Wikipedia:Help desk
- For other types of questions, use the search box, see the reference desk or Help:Contents. If you have comments about a specific article, use that article's talk page.
- Do not provide your email address or any other contact information. Answers will be provided on this page only.
- If your question is about a Wikipedia article, draft article, or other page on Wikipedia, tell us what it is!
- Check back on this page to see if your question has been answered.
- For real-time help, use our IRC help channel, #wikipedia-en-help.
- New editors may prefer the Teahouse, a help area for beginners (but please don't ask in both places).
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celeration chart
what did I do wrong?
This only my second visit to the site as I came to add some information to the term "urtication" I noticed "I" had new messages and when I clicked on it was immediately warned that I had violated some TOS and one more infraction and I would not be allowed back. I'm afraid to try. Maybe I just need to learn about the site, but it did seem simple enough to add some text to that particular entry. Greatest thing I've seen in a long while, I'm disabled, don't get out much, this is great fun until now.
Kenneth Cheek152.163.100.12 04:09, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- Please notice that you are using an AOL IP address. These addresses frequently change and are assigned to various different users. It is likely that another AOL user was vandalizing from that IP address and you were simply assigned that IP address next. If the message was not about you please disregard it. It is unfortunately a pretty common occurence. The best way to prevent that from happening is to register an account with us. I am really sorry that is happened. I hope this does not deter you from contributing to Wikipedia. We appreciate your edits. If you need any help, just let me know. Thanks, Psy guy (talk) 04:18, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- It's probably not you at all, but somebody else connecting to the site from the same IP address - since you're not logged in, that's the only way we have of identifying you. As the top of the relevant talk page states "This IP address, 152.163.100.12, is registered to America Online (AOL) and is shared by multiple users. Comments left on this page may be received by other users of this IP and appear to be irrelevant." In other words, somebody else, also connecting via AOL, has vandalised Wikipedia, but the number has been reassigned to you.
- As the message goes on to say "If you are frustrated by irrelevant comments appearing here, you can avoid them by creating an account for yourself." - and it really is very easy to create an account. You don't need to give us any details, not even an e-mail address - just pick a username no-one else has used, and enter your desired password twice. And then you get several benefits, chief of which is you can claim credit for your work.
- So, I hope we haven't scared you off completely, because we really are pleased to have you here! - IMSoP 04:25, 29 September 2005 (UTC) [written at the same time as the above, I'm just more long-winded ;)]
How to find how long a Wikipedia article is?
Wikipedia's editor has been moaning that Frogman is too long, so I have split parts of it off onto other articles. After that, the moaning has stopped, so how can I find how long in kilobytes a Wikipedia article is? Please answer on my talk page. Anthony Appleyard 06:23, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
If a page is considered too long, hit the edit link and it will tell you the length in kB directly above the editing frame. You could copy the text and put it into Notepad, then save it and check the size. Otherwise, it's probably not too long. also see wikipedia:article size for more details. --Ballchef 07:03, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- I recommended Lupin's navigational popups on his talk page. - Mgm|(talk) 09:37, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
selection sort c example
I think the example of selection sort in c, is not correct, the exchange of values is out of the loop
Signature tab not 'highlighting' on my user page?
Help desk, I tried to change the format of how my user name shows when I leave posts from: 'Wavesmikey' to 'Libb Thims', via Wavesmikey 05:03, 21 September 2005 (UTC) to Libb Thims 05:03, 21 September 2005 (UTC), but after I did this the internal link function stopped working on my user page yet continuted to work on other talk pages? On my user page, presently, when I use the signature function it just shows up as: --Wavesmikey 10:55, 29 September 2005 (UTC)? , where the 'name' is not highlighted nor underlined, nor internally linked? Did I mess up the program somehow on my user page? Thanks: --Wavesmikey 11:04, 29 September 2005 (UTC) (note how stamp works here?)
- You're saying on the User:Wavesmikey page it isn't doing it? I think it's doing that by design -- preventing a recursive link. Indeed, it does that by design. I just tried it on my User page (I've yet to muck with my signature), and it didn't link my name. See [1]. --Andy Janata 11:20, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- I also see that you're using your user page in the way your user talk page was intended. If you'd have your discussions on User talk:Wavesmikey, your sig link would work fine. --Andy Janata 11:30, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- Links to the page you're on are bolded, so if your signature points to your userpage, posting it to your userpage will bold it. - 131.211.210.12 11:57, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
tourism
How does tourism development affects economy of a country?
— Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.72.184.132 (talk • contribs) 11:20, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- Thank you for your question! This page is for questions about Wikipedia. Factual questions should go to the reference desk. However, have you checked the tourism article? Also, please only post your question once; do not go back and re-submit it 3 times. --Andy Janata 11:25, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
Urgent fix - predsident to president
pls. fix the DYK entry on the Main page about Gerwani and Suharto. It should spell president and not predsident. Hv put a note on the talk page of main page as well, but thot more admins wd see this. Thanks, --Gurubrahma 13:05, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- It has already been done, thanks --Gurubrahma 13:30, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
lizard
Hi! I think you forgot to actually include your question. However, almost all lizard-related questions go to the Science reference desk.
Possible exceptions:
- Please explain the significance (if any) of lizards in Tennyson's work : A perfect candidate for the Humanities reference desk
- What words rhyme with "lizard"? : Goes to the Language reference desk.
- Lizard! Lizard lizard lizard MWAHAHA CHEEESE COWS MITTENS : Sounds like you want the Sandbox!
Hope you found this helpful. Cheers! :) --Ashenai 14:44, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
Is the use of "you" in articles such as those related to activities appropiated?
Reading a number of articles, particularly those explaining certain games (especially video games), activities or software, I noticed that a sizable number of pages have used the term "you" like it is attempting to explain it directly to those who are indulging in these activities. Examples of this include the following:
- ...while (performing a part of an activity), you see an (item or event)...
- or
- ...(the activity/program/game) allows you to (perform capabilities)...
Given that an encyclopedia is intended to be read by readers not interested in participating in the pointed activities, is the use of this word is appropriate for encyclopedia articles? Would a third person substitute (such as the reader, or the player) be more suitable? ╫ 25 ring-a-ding 15:29, 29 September 2005 (UTC) ╫
- It depends on the context, but in a lot of cases substitution would be a good idea. If you gave particular examples this discussion would be easier, though. - Mgm|(talk) 16:13, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- Here are examples of the use of "you" I've previously seen in three video/computer game articles for clarification:
- Another performance issue with San Andreas is that the game engine is not efficient at producing smoke effects. As a result, the frame rate can drop dramatically when you are in a situation where fire is present. The most noticeable missions in which this is apparent are the mission where you have to rescue a girl from a burning building, and the final story mission of the game which takes place in a torched factory. This mission is made more frustrating as you are being attacked at the time. - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas#Criticisms, fifth paragraph
- Here are examples of the use of "you" I've previously seen in three video/computer game articles for clarification:
- The career mode, in which the player takes part in one of four television shows, with missions being presented as episodes. There are four different episodes to choose from, each with a set of "episodes" that increase in difficulty. Zippy's Courier Service has you take the role of a simpleton who must make a certain number of deliveries in a certain amount of time, Galahad's Watch tasks you with first weeding out corrupt cops, then discoving an even bigger plot you must stop, Granny's Wild Ride has you playing as Granny, who has discovered alien plans for invasion in her attic and must stop them at all costs, and Race for Your Life has you play a race-car driver trying to win enough money to afford treatment for a terminally-ill child. - Streets of SimCity#Objectives, final paragraph
- Some programming flaws however caused unrealistic behaviour in some special circumstances. For example, in a car chase, the police will chase you for disobeying the speed limit (even driving over pedestrians), ignoring the hostile car. The police also will ignore when you drive in the opposite row, or over sidewalks, or if your co-driver bears a weapon. In fights, the enemy AI is far from perfect: they try to attack you with fists even when you are armed or driving a car, they like to crouch, enter your range before reload their weapons, and then return to their hiding positions to shoot, and finally even if you are shooting, they ignore you since you are not in front of them. - Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven#Flaws and fixes, first paragraph
- I think the more formal language would to replace "you" with "one", but that would be a little stilted for most people's tastes these days. A good alternative woul be "the player" but that would could become repititous. Johntex\talk 18:37, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- Right now there is an (in)active discussion about adding something like this into the Manual of Style. I think use of words like "you, your, we, our, or us" in encyclopedias is bad writing practice. — Kjammer ⌂ 19:40, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- I agree that "you" sounds more like a user manual or how-to than like an encyclopedia. I always rewrite such when I find them. Elf | Talk 20:21, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
How to locate Project Manager for a given Category or page?
To help resolve a dispute over inclusion in a Category, with someone who by his own admission says he doesn't know the proper definition of the Category, and thinks it should be abolished anyway, but who also believes he is entitled to delete the Category reference from the Page. Will provide details if you wish. Thank you. Steve Harnish 16:24, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- Details would be very useful indeed. Bring it up either here, at WP:ANI or at my talk page, if you prefer. Cheers, [[Sam Korn]] 16:35, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- There generally is no "project manager" for any particular page or category. I would discuss this on the talk page of the article involved, at first, just as with any other edit dispute. If thinngs can't be rsolved there there sis WP:RFC and various other ways to get more people involved who could help. DES (talk) 17:05, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- There might, however, be a project related to the category. If so, posting on that project's talk page might wake up people who have an interest in, and are familiar with articles in, that category. See Wikipedia:List of WikiProjects. Elf | Talk 20:31, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
Permission to use Images
To whom it may concern,
I have been looking for pictures of Tulum in Mexico and the Sun Pyramid, in Mexico as well. I found some nice pictures of both at the following addresses (respectively): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tulum.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Pyramid_of_the_Sun_%28Teotihuacan%2C_Mexico%29.jpg Now, I'd like to use these for a website on Mexico and I'm wondering who I can approach on the matter. Any ideas? Thanks, Vanessa
- You can click on any picture you are interested in, to see what is claimed for its copyright status. If it says "public domain" you are free to use it in any way (assuming the claim is correct; if it is not, you may find yourself liable). If it says "fair use" you probably aren't able to use it. If it's anything else, read carefully. In at least one of these cases, the picture has been put into Wikipedia without copyright information and will be deleted very soon. Notinasnaid 17:20, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- Of the specific imags you linked to, one has no source or copyright tag, and so you should not use it. The other has a tag that permits use for "noncommercial use only" (which means it will probably be deleted from this site before too long) and the person who uploadfed it, and who has a user page on wikipedia, sseems to claim to be the photographer. You could leave a msg on that person's user talk page if you wanted to get explicit permission. DES (talk) 19:10, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
what are three differences between a peer to peer and a client server network?
What is three differences between a peer-to-peer and a client/server network?
- Please read the top of the page. Factual questions like this belong on the reference desk. That said, you could read peer to peer and client-server to find out. - Mgm|(talk) 19:01, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- Thank you for your question! This page is for questions about Wikipedia. Factual questions should go to the reference desk. However, have you checked the network article? Johntex\talk 19:03, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
THREE RIVER GORGE DAM...
GOOD AFTEROON, MY NAME IS NODAS PAPADIMAS AND I AM AN INSTRUCTOR AT THE COLLEGE OF MOUNT STAINT JOSEPH. I RECENTLY SAW THE PICTURES YOU HAVE ON YOUR SITE ABOUT "THE THREE RIVERS GORGE DAM" IN CHINA. I WAS WONDERING IF YOU HAVE MORE PIC'S (BEFORE DURING AND AFTER) OF THAT PROJECT SINCE ALL MY ARCHITECTURE/INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENTS WILL BE THRILLED TO WATCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP, NODAS...
- Hello, one way to see if we have more images is to go to the article of interest and click the Discussion and History tabs - these would show if any other images have been part of the article in the past. Johntex\talk 18:17, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- I CAN'T QUITE HEAR YOU! CAN YOU SHOUT A BIT LOUDER? — JIP | Talk 07:51, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Is it possible to put my personal biography in wikipedia for observation?
I was wondering and it would be nice if wikipedia let me put my biography (or some 1 elses) in the database
- propbably not. Vantity articles are not popular.Geni 18:43, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- See, in particular, Wikipedia:Autobiography. The issue is whether the accuracy of such content could be verified. -- Rick Block (talk) 18:49, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- As you'll see at the above link, not everyone is notable enough to be included in an encyclopedia. After reading Wikipedia:Autobiography, if you think the person (E.g. yourself) does fit the criteria for inclusion - you can feel free to create the article. Either, way, thanks for checking with us first. Johntex\talk 19:00, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- See, in particular, Wikipedia:Autobiography. The issue is whether the accuracy of such content could be verified. -- Rick Block (talk) 18:49, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
How do I add a picture to an article
How do I add a picture to an article
- See Wikipedia:Picture tutorial for detailed instructions. Please sign your name on discussion pages with four tildas. DES (talk) 19:13, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
Dragon's that really live on island that are major killers
What is the name of the dragon that lives on an island that is to be like a lizard who is to be the most killer animal on earth? My daughter who is 10 never heard of them, but I can't recall the full name of the animal. They are suppost to be almost extict?
Theresa
- The reference desk would be the better place for this question. The help desk is for questions about Wikipedia and its software. But you may find more info at the dragon and Komodo dragon articles. Dismas|(talk) 19:56, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
Declaring an entry a stub
I recently edited an entry that should be declared a stub, but I don't know how to do this (if possible). I've read other entries that are stubs, but this is the first time I've looked at one and I'm new to editing. Is there something I can do on my end or is there something in place that labels stubs?
--SailorAlphaCentauri 19:43, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- You can put {{stub}} at the end of the article and it will label it as a stub. But to go the extra mile, it's preferred that you categorize the stub for instance if it's a stub about an actor it would be {{actor-stub}} or about a structure it would be {{struct-stub}}, etc. See Wikipedia:Stub for more info. Dismas|(talk) 19:52, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
Vietnam
When were the first US military personnel sent to Vietnam?
- Our article on the Vietnam War states US troops fought from 1965 to 1972. Please send factual questions like this to the reference desk in the future. - Mgm|(talk) 20:35, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
co2 in the atmosphere
bacteria and fungi
- Please leave factual questions at the reference desk. Our articles on carbon dioxide, bacteria and fungus may help though. - Mgm|(talk) 20:37, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
Wikifying links becomes bold text.
I've been editing a few pages, and when I try using double brackets to wikify links, the links instead become bold text. I don't see my error, and it doesn't make sense, because the code for bold text is three consecutive apostrophes, not two brackets. Look at my recent contributions to see what I'm talking about.
- I haven't looked at your recent contributions, but I have a feeling you're linking to the article you're editing. In other words, if I typed in [[Wikipedia:Help desk]] , it becomes Wikipedia:Help desk. Thus, if you link to an article within an article, it becomes bold. I hope this helps! Flcelloguy | A note? | Desk | WS 20:51, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
Whoops! When you're viewing several articles at once, sometimes you forget which one you're actually editing. Thanks for the help! Stalyuchka 20:55, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
protecting content
How is wikipedia protected against somebody going in and deleting valuable information that is already there? Also how is it protected against from people taking baloney?
Well, I know that if someone tries to vandalize a page (delete all of the information and/or replace it with nonsense), another user can simply revert the article back to the un-vandalized version. Stalyuchka 20:51, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- Check out Wikipedia:FAQ and Wikipedia:Replies_to_common_objections. Thanks! Flcelloguy | A note? | Desk | WS 20:52, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
Thanx! I was just curious coz I love the Wiki's idea and I was tottally impressed how up to date some of the atricles are.
research
My question is quite simple, and yet I still have trouble with he subject: how would you list a Wikipedia article as a source for a formal bibliography of a research paper?
- Read the top of this page. The first line under "How to ask a question". Dismas|(talk) 23:00, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
Change my user name?
Who do I ask if I want to change my username?--Luspari 23:25, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
- Please see Wikipedia:Changing username. However, please note that this is currently not done. If you wish to have a different username, you must sign up a new one. Note that changing attribution for edits is also not done right now. If you only wish to change what ~~~~ puts on the page for you, you can change it in your preferences. --Andy Janata 23:35, 29 September 2005 (UTC)
source data for world map
/media/wikipedia/en/b/bf/Country_positions_Iraq_war.png
I'd like to get the source data for this (rather than look up locations for all the countries in the world). Is there a way to do this?
Thanks.
Kevin
Biographical Data on "Leslie Glass"
Found wiki bio on "Leslie Glass" is an exact duplicate of information provided on answers.com Since I cant tell which is the original I'm reluctant to edit out the wiki version. Whats the solution?
- Answers.com is a mirror of Wikipedia. The article here is the original. — File:Ontario trillium sig.pngmendel ☎ 00:05, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
What are the "big ideas" in Wikipedia?
I was asked this question by my IT instructor and I am not clear if this is a particular type of reference in Wikipedia or if we are just talking about ideas in general. Can someone please advise? Thanks. --anon
- There is not any special type of reference or article known as a "big idea" here. I don't know what your instructor means (you might try asking your instructor) but if he want the core or basic principles of wikipedia, try looking at Wikipedia:Five pillars. DES (talk) 14:16, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Citing scientific knowledge
This may be an utterly naive question from a complete Wiki novice, but I thought I'd err on the side of caution.
I recently found the page on the star V838 Monocerotis on Wikipedia after doing a Google image search. I am an astronomer studying this object and noticed that some of the information is incomplete. I would like to contribute to the page and Wikipedia in general, but I am concerned that much of the astronomical research on this and other objects is published in copyrighted journals. What is your policy for information that someone acquires someplace else (e.g., a scientific journal or newspaper or any other form of media) and would like to place that information in Wikipedia? I am not concerned with verbatim excerpts from journal articles or even images, but the scientific knowledge itself that is presented in the journal article. If you are happy to allow it, how should I go about citing a reference within the journal to validate my edit/addition? I can place a URL link to the journal article, but only subscribers would be able to access the article. Kind of defeats the purpose of a citation.
Thank you,
The Astrogeek
email removed
- (1) Neither knowledge nor facts are copyrightable, only specific phrasing. So it's OK if you crib it from publish journals (e.g., use them as references). (2) Although we're not big fans of citing subscriber-only sources, it's better than nothing, so go ahead and cite away. →Raul654 03:29, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- In manyb ways you treat this just as if you wewre writing a papaer or say a survery article for a professional journal and wanted to cite facts contained in someone's published work. Give the facts, and cite your source, but do not use other people's words except in an explicit quote (indicated by quottion marks, or the like) and quotes should be relatively brief. DES (talk) 14:13, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
how do encyclopedia entrys work
- Could you give us a better idea of what you mean? Do you want to know how the software that runs Wikipedia works? Do you want to know how to start an article? Just exactly what do you mean by "work"? Dismas|(talk) 12:35, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
The Letter People --searching for
I am trying to find copies of The Letter People series that aired on Public Broadcasting in the 70's. I am not interested in the reproduced versions that are being sold on Ebay. Thanks for your help. SR
- First off please read the top of the page where it says that this page is for questions dealing with how to get things to work here at Wikipedia. Secondly, we don't sell videos here, if that's what you thought, so you might have better luck at www.amazon.com or www.amazon.uk Dismas|(talk) 12:38, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Excessive Internal Links
How many internal links (links in Wikipedia articles that link to other Wikipedia articles) is considered too much? I've seen some articles where it's just bad, messy, and gives a headache when reading it just because of all the internal links; it just ruins the flow of the reading. I've also seen internal links for some pretty ridiculous things. Is it really necessary to have links for every couple words, and then for trivial things like dates and such? Sorry if this has been asked before, is there a FAQ or policy page about this that talks about how to gauge how many is too much? FistOfFury 04:44, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- See Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_(links)#Internal_links. Short answer: link full dates, so preferences for a user can kick in, important years, and anything relevant to the article and jargon mentioned in passing that might need explanation. - Mgm|(talk) 04:56, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- Thanks for the links. - FistOfFury 07:39, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
About image
How to use an image from my system in the article
- Assuming all the copyright issues are not a problem, you upload it, and then modify the article (see wikipedia:Picture tutorial) →Raul654 05:07, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Foreign Language Redirects
Hi, I just stumbled accross this IP address 68.72.116.165 who has been responsible for creating a large number of foreign language redirect pages. [2] Are these types of pages acceptable for the English wikipedia? They seem like pointless clutter to me. Martyman 05:06, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
electronics/transistors
1. in transistor ce cb and cc configurations
- in active region: emmiter base junction is forward biased and base collector junction is reverse biased.
- in cut off region: emmiter base junction and base collector junction both are reverse biased.
- in saturation region: emmiter base junction and base collector junction both are forward biased.
On which context we conclude above biasings.
— Preceding unsigned comment added by 220.226.57.217 (talk • contribs) 01:56, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- Did you have a question? --Andy Janata 11:31, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Is there a central starting point for Computing (Application development)?
Hi I am a new member and I am wondering whether there exists a Computer portal entry. Something similar to listings in Category:Portals), for Computer Application Development (related to Software_development but more focussed on applications for business organizations). I had been active at WikiWikiWeb for over a year prior to coming here.
I have seen WikiProject related to Computing but it appear to be quiet (meaning little or no significant update activity looking at histories) at this moment.
Other visited pages / topics include:
- Software_genre (no Talk page)
- list of people with Computer interests (not much activity)
- Update history (Talk:Computer_stubs)
- Update history (Computer architecture)
- Software_engineering
Have I missed any other "(IT) community watering-hole"? at Wikipedia?
Thanks in advance for your help. Dlwl 05:58, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- Have I missed any other "(IT) community watering-hole"? at Wikipedia? - Yes -- Wikipedia:IRC channels →Raul654 06:00, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Minimum criteria for band articles
I recently found a page outlining minimum criteria for inclusion of articles about bands (the musical kind). Now I can't find this page anywhere. Can anyone help?
I am a newbie here and so far am frustratingly finding this a common experience. The information areas are difficult to find, and I just seem to stumble over things only to never find them again. Is there a site map or some way of easily tracking down info? --DarbyAsh 09:19, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- You're probably looking for the excellent WP:MUSIC. --fvw* 09:21, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- You could leave links to interesting pages on your userpage for easy reference. Once you've been here for a while, finding stuff becomes easier. - Mgm|(talk) 09:43, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- I agree with Mgm that it gets easier the longer you've been here. If I need to find info on something that I haven't encountered yet I usually just try typing in the search box "Wikipedia:" and then one or two words about what I'm looking for. If I wanted info on reverting an article to an older copy to erase some vandalism I would type "Wikipedia:Revert" or "Wikipedia:Vandalism". There are so many redirects set up that I've only had problems with my method a few times. I also agree with putting links to stuff that you want to reference often on your user page. See the bottom of my user page for an example. Dismas|(talk) 12:24, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Folks, thanks to all of you for your excellent comments. I not only found the page I was looking for (thanks Fvw) but now know how to search for more such helpful pages. Cheers. --DarbyAsh 23:52, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
What is Engineering
Waht is engineering?
- Try reading engineering and the top of the page which notes questions like these belong on the reference desk. - Mgm|(talk) 11:40, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Link unsigned editing history and comments to my account name?
After contributing for a while I finally discovered how to create an account. Can I replace my IP address and history of comments and revisions with this account name?
— Preceding unsigned comment added by DutchSeduction (talk • contribs) 07:23, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- Wikipedia:Changing attribution for an edit. Note however that this has been dead for months and may never come back to life. Andy Janata 11:34, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
wikipedia in megrellian language
As you know megrellian is a language spoken in west Georgia, in districts of Zugdidi, Khobi, Senaki, Martvili, Chkorotsku, Tsalenjikha, Abasha, Gali, Ochamchire, Poti. About 1 000 000 people speaks this language. It's non-literary language, but some people started to write novels and verses in this language. Also, first megerlian writer was born about 150 years ago. first megrellian newspaperwas KAZAKISHI GAZETI was issued 70 years ago. Nowadays we have no media sources, except web-site www.phazisi.com. We want the wikipedia to be in megrellian also. It willhelp our people to start reading, writing in it's mother tongue. But we don't know what to do for this. Do we have to go over some official proccesses? Is it free to make wikipedia in every languages, if even it's non-literary language? We wait for your answer, and we hope that you will answer positively.
Your Sincerely
Tada Lazareskiri
President of Colchis
International Society.
New York,
www.warldcolchis.com
- Try visiting Request for new languages on meta
- How to start a new Wikipedia has full intructions, of which Request for new languages on meta is one step. --Commander Keane 16:02, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
External Links (legal citation)
I've created this page on legal citation in the last few days, and I included this paragraph:
The growth of the internet has not affected the mode of citation in any way, as it has done in less conservative fields. There is no free-access database of UK case law, and most online research is done on the subscription commercial sites Justis[3] and Lexis[4]. Even on these sites, cases are organised, and cited, by the volume and page numbers of the paper law reports from which they are derived.
I would like some guidance, though, on whether the external links should be there. These are definitely commercial organisations and you must subscribe to use their services. On the other hand, they are clearly crucial to the subject of the article.AndyJones 13:02, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- We've nothing against links to external commercial organisations if they're directly relevant to the topic, and I certainly agree with you that Lexis et. al. are. Perhaps include them in an external links section at the bottom? Alternately, we have an article for LexisNexis, and you could link to that. Shimgray | talk | 13:08, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- I'd agree with Shimgray here. My rule of thumb is to avoid using an inline external link when we have a working internal link. (So just link to the Wikipedia article on LexisNexis, for example.) I would include the two external links in the 'External links' section at the bottom of the article; I don't think it's necessary to include them inline but they're certainly germane to the topic. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:35, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
WikiPedia Plug-in Utility
I love WikiPedia and I want to access it all the time, but it takes a bit to get there and enter the search topic. Is there a utility like Dictionary.com's that I can load onto my Windows PC? I'd like to search WikiPedia by highlighting and hot-keying - that would be great!
Thanks Bret
- There's a plug-in for Firefox I believe that lets you highlight words and then right click on them to look them up in Wikipedia. I don't use Firefox so I'm unfamiliar with how it works beyond that. Dismas|(talk) 22:57, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
current and flow
Where do the terms “current” and “flow” come from?
- Do you mean to ask about why current is referred to as flow? If so, then the anaogy comes from trying to compare an invisible thing (like current) to a more tangible concept such as water-flow. Like all analogies, there are imperfections and limitations but the central concept is sound; electrical current can be thought-of as water flow for visualisation and to enhance understanding.
- Also, this question should have been asked at the reference desk as it is not a question about Wikipedia. Please go through this page if you are in doubt. --hydnjo talk 01:51, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
Who changes an article's title
I just edited an article on Giorgio Biandrata to correct the spelling of this gentleman's name (from Blandrata -> Biandrata). However the title of the article is still misspelled. How does one rename an article?
Peter Newport
- if you are a logged in user, and you have had your account for a little while, ther will be a "Move" tab to the right of the "edit this page" tab. This will allow you to move an article to a new location that is, change its title. Whe you do this, you need to chack if any links to the old title have been broken.
- However if you don't have th move tabe available, go to the requested moves page and follw the instructions there to ask for help with a move. DES (talk) 14:07, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- I moved it. Thanks for pointing this out! --Ashenai 14:11, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Downloading All Cities by Country
I'm trying to put together, plainly put, an excel file of every city in the world .. or all the big ones .. i've been copying and pasting the ones from Wikipedia Cities By Country list .. there's got to be a better way to do it .. anyone have any suggestions? Is there a way i can download a CMS or excel file of all those without having to copy and past 400 countries?
b
- If you're only interested in the big cities, there are far shorter lists at List of cities with more than 100 000 inhabitants. Warofdreams talk 17:04, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
useless internal links
I think it should be an element of the Style sheet, under the Internal Links entry, to encourage editors not to create internal links to each word in a two- (or more-) word phrase that represents a single uint of thought. In the entry on "John Milton" we are told that the poet's father was disinherited because *his* father discovered him reading an English Bible. Each of the words in that phrase, "English" and "Bible," has an internal link. But the significant point is that he was reading an English-Bible (single unit of thought), which at the time would have been a sign that he was Protestant (and thus grounds for his Catholic father to disown him), and neither the entry "English" nor the entry "Bible" is going to convey that point. If the entry on "Bible" had a history of Bible translations, which included the consequences during the Reformation period of using a vernacular Bible, then the two-word phrase "English Bible" might be profitably linked to *that portion* of the "Bible" entry. In other words, in some cases, internal links can give the impression of further relevant information but actually lead readers afield. Of course, one of the joys of Wikipedia, and the internet in general is being able to meander just as fancy directs one. But when does wandering become error?
Gregory Machacek
- I agree in principle, though for some readers, both of those links (English and Bible) might also be relevant and germane to their understanding of the topic. The original author should have been aware of the implications of English-Bible (all one unit) as opposed to English, Bible. It's up to them to decide whether they leave the words unlinked (in which case someone else may well come along and link them afterwards anyway) and/or to add a few words in parenthesis to explain the implication of the phrase. Or, of course, you could do that yourself... it's what Wikipedia is all about! SiGarb 18:29, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Question
When I am editing a Topic, I sometimes add information, but when I come to check it has either been deleted or changed, now I know the information is factual, un-biased and fair, yet is deleted? why??
- It could be for any number of reasons. It would help if you mentioned a specific article and signed your question, so I could check your edit history. - Mgm|(talk) 18:46, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- Are you talking about your edit to Kashmir 12 days ago (that's the only edit of yours I can find)? I suspect it was removed because you made an assertion "the USA has lauched a Plan to segregate Kashmir and use it for its own purpose", but you didn't back it up with proof or sources. Providing proof and citing sources is very important here. Who said it? When did they say it?
- But please don't let this discourage you from editing Wikipedia. I'm sure you have very valuable stuff to contribute; it's just that we can't accept statements that sound like your own ideas or research, even if they're true. This is an encyclopedia; we can only include things that can be proven.
- Again, please do continue to be bold and edit articles! We're not ignoring you, and we'd like to see what you can contribute. :) --Ashenai 18:49, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Sorry, I know that is my IP but I have an open LAN so anyone can really come on and use my IP.
- Well, could you point us to your edits, then? Without knowing what they are, there's no way to tell why they were reverted. --Ashenai 18:57, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
copyright
Do I need permission to copy quotes from wikipedia?
- Wikipedia is released under the GFDL. This means that anyone may quote from it, or reuse its contnets, either as-is or in an edited form. However, this is true only if the new woirk is also relsesed under the GFDL and if prior authros are acknowled, and a link or other method of acces to teh original verison is provided. For a simple quote, this is excessive. The doctine of Fair use (in the United states) or Fair dealing (in many other countries) protects a person who uses a brief quote as part of a larger work, in most cases, This means that one need not usually get permission to quote a published source at a reasonable length. This applies to Wikipedia as much as to any other source. However, when quoting, be sure to cite your sources properly. See Wikipedia:Citing wikipedia. DES (talk) 19:17, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Sock puppets
I think I might have found a sock puppet:UKV (talk · contribs) might be a sock of Biterider (talk · contribs). My eveidence to support this is that the sock in question has edited only one page, the AfD entry of ObjAsm32, and seems to have been created for the purpose to vote "keep". Also this user uses the word stay rather than keep as does Biterider. This could also mean that this is just another Wikipedian who knows of ObjAsm32 that registered in order to vote their opinion, and uses "stay" because he thinks that's how things are done (might not have seen other AfD entries). Can Admins determine socks using methods unavailable to regular users? And in the future, how should I handle these situations? (do I have to report it somewhere?) — Kjammer ⌂ 19:13, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
- No, admins cannot check whether certain people are sockpuppets of others. However, votes by new user's and anonymous user's are often discounted if they don't provide reasoning or don't seem to understand the procedure. Just tag a note using small tags to their vote saying they're a new user with x edits specifically created for voting purposes, so the closing admin knows to doublecheck votes. - Mgm|(talk) 20:30, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
What effects can hurricane katrina have on living things.
- Note that, as stated at the top of this page, this is for questions about Wikipedia, not about other topics such as hurricanes. More about hurricanes can be seen in the articles under Hurricane in general, or Hurricane Katrina in particular. When it hit, Katrina obviously had many effects on living things in its path, from drowning them in floods to blowing them away by high winds. The health effects of the stagnant, polluted water of New Orleans may be felt for a long time. But you don't say specifically what sorts of effects you are looking for. *Dan T.* 20:16, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Identical terms problem
I clicked on 'Krona' in the DC universe section, who is a villain. I however went to the article about 'Krona' the Swedish currency, having a small piece of text at the top saying how Krona is also a villain in the DC universe. The DC universe is a link to the DC universe, and as already observed, clicking on Krona in there gets the Swedish currency. It seems to be impossible to get to article about Krona the DC universe villain, and I'm guessing same things would be true for other identical terms. Obviously, one of two identical terms (more when there are three terms spelled the same) would have to get an identifier; like Krona(DC), or something, or one or more of the terms cannot ever be read from what I can tell.
- I fixed Krona. The original link looked like this: [[Krona]]. All I had to do was find the article for the comic book Krona (which was Krona (comics)), then fix the link with a pipe, like this: [[Krona (comics)|Krona]]. That way, you would still see Krona as the link, but it would actually point to Krona (comics). Like this: Krona. How's that? :) --Ashenai 22:48, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
can,t find smackdown
If there is anyone on who can tell me why I can,t get smackdown on t.v. since they changed days from thurs. to fri. and my guide doesnot even have a listing for this show like it does not exist please help having withdrawrals
- This is an encyclopedia, not a TV Guide, and we don't even know where you live, so how could we know what might be available on local, network, cable, or satellite channels accessible to you? *Dan T.* 22:41, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Archiving a Talk page
How does one archive a talk page? I need to do this to the discussion page for Media bias. Thanks. --Kerowyn 23:42, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
Correspondence Address for Rudolph Guilani.
a question
how to add a biographie?
fact or fiction
Thank you for having such an incredible resource centre available. My only concren ios that the matter printed before me be of truth and faction without falsehoods. Can this Be Verified? email removed — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.220.148.65 (talk • contribs) 21:03, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
see if an article has been deleted
i recently wanted to check on an article, the link was still there, but it did not exsist. i want to either write the article or something similiar, but i think it had been deleted. how can i check to see if it has been deleted, and if so, see why so i know how to improve it thanks. --Herzog 02:39, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
- You can look in the delete log, see Special:log/delete. Any admin can let you know what the contents were, or you can request an undeletion at Wikipedia:Votes for undeletion. -- Rick Block (talk) 02:58, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
intel xeon motherboard compatibility
What kind of motherboard can I use for Intel Xeon 3.2 Ghz? Can I use any type of motherboard as long as it is an Intel processors compatible?
- The help desk is for questions about Wikipedia. You may want to ask this question on Wikipedia:Reference desk/Science. Evil Monkey∴Hello 03:41, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
Nihon no terebi bangumi
Ima Nihon dewa donna terebi bangumi ga ninki ga arunode shoka? Kokosei gurai o taisho to shite imasu. Risa Ii
- Please state your question in English. I have no idea what that means in Japanese. Andy Janata 14:20, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
Messages
How do I check messages from other wikipedia users? Duke53 08:09, 1 October 2005 (UTC)|Duke53|05:50, 1 October 2005 (UTC)}} 05:49, 1 October 2005 (UTC)}}
- If you received a "You've got new messages" box, you can click on the underlined text to go to your talk page. You can also click on "My talk" at the top of the window to access it anytime. Titoxd 05:49, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
Thank You .... still finding my way around. Duke53 08:08, 1 October 2005 (UTC)Duke53
History fixes?
Is there any way to move article history from one page to another, after a page move?
I started an article at Christopher Wood which was later moved to Christopher Wood (artist) and the page has since turned into a disambiguation. Is there a simple way to move the history from the original page to the new one? I'm not unhappy or anything, just curious.
-Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 09:18, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
- In other words, you mean someone did a copy/paste move instead of a real page move, and you want to fix it by merging the articles? Yes, it's possible (I'll do it if you confirm that this is, in fact, what you are talking about) →Raul654 09:21, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
As you can see I am new to wikipedia...
As you can see I am new to wikipedia.... I tried to add a link to this site... so forgive me for not knowing how to use this stuff as yet.... Looking for software in the performing arts field, that I can convert a play to html statements.... does anybdy know of such software.... this wikipedia is pretty cool... sorry if i added things i shouldn't have and where... my email is <removed>
- Welcome to Wikipedia, If you are facinated by it you should register. Registering a free account takes only a few seconds, you don't have to register, but there are reasons why you should.
- For your question about text format convirsion software, please re-ask your question at the Reference desk, the Help desk is for questions regarding Wikipedia itself. — Kjammer ⌂ 10:31, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
Self-reverted tests
I sometimes see anonymous IPs "vandalize" pages, then immediately revert their own vandalism. Template:test seems a bit, well, testy as a response. Is there a convenient template that says "thanks for reverting your own test, here's the sandbox, user accounts are good, welcome to Wikipedia"? — ciphergoth 09:33, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
- Template:Welcome would probably be closest.Geni 13:45, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
- {{selftest}} seems good to me. [[Sam Korn]] 13:46, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
Can Numbered Lists Start at Zero?
Erm. Pretty much what it says in the subject line. Is it possible to make a numbered list start at zero rather than one? Joe King 13:09, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
- No, not if you use the # from the wikicode to make that list. You could just do it manually... Why do you need the list to start at zero? - Mgm|(talk) 13:58, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
satellite communication
history of satellite
- Perhaps History of artificial satellites or Communications satellite and please direct further factual questions to the reference desk. - Mgm|(talk) 14:01, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
factors to consider in building modern shopping market
- Please read the big pink box at the top of this page and follow the directions therein. Dismas|(talk) 14:54, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
How to cite Wikipedia the MLA way?
In order for me to fully cite this page i would like the following questions to be answered pleasw.
Who are the authors of wikipedia? What edition and volume is it? What is the publishing city? The publishing company? The publishing date? What is the page numbers?
I think what would help you is what i was researching on. I researched Vietnam.
Thankyou so much!!
- Please read the top of this page. Specifically the first line under How to ask a question. Dismas|(talk) 14:52, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
- Since Wikipedia is a collaborative endeavor and not a print source, you need to cite it differently. The link Dismas is referring to is How to cite Wikipedia. - Mgm|(talk) 14:54, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
Wierd revert
I was using the Newer edit button to view a series of changes. Latter I looked on my watchlist and found that I had somehow reverted the changes on that page. Revert isn't even an option that appears anywhere on the page when using the Older/Newer edit. What happened? Rmhermen 14:59, 1 October 2005 (UTC)