31, 30 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Oh , um, I was originally going to say "I rather wish this issue of the Signpost had room for it." Then I made room. Adam Cuerden(talk) 01:33, 30 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Well, speaking as the editor, of course I'd like the extra views ... but I think people will take issue with the occasional miscues that we have. We'll see. :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 04:14, 30 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Redlinks and the Signpost
Hi- are you open for suggestions for op-ed pieces in the Signpost? Something I've come across recently, which I find slightly baffling, is an aversion some people have to redlinks. How would you feel about me knocking together a little piece in praise of redlinks for the Signpost? It'd probably take a week or two. J Milburn (talk) 15:59, 30 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Sounds interesting. Care to mention that a low number of redlinks is actually a featured article criteria on some Wikipedias? (Say, the Indonesian one). — Crisco 1492 (talk) 17:00, 30 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, I'm completely open to it. I have a spot open on the 13th; does that work? Ed[talk][majestic titan] 18:53, 30 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Ed: Perfect. Crisco: Thanks, I didn't know that. J Milburn (talk) 11:21, 31 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Yep. In the Indonesian WP, criteria 1b: "... tidak memiliki pranala merah yang terlalu banyak" (does not contain too many redlinks). — Crisco 1492 (talk) 11:48, 31 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@J Milburn:} VGAs (Very Good Articles, the FA analog) on the Simple English Wikipedia can't have any redlinks last time I checked the criteria. Imzadi 1979→ 12:55, 31 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you both; very interesting. The closest we have on enwp, AFAIK, is the rejected proposal WP:STABLE, which says that a stable article "has not red links". A load of tosh, to my eyes. J Milburn (talk) 14:51, 31 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@J Milburn: I don't mind it being around 1000 words or so, but if it goes over that, you could consider splitting it into two parts. It may have more impact that way, as people will read through the entire thing. Your call; I don't mind either way! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 22:10, 9 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Book review
It's pretty much done; I'm proofreading it now and trying to make it more concise. Can I have another hour or so? Newyorkbrad (talk) 02:47, 31 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Newyorkbrad: You've got time; I don't anticipate publishing for another 24 hours or so. Just wanted to ping you early enough so you'd have time to complete it! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 02:54, 31 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
In that case, I'll give it a final readthrough in the morning with a fresh pair of eyes. Thanks. Newyorkbrad (talk) 02:55, 31 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Done and in my sandbox. Sorry it's so long! Newyorkbrad (talk) 21:00, 31 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I did a quick proof-read and made a couple small edits. NYB will want to look at the first one, as I had a question about word choice. —Neotarf (talk) 00:45, 1 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Good edits; thanks very much. Newyorkbrad (talk) 01:06, 1 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Glad you don't mind, everything needs new eyes on it. Wonder what Ed would think about an illustration? My personal favorite is File:Books (7003021898).jpg, the tan and blue gilded hardcovers, looks like a lawyers bookshelf, but maybe a graphic would be more sedate. . —Neotarf (talk) 02:01, 1 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Neotarf, have you ever heard of using a gallery? ;-) Newyorkbrad, thanks. I'm exhausted and about to go to bed so I have enough sleep for work tomorrow, but I will publish either while I'm out to lunch or as soon as I get off. Neotarf's suggestion of admitting images would be very helpful, as they can break up the wall of text. A couple section headers could help too, but it's up to you. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 04:54, 1 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I was thinking about section headers; I will go ahead and add some. I defer to your and Neotarf's discretion on adding images. Regards, Newyorkbrad (talk) 05:05, 1 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Gallery? Okay, I got it to work, sort of.
Section headers: This could probably be done more creatively, but I have added the book titles as section headers. Since the books are alternately referred to by title and author, making the title of the book clear in the section title could avoid some confusion.
Editor's note: Does Ed want to add some introduction here? I have tentatively started one. Not sure if NYB wants to use his real name here, or if it's traditional with the SP.
Images: I have added an image of Pundit, the only free one I could find. I could not find a free image of Charles Seife. I got as far as finding an image of an elephant, with the thought of linking to tripling of elephants hoax so that section would have an image. It's at [2] but not sure how to copy-paste the fancy new mediaviewer thing. Not sure if it's a good idea anyhow. Ed is really the image guru. —Neotarf (talk) 13:41, 1 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Adding my real name is fine if it's customary, up to the two of you. Newyorkbrad (talk) 14:58, 1 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I say use it. My preference is to credit people, unless they really, really prefer a low profile. And it will probably add to the pageviews. ;-) —Neotarf (talk) 16:16, 1 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, please feel free to add it. I haven't done it myself because I'm not sure where exactly it would go. Newyorkbrad (talk) 16:17, 1 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, I added it to the note at the beginning. The sentence now seems overly complex, but maybe I've just been looking at it for too long. Hopefully Ed will have a chance to do his magic on it when he goes on break. I also resurrected part of the previous section title and used it in the main title. —Neotarf (talk) 17:36, 1 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the help, Neotarf! @Newyorkbrad: I've made a few formatting changes. I've credited your RL name, but feel free to revert. I'll try to find at least one more image tonight, just to break it up... probably not an elephant, though. :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 19:30, 1 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Nicely done, the larger image too. But now with the title changed, is the book review part clear? Would a new topic sentence serve as an introduction to the purpose of the piece--summer reading, interest in Wikipedia, whatever, or just the fact of the publication of two books on the subject--and help tie the piece together? —Neotarf (talk) 20:16, 1 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Well, it's located under /Book review, so I think that's enough. ;-) I'm not sure what you're proposing with the latter? Ed[talk][majestic titan] 05:08, 2 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Oh perfect, I thought it was going to say "feature" or somesuch. BTW, do you know anything about freezing talk pages? I've gotten some weird manifestations lately and won't be around to revert things for a while. —Neotarf (talk) 08:01, 2 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Could you protect it for, say, a week, starting any time?—Neotarf (talk) 08:10, 2 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
This is not easy. In the best case scenario, you can check the history of Wikipedia:Featured topic candidates for the last week or two and that may get you the nom and nominator. However, they can also be automatically promoted. In that case, check the talk page of the candidate, and, if that fails, guess based on the structure of other candidates, e.g. Wikipedia:Featured topic candidates/NOMNAME/archive1. Note that Good topics use that structure for candidate pages too. Adam Cuerden(talk) 01:57, 3 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
By the sound of all this being confusing and tedious, it may call for some reforming and such on the process. GamerPro64 02:24, 3 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
GamerPro! I was just about to ping you into this conversation. When you promote a topic, could you put a note in the Signpost's newsroom? I'm not really sure what we can do about automatic promotion... it's not worth the effort to go through all of the FTs each week to see which ones move up. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 02:26, 3 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I got it. I remember doing that before but stopped for some reason. But seeing how automatic promotion is becoming an issue, I'll do it again. by the way, I have plans on promoting two new Featured Topics next week so that'll be a good start. GamerPro64 02:32, 3 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
They are, at least, fairly consistently put onto the WP:GO to show they were promoted. The easiest way to document might just be to put a template onto the talk page of the topic, similar to {{FP}}, {{FS}}, etc, that links to the nomination, and also adds any desired templates. Adam Cuerden(talk) 04:21, 3 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Why not ask someone to write a script, like what they use at FPC? — Crisco 1492 (talk) 04:24, 3 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Adam, might be a good idea since it'll be easier to differentiate between ones that were demoted. Probably should also make one for Good Topics too. And Crisco, that's a pretty good idea. I'll look into asking someone about making a script. GamerPro64 04:46, 3 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
One idea: The nominations are of a very regular pattern, so I'd be inclined, when starting off, to have a simple substitutable template that would look through the archive pages and link to the last one. This would simplify things a LOT for you.
{{<includeonly>subst:</includeonly>#ifexist:Wikipedia:Featured topic candidates/{{<includeonly>subst:</includeonly>BASEPAGENAME}}/archive5|{{featured topic|nom=Wikipedia:Featured topic candidates/{{<includeonly>subst:</includeonly>BASEPAGENAME}}/archive5| [Repeat for 4, 3, 2, 1, in order, as nested ifexist checks here.] }}
Then you could just {{subst:Temporary FT setup}} and it would set things up for you. Adam Cuerden(talk) 11:48, 3 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
So do I slap that text up top in the Temporary FT template? GamerPro64 17:30, 3 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hold on. Do you have the FT template for the talk page yet? Because it needs to match the format. Adam Cuerden(talk) 22:58, 3 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I created the template right here. Hopefully I did it right. As well, I found this TfD that really shows how rough it was for the project back then. Kinda unsettling at that. GamerPro64 02:35, 4 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Argentine elections
Hi, Ed:
Thank you for that; I'm glad you found my work useful. Argentina is a fascinating country, and their politics certainly never want for drama.
I must admit this was quite a blast from the past for me, as I haven't done any large-scale editing for a couple of years now. Of course, I do still contribute here and there, but rarely bother to log in anymore. If there's anything you've noticed missing or mistaken in any of those articles, or anything else I've contributed substantially to, please let me know.
I can't do much more than I've done this week; I do hope the people you have are going to step in soon. Adam Cuerden(talk) 10:45, 6 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Scrambling a bit now that Matty retired, but I have at least one person, and I just asked another. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 14:25, 6 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
If you can hold the thing until Monday, I can probably finish it... Adam Cuerden(talk) 16:05, 6 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I think if you combine Diliff's, and talk about the tour of cathedrals he's doing, paid for by Wikimedia UK, this shouldn't be too bad to finish. Adam Cuerden(talk) 22:52, 7 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
If you can't get it done from where I'm leaving it now, then I don't know what you're going to do in the third week. I've done more work than I should have, to try and help out. Adam Cuerden(talk) 02:07, 8 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Crisco, you're awesome—once again, I'm in your debt. I've been offline for family reasons. Thanks to you too, Adam, for listing all of the items to include this week. I'll be publishing in a couple hours when I get home and finish NAN. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 22:37, 8 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I think I can do next week, week after that is my second August show, though. P.S. Any WWI images to restore? Adam Cuerden(talk) 23:04, 8 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
That would be helpful! Re WWI, there's the South Carolina image that you were looking at a little bit ago. You could also ask on WT:MILHIST, or I can hunt down some suggestions later today. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 13:01, 9 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Noone else seems that interested.... Adam Cuerden(talk) 04:51, 11 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Ah. Give me some times and I'll take a look for good images! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 05:26, 11 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Let's start with 1915 anniversaries. Adam Cuerden(talk) 05:28, 11 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Argentine socialists
Hello again, Ed.
I wish I could be of more help there, but my knowledge of Argentine history is probably a little too general to be able to really contribute to your work. My guess is that Congressman Juan B. Justo probably led the unsuccessful charge to stop such earmarks. The outbreak of World War I caused a severe recession in Argentina, pushing already high unemployment to 20% and eroding already poor wages by 30%, so Justo and fellow Socialist Congressman Alfredo Palacios were as you know none too pleased to see boondoggles like that on the budget.
Pointless wartime hysteria, of course, led to increases in already excessive defense budgets during the world wars despite Argentina's neutrality in both; and until the Perón era (when social spending and economic subsidies took center stage), the military remained the biggest item in the national budget at about 40% of the total. The right-wing nature of most Argentine presidencies probably had less to do with that as the fact that the military had just been too much of a gravy train for too many contractors (and well-greased politicians) to be curbed in any real way.
Some things never really change, do they.
Thank you for those links, by the way. Even if my heavy-duty editing days on Wikipedia are behind me, I look forward to what must surely be interesting reading.
@Sherlock4000: If you happen to come across any references that confirm that those politicians did that, please let me know! Otherwise, you're right in that it's all a bit too general to include. Still, it's certainly some interesting backstory... and (incidentally) if you have any sources on the interwar or post-WWII Argentine Navy, I'd use them. ;-) Please do stay in touch, and if you happen to read any of my articles, please feel free to leave feedback! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 22:37, 8 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
precision
Thank you for your constant flow of featured content on battleships (planning 2021), for editing the Signpost, and for your diligence in language questions without a battle, - repeating: you are an awesome Wikipedian (5 and 6 April 2009 - what did you do then to be noticed by two?)!
The VisualEditor team is currently working mostly to fix bugs, improve performance, reduce technical debt, and other infrastructure needs. You can find on Mediawiki.org weekly updates detailing recent work.
Dialog boxes in VisualEditor have been re-designed to use action words instead of icons. This has increased the number of items that need to be translated. The user guide is also being updated.
The biggest visible change since the last newsletter was to the dialog boxes. The design for each dialog box and window was simplified. The most commonly needed buttons are now at the top. Based on user feedback, the buttons are now labeled with simple words (like "Cancel" or "Done") instead of potentially confusing icons (like "<" or "X"). Many of the buttons to edit links, images, and other items now also show the linked page, image name, or other useful information when you click on them.
Hidden HTML comments (notes visible to editors, but not to readers) can now be read, edited, inserted, and removed. A small icon (a white exclamation mark on a dot) marks the location of each comments. You can click on the icon to see the comment.
You can now drag and drop text and templates as well as images. A new placement line makes it much easier to see where you are dropping the item. Images can no longer be dropped into the middle of paragraphs.
All references and footnotes (<ref> tags) are now made through the "⧼visualeditor-toolbar-cite-label⧽" menu, including the "⧼visualeditor-dialogbutton-reference-tooltip⧽" (manual formatting) footnotes and the ability to re-use an existing citation, both of which were previously accessible only through the "Insert" menu. The "⧼visualeditor-dialogbutton-referencelist-tooltip⧽" is still added via the "Insert" menu.
When you add an image or other media file, you are now prompted to add an image caption immediately. You can also replace an image whilst keeping the original caption and other settings.
All tablet users visiting the mobile web version of Wikipedias will be able to opt-in to a version of VisualEditor from 14 August. You can test the new tool by choosing the beta version of the mobile view in the Settings menu.
The link tool has a new "Open" button that will open a linked page in another tab so you can make sure a link is the right one.
The "Cancel" button in the toolbar has been removed based on user testing. To cancel any edit, you can leave the page by clicking the Read tab, the back button in your browser, or closing the browser window without saving your changes.
Looking ahead
The team posts details about planned work on the VisualEditor roadmap. The VisualEditor team plans to add auto-fill features for citations soon. Your ideas about making referencing quick and easy are still wanted. Support for upright image sizes is being developed. The designers are also working on support for adding rows and columns to tables. Work to support Internet Explorer is ongoing.
Feedback opportunities
The Editing team will be making two presentations this weekend at Wikimania in London. The first is with product manager James Forrester and developer Trevor Parscal on Saturday at 16:30. The second is with developers Roan Kattouw and Trevor Parscal on Sunday at 12:30.
Please share your questions, suggestions, or problems by posting a note at the VisualEditor feedback page or by joining the office hours discussion on Thursday, 14 August 2014 at 09:00 UTC (daytime for Europe, Middle East and Asia) or on Thursday, 18 September 2014 at 16:00 UTC (daytime for the Americas; evening for Europe).
I asked User:Mabeenot on 19 July if I could conduct a WikiProject interview for The Signpost about WikiProject Baseball, described in the above diff. It's been a couple of weeks, and I haven't heard back. Thus, I would like to proceed with the interview for a WikiProject report in an upcoming edition of the paper, but I'd like to have permission from a Signpost editor first. Thank you for your time. Seattle (talk) 18:52, 8 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hey Seattle, given the subject, I don't have a problem with you doing an interview. What date would you be planning to complete it for? Best, Ed[talk][majestic titan] 22:37, 8 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I can have it completed by August 20. Seattle (talk) 12:06, 9 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
That sounds great! Please keep me updated as you go along. :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 13:01, 9 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
It might be worth it to mention that you shouldn't overlink redlinks (aka don't overuse them)... but adding an entire paragraph might be a tangent. Otherwise, I think it looks pretty good! Do you want to keep the periods in your numbered lists or make them into colons? Ed[talk][majestic titan] 22:52, 13 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I didn't mean necessarily in the piece, but just to be aware of the considerations (and that the MOS does talk about it, in case there are questions or comments). The guideline he links to actually has quite a bit on the topic, but some people can take this stuff to heart, without paying attention to the finer details. —Neotarf (talk) 23:24, 13 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
A thought
Hey Ed, I don't know what the timetable is but I had a thought. You might be aware that Pendright's Mahan-class destroyer article has passed FAC - it occurred to me that this is the kind of thing that should get top billing in the next edition of the Signpost. You don't see too many WWII veterans writing high-quality articles about the things in which they were involved 70+ years ago, you know. It might even be something interview-worthy (and perhaps especially once his USS Mahan (DD-364) article makes it to FAC). Parsecboy (talk) 12:13, 13 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Parsecboy: Would you be willing to lend your expertise to the Featured content report this week? I'll try to find a Mahan-class destroyer image to lead with. Adam Cuerden(talk) 17:25, 13 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Let's see... he served on Mahan and Cone... Fingers crossed. Adam Cuerden(talk) 17:27, 13 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Dominic said here that he's going to pull the Mahan images when he's back from Wikimania. I say we hold Mahan-class destroyer back a week and do this right. Adam Cuerden(talk) 17:47, 13 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Heh, I was about to give you a hard time on Dominic's talk page about your having forgotten the earlier discussion ;)
I'm sure you've seen by now, but Dominic has uploaded some scans, he pinged you at the Mahan ACR. Parsecboy (talk) 19:40, 13 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hi all- Parsec, that's a brilliant idea. I'll get an interview together, although it most likely won't run for two weeks, as I'm moving across the country next week. Adam, I'm going to be receiving a draft for the Wikimania story at some point in the next few hours. Will you be able to finish FC tonight or no? Just need to plan here. :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 21:53, 13 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Can I have until tomorrow for FC? It'll make it a lot less stressful. Adam Cuerden(talk) 22:10, 13 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
FYI, I also sent Pendright an email earlier today when I found out about this. I think this is the perfect story to feature on the National Archives' blog, so I am curious if he is interested in contributing or being interviewed. :-) Dominic·t 01:27, 14 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Dominic: Would you be interested in co-interviewing him? Obviously we'll have a couple of different questions, but the bulk of the interview will be the same. Might result in less work for us. :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 16:53, 14 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hey Ed, got a nice little war stub for you. This came out of a BLPN note about Edwin Hunt (waterman)--if you can do anything for that article, that'd be great. Thanks pal, Drmies (talk) 15:27, 14 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hey Drmies, I'm going to throw this one to WT:MILHIST too. I'm moving down to your area of the country (sort of ... NC) on Monday and have less than zero extra time right now! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 16:53, 14 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
That's a nice state. Hope you have time to check out some waterfalls, and make sure to give Dennis Brown a buzz. Thanks Ed, and good luck with the move, Drmies (talk) 17:01, 14 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Eh, we'll see, that's literally on the opposite side of the state. ;-) I'm planning on visiting Dank and the good folks in DC at some point; maybe we should just organize a meetup... Ed[talk][majestic titan] 19:38, 14 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I smell barbecue. - Dank (push to talk) 19:45, 14 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Incidentally, have I mentioned that North Carolina BBQ is in my top five reasons for being excited to move? Ed[talk][majestic titan] 19:50, 14 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Traffic
Replied on my talk page - sorry for my inability to help this week. But seren has done the new top25.--Milowent • hasspoken 03:22, 15 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Dear TPSers
I'm preparing to drive to my new home on Monday (halfway across the US) and will be mostly out of contact. For the same reason, writing "News and notes" at the Signpostisn't going to happen. Anyone interested in pitching in? :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 19:00, 16 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Well, after the giant FC last week, a very short one this week. This shouldn't be too hard. Adam Cuerden(talk) 17:37, 18 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Best wishes
Hi Ed, I saw your news. I hope that you're OK, and are looking after yourself. Regards, Nick-D (talk) 10:57, 19 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Indeed. Good luck getting home. I presume your insurance won't cover it? Adam Cuerden(talk) 15:56, 19 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Heh, I wish. I've never needed insurance until now, but I got a cheaperish plan—so despite paying over $100/month for years, I'm going to get ... a grand total of nothing. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 00:09, 20 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I hope you get better insurance in the future! Not to rub salt in the wound, but I pay less than that and I get collision insurance, so I think you may get a better deal elsewhere. --Pine✉ 09:34, 23 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Participation: Thanks to everyone who participated in the July drive. Of the 40 people who signed up this drive, 22 copy edited at least one article. Final results, including barnstars awarded, are available here.
Progress report: We reduced our article backlog from 2400 articles to 2199 articles in July. This is a new month-end record low for the backlog. Nice work, everyone!
Blitz: The August blitz will run from August 24–30. The blitz will focus on articles from the GOCE's Requests page. Awards will be given out to everyone who copy edits at least one of the target articles. The blitz will run from August 24–30. Sign up here!
The featured articles have been updated for a few days now. The wiki text good article is now done, and I'm doing the prose size one now. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 01:13, 2 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry to hear about your car being totaled. Had a somewhat similar incident that happened with family just yesterday. But anyway, I've been getting messages involving questions about Featured Topics and what people have to do to get their GTs to FTs and whatnot. It occurred to me that the Featured Topic project hasn't exactly been understood compared to the bigger Featured Content projects. So, I was thinking if an article about the history of Featured Topics and the process of getting one works is made, maybe people can get a better understanding on the process and makes people who want to nominate topics of their own feel much easier knowing how it all works. If that can happen, I can write it up myself. GamerPro64 01:22, 25 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, it's been fun. I'm just thankful that no one was injured, which would have turned this into a truly nasty situation. Hope your family member is doing well!
We've previously done a series similar to what you are proposing; see Template:FCDW. While it's been quite some time since we last ran it consistently, I'd love to run an article like what you propose under that banner. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 04:45, 26 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
The only damage that accumulated from all of it is that my sister's car is inoperable now. Didn't get into an accident. Just died in the middle of a highway.
So I'll try to write up a draft for the feature. I was always fond of the FC Dispatch section of the Signpost. GamerPro64 12:15, 26 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Well. That's strange, and certainly doesn't bode well for the car. I'm glad she came out alright!
Sounds good! Please let me know when you've gotten something together. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 00:17, 28 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I wouldn't object to an opinion piece about the banning policy if Newyorkbrad is interested... but, he may not be. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 00:17, 28 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I'm interested, but we're about to open an arbitration case on the subject, so it isn't the right moment. I'll have more time and scope for general writing about wiki issues when my arb term expires at the end of the year. Regards, Newyorkbrad (talk) 03:27, 28 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
That's understandable. We can work something out after the term end. Thanks, NYB! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 04:09, 28 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I'll be looking forward to seeing how it turns out. I was hoping for a semi-regular feature, maybe "Brad Speaks", or either a "Majority Report" or "Minority Report". I hope this doesn't discourage the nascent essay. —Neotarf (talk) 04:51, 28 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Well, we don't do columns. It's too much of one editor's opinion for a broadly egalitarian community. :p Ed[talk][majestic titan] 04:54, 28 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Unless you recruit a second arb to provide equal time. :P Isn't that how SCOTUS does it? A column is more work than it looks though. —Neotarf (talk) 05:07, 28 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
How are things going?
You say you can check in more often - does this mean you're at least somewhat sorted? Adam Cuerden(talk) 02:08, 28 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, I'm settled into my new place. Still very busy with the beginning of grad school, and that probably won't abate, unfortunately. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 04:09, 28 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
The final of the 2014 WikiCup begins in a few short minutes! Our eight finalists are listed below, along with their placement in Round 4:
Godot13 (submissions), a WikiCup newcomer, finished top of Pool A and was the round's highest scorer. Godot is a featured picture specialist, claiming large numbers of points due to high-quality scans of historical documents, especially banknotes.
Casliber (submissions) is a WikiCup veteran, having been a finalist every year since 2010. In the semi-final, he was Pool B's highest scorer. Cas's points primarily come from articles on the natural sciences.
Czar (submissions) was Pool A's runner-up. Czar's points come mostly from content related to independent video games, including both articles and topics.
Adam Cuerden (submissions) was Pool B's runner-up. Another featured picture specialist, many of Adam's points come from the restoration of historical media. He has been a WikiCup finalist twice before.
Cwmhiraeth (submissions) won the WikiCup in 2012 and 2013, and enters this final as the first wildcard. She focuses on biology-related articles, and has worked on several high-importance articles.
12george1 (submissions) is the second wildcard. George's points come primarily from meteorology-related articles. This year and last year, George was the first person in the competition to score.
Sturmvogel 66 (submissions), the third wildcard, was the 2010 champion and a finalist last year. His writes mostly on military history, especially naval history.
Bloom6132 (submissions), the fourth and final wildcard, has participated in previous WikiCups, but not reached any finals. Bloom's points are mostly thanks to did you knows, featured lists and good articles related to sport and national symbols.
There are two upcoming competitions unrelated to the WikiCup which may be of interest to those who receive this newsletter. The Stub Contest will run through September, and revolves around expanding stub articles, especially high-importance or old stubs. In addition, a proposal has been made for a new competition, the GA Cup, which the organisers plan to run next year. This competition is based on the WikiCup and aims to reduce the good article review backlog.
There is now a thread for brainstorming on how next year's WikiCup competition should work. Please come along and share your thoughts- What works? What doesn't work? What needs changing? Signups for next year's competition will be open soon; we will be in touch. If, at this stage of the competition, you are keen to help the with the WikiCup, please do what you can to participate in review processes. Our finalists will find things much easier if the backlogs at good article candidates, featured article candidates, featured picture candidates and the rest are kept at a minimum. As ever, questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove yourself from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. J Milburn (talk·contribs) The ed17 (talk·contribs) and Miyagawa (talk·contribs) 22:09, 31 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Ed, I had asked a question here nearly a month ago but haven't gotten an answer yet, since your a news man I thought you might be able to answer it so I can move forward with the idea. TomStar81 (Talk) 23:09, 14 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Fuck. I think we can combine a bunch of those into a single nom, but it's still going to be a nightmare. I'm going to need help. Adam Cuerden(talk) 06:10, 16 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Adam Cuerden: Well, 42 of the FPs can be combined into one; it's a single set of US Treasury secretaries. If you can handle those, I can do the FAs and FLs. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 06:57, 16 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Even combining, that's still 12 FP entries to write, and they're the ones that take the most time. I'll try, but really can't guarantee anything. On the upside, I stubbornly finished restoring Pierce. Adam Cuerden(talk) 09:07, 16 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
FC
Going to lie down a bit. Will finish FC after. Adam Cuerden(talk) 23:10, 17 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
And I've finished the FPs. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 02:09, 18 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Publish at will. By the way, of the three lead images, two of them were me fully restoring an image so we could use it to illustrate the article/list. =) Adam Cuerden(talk) 04:21, 18 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
And two are named John, and two are American, etc. etc. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 04:32, 18 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
G4 is for "sufficiently identical and unimproved" recreations. The Belle Knox (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) was recently the subject of a relatively extensive biographical documentary, which is why I started a new discussion rather than nominating for G4, for which in my opinion it is not a valid candidate. Can you please consider restoring the article and re-opening the AfD? VQuakr (talk) 02:42, 19 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hi VQuakr, that's what DRV is for ("if significant new information has come to light since a deletion that would justify recreating the deleted page"). :-) Best, Ed[talk][majestic titan] 17:42, 20 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I can post to DRV, but the G4 criterion explicitly states, "This excludes pages that are not substantially identical to the deleted version." It seems more efficient to simply hold a new AfD than to open a second DRV on the speedy - particularly since the purpose of the second AfD was to discuss whether the new coverage meant the subject was now notable, not to hold a referendum on the previous closure. VQuakr (talk) 02:41, 21 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, but this is what DRV is designed for. It's not always to challenge the closer's interpretation. Also of concern is that it's a BLP, so I'd rather not have this article up for a week (or more) while an AfD goes on. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 02:58, 21 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
An editor has asked for a deletion review of Belle Knox. Because you closed the deletion discussion for this page, speedily deleted it, or otherwise were interested in the page, you might want to participate in the deletion review. VQuakr (talk) 03:34, 21 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I've roughed in the FC for this week. Might end up NOT including all 8 oil paintings; but there honestly isn't THAT much in the articles or lists, and the only other two FPs worth considering are File:Bharata_Natyam_Perfomance_DS.jpg and File:Suleiman_Kova_and_media,_2013_DSM_Building_Collapse.jpg (There's money as well, but we've done a lot of money of late, so I think I'll skip a week on that subject.). FAs and FLs re skewing modern, so limited choices there. Might do the Workman image I've been thinking of restoring that's more square, but, in any case, I'll see how the length looks when the writing's done, and tweak then. Workman's going to be another tribute to Wadewitz, of course. Adam Cuerden(talk) 08:37, 22 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, Adam -- I missed this. It's your call on the images; I don't mind either way. I'll try to do the FAs tomorrow, but no guarantee. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 22:08, 23 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
WikiProject Military history coordinator election
Greetings from WikiProject Military history! As a member of the project, you are invited to take part in our annual project coordinator election, which will determine our coordinators for the next twelve months. If you wish to cast a vote, please do so on the election page by 23:59 (UTC) on 28 September! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 22:07, 23 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hmm. I wonder if I should have stood. I've been handling MILHIST's documentation of Featured pictures open tasks for around the last six months. (and updating the showcase for them has been pretty much me on my own for years.) Ah, well. I don't actually need power to do that. =) Adam Cuerden(talk) 22:14, 23 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Ask on WT:MHCOORD; I'm pretty sure we've had late nominations before. I mean, the only downsides are to you personally because you've missed out on the first fifteen votes. :-) And worst case, the coordinators say say no. Ed[talk][majestic titan] 22:16, 23 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Well, your call. There's no real formal authority there; we're mainly around to keep the project going. Quoting from the coordination page, "There is little that couldn't theoretically be done by any other editor, of course—the coordinators have explicit roles in only a few processes—but, since experience suggests that people tend to assume that someone else is doing whatever needs to be done, the most efficient route has proven to be to delegate formal responsibility for this administrative work to a specified group." Ed[talk][majestic titan] 22:28, 23 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Well, I posted and asked. It would be nice to have the role recognised, because then if I go away for a month, the work would still happen. And given I'm disabled and thus can burn out, it would be good to have that in place. (Speaking of which, last week of November and first half of December. Make plans now for FC, because there's every chance I might have at least one week where I can do none of the work.) Adam Cuerden(talk) 22:33, 23 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Honestly, I don't think MILHIST pays much attention to featured pictures. Which is a pity, in many ways. I mean, I think Operation Brothers at War has had fairly limited success getting articles ready in time for anniversaries, but, had I found out about it sooner, I'm pretty sure that I could have gotten most of the major battles on the main page. Think I can still get the last few on, though. Battle of Franklin's already passing, and I've asked Crisco to save the day. Adam Cuerden(talk) 23:04, 23 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Well, you're correct. Many laymen (us) who are interested in military history are fetishistic (not the negative connotation of that word) about minute details and the units where they served (divisions, ships, etc.) Most times, that manifests itself as article writing, as pictures just aren't quite the same. :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 02:50, 25 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
And, honestly, nothing wrong witht hat, but it'd be nice to work together a bit more. Adam Cuerden(talk) 19:49, 25 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Hey Ed, quick question. Do you think the RevDel on the election page was really necessary? RevDel is normally for something that's potentially harmful (malicious links, libel, private information, etc) rather than just minor silliness, otherwise we'd be RevDel'ing just abut every bot of vandalism. Best, HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 18:47, 26 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, on reflection, that was probably a bit aggressive. Feel free to restore the revisions! Ed[talk][majestic titan] 19:35, 26 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
When are you planning on sending out this weeks Signpost?--Dom497 (talk) 03:01, 27 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
It's about three days overdue, just to poke you. --k6ka (talk | contribs) 18:02, 27 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Dom497: and @K6ka: the Featured content report was behind schedule and took a team effort to finish this week. I have completed the publication process. --Pine✉ 05:57, 28 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks to you all! In case you're curious, Dom and K6ka, we've divided some of my Signpost roles now that I'm in graduate school and have far less free time. That means that I won't be the one pressing the buttons on the publishing script each week. :-) Ed[talk][majestic titan] 07:17, 28 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
GA Cup 2014-15
Since the judges encourage me to, I am pleased to invite to participate in the GA Cup 2014-15. You can read everything about it on the project page. The whole goal of the cup is to have a friendly competition and loads of fun. Hope you participate. :) Jonas Vinther (speak to me!) 01:24, 28 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
No worries about reverting my edit at NM's user talk. I made my case. She's got to learn to cooperate with others, she's now edit-warring with an actual expert on Bruckner. Montanabw(talk) 18:00, 28 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Belle Knox deletions
The Belle Knox AFD #2 was overturned/relisted at DRV. If it ends up being kept, are the histories of the two versions of the articles mergable? (Are they already the same history and we just can't see the old one?) The old version is significantly more fleshed out than the currently restored version, so if we end up keeping it, I think we would prefer to revert back to the older one, but I didn't know what the process would be for that. Gaijin42 (talk) 21:36, 29 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Belle Knox AFD #2
The second AFD for Belle Knox has been overturned and relisted. As you commented on the original AFD, you may wish to comment on this one as well. As there have been developments and sources created since the time of the original AFD, please review to see if your comments/!vote are the same or may have changed. Gaijin42 (talk)
Sorry about the double spam here, you got caught in my AWB list of editors. Gaijin42 (talk) 17:44, 30 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I think it would be good for you to provide an accounting of your actions in the previous AfD, given that you deleted the article against the community's wishes. Everyking (talk) 22:54, 30 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
What would that accomplish? Even if we accept that a bad call was made, the best thing do to would be to just move on. Gamaliel (talk) 23:13, 30 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I always love to see your username pop up, Everyking, so there's no need for the icy tone! I followed what I thought was the correct interpretation of G4, and encouraged an editor who later questioned it to go to DRV. Clearly the community disagreed with me, and it appears that there are enough sources to host an article about her now. I don't have a problem with either outcome. Best, Ed[talk][majestic titan] 23:25, 30 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Signups for the 2015 WikiCup are open. All Wikipedians, new and experienced, are warmly invited to sign up for the competition. Wikipedians interested in friendly competition may also like to sign up for the GA Cup, a new WikiCup-inspired competition which revolves around completing good article reviews. As ever, questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove yourself from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. J Milburn (talk·contribs) The ed17 (talk·contribs) and Miyagawa (talk·contribs) 22:11, 30 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
October's Featured Text at Wikisource by Adrianne Wadewitz
You're most welcome, — Cirt (talk) 23:50, 1 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]
You've got mail
Hello, The ed17. Please check your email; you've got mail! The subject is Adam Matthew account signup. It may take a few minutes from the time the email is sent for it to show up in your inbox. You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{You've got mail}} or {{ygm}} template.
I do hate to do this, but after the latest Wikicup incident, I need a short Wikibreak. >Email me if you're desperate but I need some time off Wikipedia, and am taking it unless I hear otherwise. Adam Cuerden(talk) 20:21, 2 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]
On behalf of the coordinators of the Military History Wikiproject I am very pleased to present you with the WikiChevrons with Oak Leaves, in recognition of your sterling service to our WikiProject over many years. This includes almost six years as a Coordinator (November 2008 to September 2014), your co-editorship of the Bugle newsletter (November 2010 to September 2012) during which time you helped put in place the format still in use today (and went on to edit the Wikipedia Signpost), and your participation in writing an amazing 25 Featured Articles. You were also a co-recipient of the Majestic Titans Oak Leaves recently but, owing to your continuous service as a coordinator till now, this is your first individual award, and it is long overdue! Ed, you are, quite simply, a MilHist institution. Thanks/cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 06:48, 4 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]
The Wikipedia Library
gmail.com. Thanks and cheers, Jake Ocaasi via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 23:41, 20 June 2014 (UTC)
_off_Trinidad,_13_November_1944_(NH_97132).jpg)
Godot13 (submissions) was the round's highest scorer, mostly due to a 32 featured pictures, including both scans and photographs. Also from Pool C, 
Casliber (submissions) finished second overall, claiming three featured articles, including the high-importance Grus (constellation). Third place was Pool B's , whose contributions included featured articles Russian battleship Poltava (1894) and Russian battleship Peresvet. Pool C saw the highest number of participants advance, with six out of eight making it to the next round.
Sven Manguard (submissions) taking Portal:Literature to featured status. The round also saw the first good topic points, thanks to 
12george1 (submissions) and the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season. This means that all content types have been claimed this year. Other contributions of note this round include a featured topic on Maya Angelou's autobiographies from 
Figureskatingfan (submissions), a good article on the noted Czech footballer Tomáš Rosický from 
Cloudz679 (submissions) and a now-featured video game screenshot, freely released due to the efforts of 
Godot13 (submissions), a WikiCup newcomer, finished top of Pool A and was the round's highest scorer. Godot is a featured picture specialist, claiming large numbers of points due to high-quality scans of historical documents, especially banknotes.
Casliber (submissions) is a WikiCup veteran, having been a finalist every year since 2010. In the semi-final, he was Pool B's highest scorer. Cas's points primarily come from articles on the natural sciences.
Czar (submissions) was Pool A's runner-up. Czar's points come mostly from content related to independent video games, including both articles and topics.
Adam Cuerden (submissions) was Pool B's runner-up. Another featured picture specialist, many of Adam's points come from the restoration of historical media. He has been a WikiCup finalist twice before.
Cwmhiraeth (submissions) won the WikiCup in 2012 and 2013, and enters this final as the first wildcard. She focuses on biology-related articles, and has worked on several high-importance articles.
12george1 (submissions) is the second wildcard. George's points come primarily from meteorology-related articles. This year and last year, George was the first person in the competition to score.
Sturmvogel 66 (submissions), the third wildcard, was the 2010 champion and a finalist last year. His writes mostly on military history, especially naval history.
Bloom6132 (submissions), the fourth and final wildcard, has participated in previous WikiCups, but not reached any finals. Bloom's points are mostly thanks to did you knows, featured lists and good articles related to sport and national symbols.
Matty.007 (submissions), 
ThaddeusB (submissions), 
WikiRedactor (submissions), 
Yellow Evan (submissions), 
Prism (submissions) and 
I may have been trolling for comments. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 08:15, 18 September 2014 (UTC)
![[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savanna_Elephant#mediaviewer/File:African_Bush_Elephant.jpg){kind=link}
Cwmhiraeth (submissions) is in second place with a number of high-importance biology articles, including new FA Isopoda and new GA least weasel. 
