User talk:The Rambling Man

Solo (review)

Hello TRM, I just finished with the changes you suggested for the article Solo, would you be kind enough to review them?. Thank you so much. Javier Espinoza (talk) 20:50, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

I'll do my best to get back to it this week, sorry for the delay! The Rambling Man (talk) 21:18, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Thank you so much!!! A new GA!! Cheers. Javier Espinoza (talk) 18:43, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

Buggles discography FL

Hello. Not sure if you remember but I was asking you if you could do a copyedit review on the FL candidate page for The Buggles discography. It looks like you forget and just wanted to make sure you would remember, and I apologize if a lot of other FL nominations or other busy stuff has been keeping you from doing that. Have a great day. EditorEat ma talk page up, scotty! 17:28, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

Peer Review revisit

Hi Rambling man. Last year you were kind enough to peer review the List of people from Park Ridge, Illinois. I'm trying to get some consensus on what these "List of people from..." pages should look like. I've had ample time this summer to revisit this effort and believe that I've addressed issues you raised, as well as those raised by other editors. Would you be kind enough to take another look and see what you think. My hope is to submit it to Feature List review soon. Cheers, --Dkriegls (talk to me!) 22:00, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

FLC rules on sub-headings

Are FLC rules different from FAC in regards to sub-headings? FAC allows them if they're level 4. I'm referring to this. --JDC808 ♫ 19:32, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

It doesn't matter, but sub-headings should be discouraged as they will affect the table of contents unnecessarily. Cheers! The Rambling Man (talk) 19:51, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

Talk:Kenny Easley/GA1

Sorry for the delayed reply, I took care almost all of the concerns the past few weeks, but I been dealing with a just about fried laptop that turns off randomly and unable to replace it for the time being because of a recent illness. I should take care of the rest tomorrow, using a university computer. Secret ^account 00:38, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

DYK RfC

• As a listed GA participant, you are invited to contribute to a formal Request for Comment on the question of whether Good Articles should be eligible to appear in the Did You Know? slot in future. Please see the proposal on its subpage here, or on the main DYK talk page. To add the discussion to your watchlist, click this link. Thank you in advance. Gilderien Chat|Contributions02:52, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

I see you even got some thanks

I see sarcastic thanks were given to you for honestly answering a question elsewhere. see move request. Maybe not what you intended but it is what it is. Fyunck(click) (talk) 18:43, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

Yep, no worries. I've never interacted with User:Agathoclea but I'm sure their comments were genuine and not sarcastic in the slightest. The Rambling Man (talk) 18:48, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

Edit War?

Why didn't you say the same thing to Andy the Grump? Bootyshorts71 (talk) 21:16, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

I left him a note asking him not to edit war. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:18, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

Thank you, yes I saw that. I also see that Andy the Grump now has hit 4 reversions, continuing to edit war even after you politely noticed him. Bootyshorts71 (talk) 21:23, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

This is almost certainly another of Technoquat's socks. And given that comparing Jimbo to Hitler is a violation of WP:BLP (doh!), I'll carry on reverting anyway... AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:30, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

ITN

Thanks for your note re Snowden & ITN. I've tried copying the form on other occasions but just made a mess of it. When something / someone covered in WP becomes a major news item, some designated group of technically and journalistically capable Wikipedians should be charged with getting it into ITN. Because, to the general reader, the phrase "In the News" does not denote only WP items recently updated. It just means news. Sca (talk) 21:53, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

Just let me know next time you wish to make a fresh nomination, I'm more than happy to help. If you wish to change the way ITN works, then WT:ITN is the place to start. The Rambling Man (talk) 22:07, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

Well, at least the article has been pretty thoroughly updated, though in a chronological way rather than the usual journalistic way — in which the granting of asylum & Snowden's departure from the airport would have been in the 'lede.' Of course by today (Aug. 2) it's old news, but I still think it ought to be in ITN — if for no other reason than to offer our millions (billions?) of readers a ready link to this fascinating and important story. If you'd like to nominate it on my behalf, please do. Thanks.

Sorry to be so technically backward. When I started out, it was on a manual typewriter and with a thick copy-editing pencil. Sca (talk) 13:49, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

So, I think I actually did it. Perhaps you could check WT:ITN to see if it looks OK. TNX. Sca (talk) 15:04, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Thanks much for your added note and help. If I still had a Rolodex, I'd put you in it, for future reference.

I endorse the sentiments you express in the second paragraph on your user page — although I think a little well-placed sarcasm (of the non-personal sort) has its uses, such as making a point in an entertaining way. IMPO. (P = preposterous.) Sca (talk) 21:49, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

For sure. Sarcasm is marvellous, as is irony. Just a shame that 90% of the editors here aren't aware of either concept! The Rambling Man (talk) 21:50, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

I have to take you to ANI?

A redirect was not the outcome of the AFD. I've asked the closing administrator to delete it under G4. May I also note the precedent involving this redirect creator with the O. J. Murdock article. It was AFd, went through DRV, then Jax0677 tried to make it into a redirect. The redirect was deleted....William 16:45, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Go for it. You haven't got the WP:COMPETENCE here I'm afraid. A redirect to the specific section of the airline article is an ideal solution. Your determination to delete everything you personally dislike is unhelpful to our readers. Please send me a link to the discussion you start, I really can't wait. The Rambling Man (talk) 16:48, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

What a tremendous waste of time and demonstration of lack of competence. Perhaps next time you'll bother to actually read and better understand what you're talking about. The Rambling Man (talk) 16:56, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

Here you are

Hello. There is currently a discussion at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents regarding an issue with which you may have been involved. Thank you....William 17:03, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Wow, I was there, stopwatch in hand, and you disappointed me, a little bit. Good luck with that! The Rambling Man (talk) 17:09, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Actually, I'm thinking that I might need to start up some kind of editor review here since your continual insistence on dragging erroneous accusations through AN/I is becoming disruptive. I dunno. Maybe we'll apply the three-strikes law here. One to go! The Rambling Man (talk) 17:16, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

So User:WilliamJE, this has once again become a bit of silly circus, and I'm sort-of sorry it's not working out for you. If you could let me know if anything substantive happens, and I'll return to the AN/I thread, otherwise, I'm going to have dinner, and enjoy my Friday night! I suggest you do the same, and try to understand that you've made a few basic mistakes with respect to this discussion. But do remember, we're all human after all. The Rambling Man (talk) 18:32, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

ANI has been a silly circus ever since Mark Arsten was allowed to walk away without any sanction[1] a year ago next month. It is obvious administrators can do anything here. Should I call you what Mark said, 'You know what, fuck you. You're a petulant, narcissistic piece of shit.' I'd be blocked for a week or more. Since Mark was allowed to walk, how many editors around here have been blocked for violating [WP:Civil] at ANI or by an administrator like yourself without going through ANI process? Yet Mark had nothing happen to him. In the middle of that ANI, a editor got blocked for use[2] of the word 'arsehole'. That earned a block[3] but 'petulant narcissistic piece of shit' didn't. Absolute confirmation that administrators can do anything at WP and nothing will ever come of complaints against them. All administrators moral authority is zero as is your legitimacy in light of that double debacle. All of you have no credibility with me. The real circus is the people who have stood by and did nothing towards Mark Arsten but continue to hand down blocks for violations of civil or don't uphold civil in regards to administrators. You could disagree with me and the aviation task force with reason, but you chose to do it with personal attacks in combo. Why? I'm not expecting an answer....William 01:03, 4 August 2013 (UTC)

User:WilliamJE, how many times have you been told? There were no personal attacks. Time to get off the high horse, as you've been advised. And yes, other stuff exists. Looking forward to the next dramafest you create, three strikes..... By the way, the actions of other admins have no bearing on my actions, nor vice versa, we're all individuals. Stop lumping your gripe into one fetid cauldron. Also, please try to remember that one not one single occasion were you able to tell me (or anyone else who had to read through your outpourings of grief) of any incident where an abuse of admin tools took place. Seriously, take a long break, take a long look at your own attitude to others here, and then return refreshed and ready to contribute. Good luck. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:04, 4 August 2013 (UTC)

"anyone familiar with ANI and the Admin vs. editor dichotomy here in WP know that any attempt to bring up admin abuses are dismissed as hogwash. Time and time again these things are shot down even when the abuse is blatant and deliberate. I could list a dozen just in the last couple weeks."- An editor this year on a talk page.

Your attitude to others around here is part of why WP is so broken. A very few of them are willing to say it. The outcomes at ANI are as bogus as three dollar bills. You know it and I know it....William 22:25, 4 August 2013 (UTC)

A three dollar bill? We all know there's no such thing as a three dollar bill. Seriously?--Godot13 (talk) 23:57, 4 August 2013 (UTC)

User:WilliamJE, throwing ones toys out of ones pram will not get one anywhere. One needs to put together a convincing argument rather than complaining endlessly that one can't get one's own way. And yes, I've also got a $3 note (and spent a few while I was there), a rather fetching legal tender item from the Cook Islands. You should take a look, it features a lady riding a shark. How cool is that?! So once again, demonstration of competence is a good starting point as making incorrect comparisons right from the off hardly helps one's "position", now does it?! The Rambling Man (talk) 08:19, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

User:WilliamJE, I take it we're done here? I sincerely hope you improve you approaches to AN/I in future, with some tangible and credible evidence of abuse of the mop rather than just a whinge that can't be actioned. In the meantime, please try to refrain from wasting the community's time. See you around, I'm sure...! The Rambling Man (talk) 17:54, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

Divorce

No not us. I am referring to the category. But to be serious, Category talk:Divorce by country needs {{WikiProject Family and relationships}}, and Category:Divorce by country needs Category:Marriage, unions and partnerships by country (with a space as a sort order) and Category:Categories by country added to it . Also, Category:Divorce by country should have space as a sort order. -- Alan Liefting (talk - contribs) 20:37, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Well, despite me being banned (by you) from commenting on your talk page, I'll have to do it all here. Will do all above as and when I have time. Happy weekend to you. The Rambling Man (talk) 20:41, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

I thought we had kissed and made up? (sorry, is that image making you ill? ) I think I recall another editor commenting on the thawing of our wiki-relationship. That said I want to avoid the interminable discussions of the type that have been made on my talk in the past. 20:54, 2 August 2013 (UTC)-- Alan Liefting (talk - contribs)

I'm not sure, you banned me from your talkpage. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:00, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

But you can still read it. Anyway, I am quite sure the record shows that we have corresponded on my talk page at some point after I requested you to refrain from editing my talk page. -- Alan Liefting (talk - contribs) 21:13, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps. Why I would therefore go to lengths to help you, I know not. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:18, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Don't think about it as helping me. I don't need these edits done for myself. It is for Wikipedia. -- Alan Liefting (talk - contribs) 21:24, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Not at all. It's entirely to stop your whinging. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:26, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Am I whinging? Or am I making a perfectly valid request? You were willing to help out initially. If you don't want to carry out my requests I can go ele=sewhere if oyu wish. -- Alan Liefting (talk - contribs) 21:44, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Yeah, you're a whinging Kiwi, and you know it. Perhaps you're still upset about the under-arm situation. But blame the Oz for that. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:46, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

By the way, by " ele=sewhere if oyu wish" is that somewhere Hobbits may go? Or perhaps I may find Gandalf? Do tell..... The Rambling Man (talk) 21:49, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Isn't it the Poms who do the whinging. Q: How do you tell if a plane load of Poms has arrived in New Zealand? A: The whining does not stop when the plane engines have been shut down. -- Alan Liefting (talk - contribs) 21:55, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

BTW, could not care less about cricket. -- Alan Liefting (talk - contribs) 21:56, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Considering you're a Kiwi, that's probably wise. The Rambling Man (talk) 16:51, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

We need a Category:Divorce in the United States as well. -- Alan Liefting (talk - contribs) 20:58, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Really? Which items would fit into it? We normally need more than one or two items before we create a bespoke cat. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:00, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Yes. I know. I must admit that I have not checked very thoroughly but given the US-centrism on WP I would be surprised if I would not be able to scrap up about five. Anyway, an exception to that rule is if thay are part of a series and that applies in this case. -- Alan Liefting (talk - contribs) 21:06, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Need Category:Marriage, unions and partnerships in Australia as well. -- Alan Liefting (talk - contribs) 21:06, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

As a sub-cat of which cat? The Rambling Man (talk) 21:25, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Category:Marriage, unions and partnerships by country and Category:Australian society. -- Alan Liefting (talk - contribs) 21:44, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Bring it on. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:47, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Ok! Where shall I start! -- Alan Liefting (talk - contribs) 21:38, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

Can you put Category:Electronic waste in Africa‎, Category:Electronic waste in Asia Category:Electronic waste in Europe up for deletion? It is a needless dilution at this stage since they are adequately covered by Category:Electronic waste by country. WP:SMALLCAT is a reason. Ta. -- Alan Liefting (talk - contribs) 21:38, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

Coventry City F.C.

Excuse me, you appear to have put some sort of a block on the Coventry City F.C. page to stop users editing it "until 16 August 2013". I agree that as usual there have been some editors vandalising the page but why prevent all users from making legitimate changes. It says that the move has blocked "all non-admin users" - why then; a) does the protection have to be so strong that I (someone who has committed no vandalism) cannot make edits, or b) can I not be made into an admin user? Regards. Officially Mr X (talk) 17:49, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

Yes, the vandal(s) in question appear to have confirmed accounts. If you wish to edit the article, make a request on the talk page using the {{edit request}} template. Sorry for the inconvenience. The Rambling Man (talk) 19:29, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

• Yep, the vandal is definitely confirmed; they're blocked at present, but there's a sockpuppet account sleeping there, and that one may well be autoconfirmed as well (didn't check how many edits it had made) Lukeno94 (tell Luke off here) 19:43, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for replying. But what is the {{edit request}} template? What do I even do with it? Just paste it at the bottom of the talk page? What will result of that? Why can I not just freely edit the article, or be upgraded to a Wikipedia user status where I am allowed to edit it? Officially Mr X (talk) 20:58, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

Click on the link I provided. That should show you how to use the template. Add it to the talkpage. You can't freely edit the article as it's protected due to ongoing vandalism from various accounts. No, you can't be "upgraded" to become an administrator (that's the level of privilege required to edit the page), unless you feel you could run at WP:RFA. Let me know. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:02, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

Well, I really have no interest whatever in any formal procedures such as what WP:RFA appears to be. As for the editing of the page in question, my only concern now is that the level of protection given to it seems rather excessive given that there hasn't really been all that much vandalism caused on it anyway. I, and other editors, will reluctantly wait until 16th August if that ends up being necessary but I truly believe that it isn't - the odd few vandalising edits can easily be handled as it is by reverting rather than needing layers and layers of protection and prevention being placed on it. It you yourself are in a position to lessen the extent to which the page is under protection, then I sincerely advise that you consider doing so. Regards. Officially Mr X (talk) 21:13, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

Sure, I appreciate your comments. You don't need to wait, you can add the {{edit request}} template on the talk page (as I suggested earlier). If that's not enough for you, I suggest you start a discussion at the talk page itself, that way other people who may wish to discuss this can engage with you. I'm more than happy for the protection to be reduced, but if the vandalism returns, so will the protection. Have a great evening! The Rambling Man (talk) 21:15, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

Okay, this all seems rather inconvenient, but thanks for your help and input. Officially Mr X (talk) 21:23, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

What's inconvenient is an annoyed and disruptive Cov fan who keeps removing sections of the page despite being asked to discuss it on the talk page. You could always help out by reaching out to him. That way the "inconvenience" would be fixed. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:25, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

MOS:DTT

Hey there. It was recently pointed out at an FAC page that the statistics table guidance given for ice hockey articles at Wikipedia:WikiProject Ice Hockey/Player pages format doesn't comply with MOS:DTT (I haven't looked to see how). When those guidelines were established, was there any outreach effort to make sure WikiProjects were providing compliant advice? I just wonder how many editors are still copying old table templates from WikiProject pages without knowing about the newer guidelines. --Laser brain (talk) 19:52, 4 August 2013 (UTC)

Well, good question. WP:FLC have been advised about this MOS guideline for a couple of years, it's part of WP:ACCESS that we've been trying to advocate as featured lists usually have more technical content than FACs. However, that doesn't mean to say that FACs shouldn't try to do the same. I'm nothing to do with the FAC process, and all I could do (and have done) in the past has been to ask people at FAC to try to respect this part of WP:ACCESS, as a general compliance with MOS. To discover when the guidelines were established, you'd need to talk to the people at WP:ACCESS. I'm sure there was little if any outreach because accessibility is usually sniffed at and generally ignored (apart from at FLC of course). The Rambling Man (talk) 21:10, 4 August 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for the information. I think accessibility is important but awareness is often a problem. I admit ignorance of the table guidelines, but I am currently reading up on them. --Laser brain (talk) 21:59, 4 August 2013 (UTC)

Talkback

Thanks for review. I think I've fixed most of what you just said, and I've asked questions about things I didn't know how to fix. Thanks for the review, again! EditorEat ma talk page up, scotty! 14:58, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

Ok, I'll get back to it in due course. The Rambling Man (talk) 15:01, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

Talkback

Thanks for review EditorEat ma talk page up, scotty! 15:12, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

You're welcome. The Rambling Man (talk) 15:19, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

Added statement about not being released as a single. EditorEat ma talk page up, scotty! 15:28, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

Not sure if you're looking at the article again or if you're very busy, but I think I fixed all of what you said. EditorEat ma talk page up, scotty! 14:49, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

Want another GAN to do?

Hey, saw your speedy yet thorough GA review at Dana's David O'Connor article. Want to tackle a horse "biography?" Paynter (horse) has been languishing at GAN for a couple weeks now. He races again on Aug 31, so it would be cool if the currently stable (pun intended) version of the article was GA by then... ? Pretty please with maple sugar on top? (Or sugar cubes, or carrots, or whatever other little treat-motivator you'd like -- Paynter himself is said to be partial to red peppermints...!) Montanabw^(talk) 15:56, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

Hey Montanabw, I'd be more than happy to that, although I must admit that since I made a few edits to it (albeit to hopefully improve the consistency of references), I've been leaving it to someone else. If you're sure it wouldn't be a problem, I'd be more than happy to add it to my list. The Rambling Man (talk) 16:24, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

Looks to me that you did 16 edits but only on one day, all cleanup. Hmm, that does make you the number two contributor, though. Damn! I think you would be neutral (in fact, probably tougher on the article than would a random stranger, actually) But if you think it better we get someone more uninvolved maybe give a tip to a GA-reviewing-buddy you know? I did ask Dana to look at it, but she's pretty busy too... Montanabw^(talk) 17:32, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

Hey, well I'll do it. It may take me a few days to get to it (I had a day off today waiting around for people) but if you're cool with it, I'll just crack on. The Rambling Man (talk) 17:42, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

I'm cool with it. Montanabw^(talk) 18:44, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

Talk:David Clyde/GA1

I think I got everything, let me know if you have further comments on the article. Thanks for the review. Secret ^account 19:04, 6 August 2013 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

The Defender of the Wiki Barnstar

I stumbled onto your userpage when you popped up on my watchlist. Your userpage is probably the most refreshing, incisive, and interesting I've came across on Wikipedia. Kudos for saturating it with clue - so have a barnstar! (Apparently they've removed the Userpage Barnstar. Maybe the days when whole editing careers were dedicated to perfecting one's userpage have finally ended?) AGK [•] 00:52, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

Greetings and...

Greetings The Rambling Man. Just passing by, but while I'm here, don't let 'em get you down :) Cheers! --Technopat (talk) 12:47, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

Hey, don't worry, I'm doing fine! It's all the others.......! Cheers! The Rambling Man (talk) 12:49, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Templates for discussion/Log/2013 August 7

Please remember that WP:WIAPA notes that making accusations of misconduct without evidence is considered a personal attack; your comments on WilliamJE will result in a block if you continue. Nyttend (talk) 18:16, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

User:Nyttend, what are you talking about? Firstly you show up here with no clue, secondly you accuse me of "creat[ing] this purely for the sake of tagging notable-people sections in US communities". I'd urge you to actually do some homework. Where did I "create" this template? Please show me some evidence of me creating the template. Otherwise retract entirely the accusation. Also, "These sections do often get people who weren't associated with their towns, but standard practice is not to tag sections with unrelated people". So the practice of "notable persons" needs to stop. Disappointing that an admin with your experience would make such basic mistakes. Your accusations are more of a personal attack than anything I've written in this little dust-up. Think again, and do something about it. The Rambling Man (talk) 18:47, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

This is your last warning. The next time you make personal attacks on other people, you may be blocked from editing without further notice. Comment on content, not on fellow editors. Accusations of lying are not permitted, and a block will follow the next NPA violation. Nyttend (talk) 21:30, 7 August 2013 (UTC)