User talk:Wwheaton

Info

Greetings. Wwheaton is Wm. A. Wheaton, of whom more can be learned at http://www.wwheaton.com/waw/index.html. I have also edited a few times as user 71.92.70.146 when I was logged out accidentally. Thanks to all who have helped and commented, and to the Wikipedia community at large! Wwheaton (talk) 20:17, 20 December 2007 (UTC)

Welcome!

Hi there. I've noticed the edits you've made to Bevatron and I must say, good show! If you have anyquestions, please feel free to ask on my talk page. And welcome to wiki! --Falcorian ^(talk) 23:46, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, appreciate it. I must say I really Love Wiki, but the dangers of spreading bad information, and meaningless conflict, are a bit daunting too. So I appreciate the hand-holding, and may well turn to you for advice in the future. Wwheaton 18:07, 25 August 2007 (UTC)

{{helpme}}

Welcome to Wikipedia. Although everyone is welcome to make constructive contributions to Wikipedia, at least one of your recent edits, such as the one you made to Talk:Mass Driver 1, did not appear to be constructive and has been reverted or removed. Please use the sandbox for any test edits you would like to make, and take a look at the welcome page to learn more about contributing to this encyclopedia. In fact, please do not add {{helpme}} to talk pages; it is designed to be used by you when you need help. In fact, it is designed to be used if you have any questions, not to attract attention. -Goodshoped 02:30, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Re: vandalism

Saw your post on Alex's talk page and decided to butt in. WP:VANDALISM is the page explaining vandalism and how to deal with it in detail.

The easiest way to deal with vandalism is to use the "history" tab at the top of the page, which shows you a chronological (newest first) list of edits to that page. "Cur" and "Last" on the left-hand column will produce a report showing the difference between the page as of that edit and the current page, or the page as of the prior edit, respectively. You can also manually select two revisions with the radio button and hit "compare selected".

Once you have a diff, you can use the "Undo" feature to, well, undo the edits. Or, from "history" you can click on the date of the edit, which allows you to bring up the "edit this page" as of that version, so you can restore the page to the last pre-vandalism edition. Just be careful not to nuke legitimate edits made since the vandal struck.

Finally, when a user vandalizes a page, try adding a user warning template to their talk page, such as Template:uw-vand1. If they already have a bunch of templates from before, or they are doing something really awful like moving 20 pages at once to "pagename ON WHEELS!", then add them to the administrators' vandalism noticeboard which will result in them being blocked in short order.

Hope that helps. <eleland/talkedits> 20:05, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

It looks like ClueBot - and everybody else - entirely missed the vandalism at issue, which is why your changes were not restored. The next person to edit it only removed the gibberish without re-instating the "list of uses", and nobody noticed. In this case, fortunately, nobody else came along and edited the article productively since then, so it's safe to revert all the way back a couple of weeks, which I just did. <eleland/talkedits> 20:36, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

Pu-238

Merry christmas, thanks for the question regarding RTGs and Pu-238. The first thing to understand about Pu-238 is that it is far more active per gram than Pu-239, this can cause it to behave in a very different way. The self damage due to radiation which occurs in PuO2 pellets is much faster with Pu-238 pellets than with Pu-239 pellets. As a result a pellet of Pu-238 will be more likely to fall apart at an early time than a Pu-239 pellet. I would expect that all Pu RTGs would use PuO2 as the chemical form for the Pu. While Pu metal would be more dense it is very reactive towards air/water, and Pu corrosion is very complex.

Now the good news, the RTGs made using Pu are oftein made in such a way that the Pu fuel is packaged in such a way that it is likely that the package will tolerate the heat of re-enetry. Also Pu(IV) is very insoluble in pH 7 water, but be aware that collidal PuO2 could be very mobile under some conditions, also insoluble Pu in the air is more harmful to the lungs than soluble Pu while in the case of oral Pu the reverse is true. It is also important to bear in mind that the fuel and the package only have to contain the Pu for about 900 years, after this time 99.9% will have decayed away. I am not able to say with authority if a RTG which has reentered will be safe or not. You would need to do more literature research, anyway "what is safe" ?

By the way you got my colour code in the Trinityglassactivity bar chart almost perfectly right, the green bars are for activation products, the red for a fission product and the blue for natural radioisotopes.Cadmium (talk) 15:48, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

Reporting vandalism

WP:UAA is for reporting usernames that violate our username policy. To report users who are repeatedly vandalizing, please go to WP:AIV. However, before reporting there, vandals must have a full set of warnings. Let me know if you have any questions. Regards, Lara❤Love 17:08, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

You can create the talk page when it does not already exist. I looked over their edits and, not knowing much about VeggieTales, I'm not sure if the edits are vandalism or not. Much of it appears to be good faith editing to me. Whether the additions are relevant or not, I can't say. But I'm sure the article custodians will sort it out. Lara❤Love 18:27, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

Also, you may be interested in our adoption program. Lara❤Love 18:29, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

OK, thanks. I guess I am not certain either, I thought we were under attack. Live & learn. Wwheaton (talk) 21:13, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

Regarding Talk:Solar power satellite, my apologies for deleting a lot of stuff. I clicked on a "diff" or an old version button in the history page, and stupidly edited what I saw and saved, discarding subsequent stuff including more of my own comments. I was just not paying attention to what I was doing, I did not intend malice. Sorry for the inconvenience. -- WillWare (talk) 16:16, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Interpretations of 2001: A Space Odyssey

Welcome to Wikipedia. Everyone is welcome to contribute constructively to the encyclopedia. However, adding content without citing a reliable source, as you did to Interpretations of 2001: A Space Odyssey, is not consistent with our policy of verifiability. This is especially important when dealing with biographies of living people, but applies to all Wikipedia articles. Take a look at the welcome page to learn more about contributing to this encyclopedia. If you are already familiar with Wikipedia:Citing sources, please take this opportunity to add your original reference to the article. Thank you.Groupthink (talk) 22:09, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

Here is where they actually first created the interpretations article. Dreadstar † 08:56, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, the "raw work", heh, I'm actually refining the raw ore into a more polished article..I hope! I look forward to your return to editing the article! Although, your project of 70um infrared star photometry sounds fascinating! Dreadstar † 08:19, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

Tedious; but important I guess, like much else. See http://web.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/waw/mips/70ufot/index.html for a taste -- I hope to have 50% more observations processed and up by later today. Anyhow, I am just delighted with the work you are doing in the sandbox, and do hope I can contribute usefully (and "legally") later in the week. BTW, while it seems sensible to chat in one user's talk space or the other (rather than in both), how can I notify you when I've responded? There ought to be a way, WP has tools for everything.... Best, Bill Wwheaton (talk) 15:25, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the compliment! I think it's starting to look pretty good. I'm trying to finish up sourcing for the Monolith and HAL sections, then I think it'll be ready to go! Dreadstar † 01:39, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Since there was no further comment on the Draft version, I asked that the page be unprotected and moved the draft into place. Let me know what you think! I'm still working on the HAL segment, your assistance with that would be most welcome! Dreadstar † 23:06, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Unfortunately, Groupthink decided to remove everything he disagreed with, edit warred over it instead of discussing and crossed the line into WP:3RR territory. I reported him and he was blocked for 24 hours. The last version before he started removing sourced material is here. Dreadstar † 00:20, 11 February 2008 (UTC)

Reply to talk page comment

In addition to the Wikipedian core values that have been vociferously discussed on the Interpretations of 2001: A Space Odyssey talk page, another one of WP's doctrine's is "don't bite the newbies". In other words, be welcoming and patient with newer users who have good intentions. Well, I bit you, and I apologize for that. Your heart is definitely in the right place, and I'm eager to see if you can in fact write a well-sourced article that establishes the topic's independent notability. If you can, then I will be that article's staunchest defender. Best of luck. Groupthink (talk) 16:58, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

Welcome!

Hello, Wwheaton! Welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions to this free encyclopedia. If you decide that you need help, check out Getting Help below, ask me on my talk page, or place {{helpme}} on your talk page and ask your question there. Please remember to sign your name on talk pages by clicking or using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically produce your username and the date. Finally, please do your best to always fill in the edit summary field. Below are some useful links to facilitate your involvement. Happy editing! —Vanderdecken∴ ∫ξφ 17:25, 9 February 2008 (UTC) Getting started A tutorial • Our five pillars • Getting mentored How to: edit a page • upload and use images Getting help Frequently asked questions • Tips Where to ask questions or make comments Request administrator attention Policies and guidelines Neutral point of view • No original research Verifiability • Reliable sources • Citing sources What Wikipedia is not • Biographies of living persons Manual of Style • Three-revert rule • Sock puppetry Copyrights • Policy for non-free content • Image use policy External links • Spam • Vandalism Deletion policy • Conflict of interest • Notability The community Build consensus • Resolve disputes Assume good faith • Civility • Etiquette No personal attacks • No legal threats Community Portal • Village pump Signpost • IRC channels • Mailing lists Writing articles Be bold in editing • Develop an article The perfect article • Manual of style Stubs • Categories • Disambiguation Pages needing attention • Peer review Miscellaneous User name • User pages • Talk pages Clean up: General - Spam - Vandalism Join a WikiProject • Translation Useful templates • Tools • User scripts

Re: List of basic space exploration topics

No need to wait for me. I look forward to seeing your developments. Have fun. The Transhumanist 07:06, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

2001 article

Just to let you know that the draft has been put into the mainspace: Interpretations of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Groupthink has disputed the sources and content, so your input would be welcome in that discussion. Preliminary details on the dispute are in the section above.Dreadstar † 02:03, 11 February 2008 (UTC)

All these HAL materials are yours, except Europa, attempt no landings there.  :) Dreadstar † 02:52, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

GRO J1655-40

Hi, I noticed your edits at GRO J1655-40. At first I was scratching my head wondering why this was on my watch list. Then I realised that I created the talk page. There might be something useful in there as it came from an old submission AfC. Perhaps you could take a look when you have time. Cheers. MSGJ (talk) 01:09, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Combustion instabilities/screeching

As I understand it, the combustion instabilities like screeching don't usually cause damage by mechanical means (although they could do in principle, particularly at very low frequencies, but screeching is much higher frequency).

No, the main problem is that they thin the boundary layer down, and that means the heat flow (which is normally stupidly high anyway) goes up massively. The wall then usually suffers from catastrophic burn through.- (User) WolfKeeper (Talk) 15:56, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Continued from the Black Holes page

However, there is no disputing the smallest "observability" of our universe as given by the size of a photon (i.e. the planck length). This limit is well known to exist and is accepted by quantum mechanics. I agree, that there could be something smaller than the photon, but it would be fundamentally unobservable to us even if there was.

If you would be so kind as to read the gravastar article, I explain much of my reasoning behind the need fix to the black holes theory. Please tell me what you think. Much of the info is directly from published research, however the interpretation of it is my own work. Does it sound plausible?--MaizeAndBlue86 (talk) 14:28, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Interp 2001

Interpretations of 2001: A Space Odyssey has been unprotected, so improvements and additions can resume! Dreadstar † 22:09, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Good to see you editing again! With the attention given to this article's sourcing, it would be good to provide references for edits like this. Otherwise it looks like the editor's opinion, which would violate WP:NOR. Dreadstar † 19:44, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

If you're quoting or paraphrasing Clarke, that's good, but it looks like an original opinion - so identifying where it comes from is important if it's challenged. Dreadstar † 21:44, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

Question On The Particle Wave Theory

I luv you, seriosly that message you sent me, I have limited expertice, your just an astronomer and a physicist, aka what I want to be and What most of my questions are in. How exactely do photons superimpose themselves into quanta. Just dum the math down a little and I'll figure it out. Thanks! 11341134a (talk) 19:22, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

Images

Which one do you like better? I had to do these from scratch to avoid any copyright complications.

• details
• plain

Dreadstar † 03:34, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

Hi!

Hullo, Bob -- I'm a physicist, working in high-energy astronomy for long, and lately in IR on Spitzer space telescope in Pasadena. I have enjoyed and appreciated your labors lately on Cygnus X-1, which is an old friend of us gamma guys. I am fairly new to Wikipedia (& maybe a slow learner to boot...), so looking to meet the more experienced professionals working the turf. Cheers, Bill Wwheaton (talk) 17:32, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Hi Wwheaton. Thank you very much for your comments on the Cygnus X-1 article. I'm hoping to make the page more comprehensive and bring it up to FA quality, but it may take a while. Unfortunately my professional field isn't in astronomy, although I have had a life-long interest in the subject so hopefully I know enough to make it an interesting read.

Most of the astronomy-related discussions take place over at Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject Astronomy and Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject Astronomical objects, so you might consider visiting. I'm sure they'll appreciate your comments. Thanks again.—RJH (talk) 18:45, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Planck time

Hey Bill, would you mind reading something of mine at talk:Planck time. I'm interested to hear what you think.--MaizeAndBlue86 (talk) 17:23, 18 March 2008 (UTC)