User talk:Johantheghost

If you want to discuss an article that I'm working on, please leave a message on its talk page. I should be monitoring that, and that will keep the article history with the article.

Otherwise, please click here to leave me a new message.

Military dolphins

Thanks for the message. Looks like you've done wonders with the USNMMP article. Great stuff. I agree that the two articles can exist separately - this may mean that the military dolphin will remain a bit stubby because a lot of specifics will go to the other article, but that's ok. Pcb21| Pete 07:08, 1 October 2005 (UTC)

Thank you!

Just wanted to say thanks for all your great work on Panama Canal. It's a world better after your reorganization and additions. Cheers. jengod 19:11, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

Peer Review - U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program

You're welcome... its a great article and should be featured. Likewise, panama canal! --PopUpPirate 09:55, 7 October 2005 (UTC)

U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program image alignment

With a second look I'm pretty sure I do agree with you that the text reads better with the images aligned right; I'm on the fence a little bit as well, since I think it is slightly boring, visual-wise, to have all the images on the same side of the article. Not enough of an issue, though, to sacrifice readability for... I think left-aligned images may work better set in with longer paragraphs, where they're not disrupting headers or bullet lists. In any case, it's not a big deal, so no worries about reverting the experiment. I do think the image of the Bottlenose dolphin might look better next to the list of animals trained in the program, since the picture of just the dolphin seems to be more directly illustrating the contents of that section than issues of animal welfare -- what do you think? — MC MasterChef :: Leave a tip — 10:45, 11 October 2005 (UTC)

Good idea — done! — Johantheghost 17:48, 11 October 2005 (UTC)

Ordnance Survey

No probs - you're voting on the article not the user :D Any help apprecriated *if* you get time. Thx! --PopUpPirate 21:35, 11 October 2005 (UTC)

Marine mammals

Done. Cheers Tony 11:29, 19 October 2005 (UTC)

Bounty Board

Greetings. You've recently been involved with working on get articles up to featured status, so I wanted to let you know about a new page, Wikipedia:Bounty board. People have put up monetary bounties for certain articles reaching featured status - if the article makes it, the bounty lister donates the stated amount of money to the Wikimedia Foundation. So you can work on making articles featured, and donate other people's money at the same time. If this sounds interesting, I hope you stop by. – Quadell ^{(talk) (bounties)} 13:28, 28 October 2005 (UTC)

No worries!

Withdrew History of the Canal nom. Let me know when you feel comfortable with it and I'll be happy to renominate! :) jengod 19:18, 2 December 2005 (UTC)

Fair use image

Hi. I'd like to point out that the image on your user page (Image:Johan the Ghost Braced.jpg) is eligible for deletion as of December 4th under Criteria for Speedy Deletion I/M5. Since your image is hosted on Wikipedia as Fair Use, it must be used in an article or be removed. If you're the owner of the image, I suggest changing the license to Public Domain ({{PD-self}}) or some alternative free license. The image will be deleted within 24 hours if the license remains unchanged. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. —[admin] Pathoschild 17:52, 12 December 2005 (UTC)

Fair do's; can't really justify PD-Self. — Johantheghost 14:51, 13 December 2005 (UTC)

Main Page

You've got my sympathy for having to face down that torrent of shit vandalism. Well done. Leithp (talk) 18:34, 20 December 2005 (UTC)

Panama Canal

Glad to help. I've been intrigued by the early lock system idea, & what would have happened if they'd built it to start with. Seems like the French project ignored the mosquitoes & malaria entire. Suppose there's something to add on that? Or a link to/page on disease control on projects like the Canal? Trekphiler 15:48, 22 December 2005 (UTC)

See Talk:Panama Canal. — Johantheghost 16:44, 22 December 2005 (UTC)

Leprechaun

Thanks for the feedback :) - FrancisTyers 21:45, 22 December 2005 (UTC)

Panama Canal History

I rewrote "devestated Pacific Fleet" (it's a myth; at best, an exaggeration), & added the subs remark, for which I rely on Blair's Silent Victory; I'd source it, but couldn't quite see a separate heading for it alone. Trekphiler 13:25, 24 December 2005 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Peer review/Hero of the Russian Federation

Hello. I was wondering if I met every point that you made at this page. Thank you for what you done so far. Zach ^{(Smack Back)} 10:52, 26 December 2005 (UTC)

Panama Canal

I fixed the link for you in the article. The MoS-L needs an update. That section is woefully out of sync with current trends in WP:FAC. What's mentioned there has given way to the footnote style about ten months back. None of the articles that pass through FAC these days have this style of referencing. (The exception being links present in infoboxes. These cannot be rendered.)

The problem is the abrupt change in the text if it is kept inline. Go to the print version of a page. (The link is on the left menubar). Notice that the URL is displayed along with the text. A reader, using a speech reader expects a smooth transition is suddenly fed the URL of the text to an external link which is hardly relevent in context. Now the Panama Canal Authority link is notable enough to merit a place in wikipedia and should be accordingly linked. Please note: I have always objected to having such links formatted inline, so this isn't something specific to this article. Regards, =Nichalp «Talk»= 12:54, 29 December 2005 (UTC)

Centennial Real Opening date

Thanks for your comments. I found the real opening date, September 2, 2005 on here The inauguration of this bridge was widely criticized because the new highways leading to it were not finished yet. The only reason it was inaugurated on August 15, 2004 was because President Mireya Moscoso was going to be out of office on September 1, 2004 and she didn't want her political rival, Martin Torrijos, the son of the man who ousted her husband Dr. Arnulfo Arias in 1968 to make that inauguration instead of her. I thank you for your hard work in these pages about my country, i hope i can help to improve them. Radioheadhst 16:30, 31 December 2005 (UTC)

so you're from Panama? I love Panama! Great place, and I hope I can get back there one day. I'm freezing in Scotland right now! — Yes, I am from Panama, so im enjoying some warmer weather than you over there! I find fascinating you have made all that research about Panama, I hope many more people learn more about Panama and visit us. Happy 2006 to you. Radioheadhst «Talk» 19:32, 31 December 2005 (UTC)

Panama FAC

Hi, Johantheghost - nice job on Panama Canal... I'm impressed with how well you handle criticism!! Re your latest fixes of my objections: I'll check them later, it's 5 in the morning now so I'm going to bed! Looking forward to Mild object Support... Mikkerpikker 03:10, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

Single-handed sailors

I hope my new category is self-explanatory enough: Category:Pole vaulters with seven or fewer toes.  ;-) Seriously, thanks, I've obviously been living with the subject more than most people. — Johantheghost 01:02, 6 January 2006 (UTC)

No big. But if I hadn't gotten there by way of Donad Crowhurst—and I swear, even knowing plenty about Crowhurst, my first reaction was "but he had two hands!"— I would likely have added Admiral Nelson and Captain Hook. -- Jmabel | Talk 01:05, 6 January 2006 (UTC)

Golden Globe Race

No problem about pasting over my article. I doubt there's anything in mine that isn't in yours. It'd be nice to put in an extract from the note which Moitessier catapulted onto the ship off Cape Town:

"My intention is to continue the voyage, still nonstop, toward the Pacific Islands, where there is plenty of sun and more peace than in Europe. Please do not think I am trying to break a record. "Record" is a very stupid word at sea. I am continuing non-stop because I am happy at sea, and perhaps because I want to save my soul".

Looks like you spent a lot longer on your one than I did. I'll start on ocean rowers. --CharlieP 00:25, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

I kind of disagree that Golden Globe should be a dab page, I think the situation works nicely with the notice at the top of Golden Globe Award. Having said that, if you get consensus (more than what is at the talk page you pointed me to) I will happily do the work needed (which is about 2 hours worth).--Commander Keane 02:47, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

FA

Panama Canal is now a featured article, well done! --DelftUser 19:21, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Congrats, amigo! Incedentally, thanks for all the help on the USS Wisconsin peer review, that article has also gone featured. TomStar81 02:30, 5 February 2006 (UTC)

Editing Steve Fossett

I am working at the direction of Steve Fossett. It is my job. And you don't even know what his correct name is. Talk about VANDALISM. You are doing it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by PowersPhotos (talk • contribs)

reply

Now cut it out...

I have been contributing to this article at the direction and correction of Steve himself. YOU are not providing the information (Including his name) in a way that he wants or is even correct. I AM NOT A VANDAL and I provided the picture of him. SO STOP IT. —Preceding unsigned comment added by PowersPhotos (talk • contribs)

reply

*facepalm*

My bad. Corrected that now.Circeus 17:56, 14 February 2006 (UTC)

GeoRef

Hi There,

I came accross you question about GEOREF in the setion on MGRS.

I know very little on this topic, but I came accross the following reference today:

"The World GEOgraphic REFerence System is used for aircraft navigation"

See the following wesite: http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/education/curricula/giscc/units/u013/u013.html

Hope this is helpfull.

Craig —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.129.24.1 (talk • contribs)

Thanks, Craig! BTW, we have an article on Georef now. — Johan the Ghost _seance 11:19, 17 February 2006 (UTC)

<refs>

start

the <ref>s has recently become a recomended system for FAC, however, I do not think you should go converting articles you haven't been a main contributor to, as several editors still dislike it a lot (there are arguments for and against, althought I obviously think the for outweight the against), and a user was recently put on probation for a using a script to change ref style. (althoughtit might not have to do ith the wikicode used to create the refs).

Also, any such script is probably a Wikipedia:Bot, so you will need an approbation for it. Circeus 15:38, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

reply

Panamanian applique....

Nice work on Mola!--Rockero 23:11, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

reply

February 23!!

The Panama Canal article will be Today's featured article on Feb. 23!! --DelftUser 19:37, 20 February 2006 (UTC)

That was a really good message

Hi

I really liked your response to anonymous "Messed up second section". May I copy it and use something like it to welcome other newcomers? (I am not much of an old-hand myself.)

Secondly, I notice elsewhere you respond to someone's trivia about the palindrome by saying there is no trivia section. I created one, and it got reverted straight back. I'll try again. If you like it, your support would be appreciated. Thanks for your work on this article.

BrainyBabe 15:34, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

reply

Vandalism on Panama Canal

Hi, Someone has messed up the sequence of primary and secondary headings in Panama Canal. I am not going to try and fix it because you are much more familiar with dealing with vandalism and reverting edits.. Regards Gregorydavid 20:44, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

reply

Hi, Thanks for the feedback. One day when you have some time you can tell me how you save all the good edits that land on a vandalised page. Regards Gregorydavid 21:12, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

reply

Kuna swastika

origin

Hi, I read the webpage you refer to before I made my changes. It gives no visual examples of the "ancient" Kuna sign, so there is no evidence with which to compare the symbol on the flag with any symbol that was used indigenously before the international swastika craze. But the swastika on the flag is a classic Buddhist/Indian form in its geometry. If you look at the article you will see that the use of this form of the swastika expanded dramtically for use in the insignia in various countries over the period c1890-1930. The adoption by the Nazis was just one of many many examples during that period. They too claimed that was an "ancient German symbol". The expansion of use by the Navajo and other groups in this period follows exactly the same pattern. If you look at earlier Native American "swastikas", they are very rarely like this classic form. Since you are talking about the creation of an official flag for international usage here, your portayal of isolated Kuna peoples unaware of international influences does not quite work. This flag was created at a time when the claim to be in "natural" native possession of a swatika motif had great cultural significance.Paul B 11:05, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

reply

Dab.ing Halifax

original

Hi Johan, no prob with your change in circumnavigation, amending the Halifax link to Halifax, Nova Scotia (former city) -- if you think it fits better.

Unfortunately, I think that the pages there are badly structured, confusing the place with the structure of local government. It would make more sense to me to have a main page about 'Halifax, Nova Scotia' with secondary pages about the local govt.

As things stand, we have a choice between linking to the rather short Halifax, Nova Scotia (former city) page or the more comprehensive page at Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Neither seems ideal :( —Preceding unsigned comment added by BrownHairedGirl (talk • contribs)

reply

Acronym templates

Regarding your message at User talk:William Allen Simpson; this topic appears to be a can of worms; I posted a comment regarding this immediately above yours.

I believe that there's a link to the discussion somewhere in that conversation. It looks like there's a whole load of tedious bickering going on amongst a particular group, and that the acronym pages and the like are getting messed around as a result.

Fourohfour 19:56, 5 March 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I kind of got that impression. My main beef is with "unwritten" policies... I hope that doesn't happen here. Writing it down in a talk page doesn't count, specially when the talk page contains a hundred conflicting opinions (as those ones seem to). Greetings from snowy Inverness... — Johan the Ghost _seance 01:26, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

Commas in Panama Canal

first comma-hunt by User:Tomyumgoong

first message to User:Tomyumgoong

second comma-hunt by User:Tomyumgoong

second message to User:Tomyumgoong

Excessive commas do not make that line more readable. Look forward to my rectification of your overpunctuation shortly. Tomyumgoong 00:39, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

reply

Cape Agulhas

Hi, thanks for fixing the coordinates. Fractions of seconds can exist, but fractions of minutes must be reduced to seconds and fractions of seconds.. I know you have reliable sources. Do you know the wording on the brass plate? What about my discussion regarding erosion of coastline?, ie proof of currents.. Regards, Gregorydavid 07:28, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

reply

Hi, I was thinking aloud when I added the note about the coordinates. I will be looking at other coordinates in due course.

Prevailing currents

The 1:30000 google images are close enough to see the impact of the currents on the coastline. If one goes too close then it can be confusing. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) of South Africa consists of volunteers who are very familiar with the entire coastline.Gregorydavid 13:07, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

Replies

Hi, how do you link replies and user talk? Is there a sensible way to link article discussions and user talk? Thanks Gregorydavid 13:11, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

reply

Hi, yes I agree one does sometimes have a private discussion with a user, but it is better to use the article discussion page for all article related talk so that everyone finds it quickly.. I shall go and see what has "happened" before I say more.. Cheers, Gregorydavid 06:57, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

sorry

Not trying to be a Dink... sorry about the links. I'm beginning to figure out what this is about. I have added a new page to develop info on my subject of interest. Am i permitted to link to my homepage and other site of interest in the external links on a subject I create? Hydrofoil_Multihulls I have seen external links that are for promotion and infomation in Wikipdia on many subjects. user:Buildboats

reply

Thanks much

I look forward to contributing to Wikipedia and people like you make being a beginner not so scary... These short cuts are going to take a while to embed in my little confused mind (Buildboats 17:44, 14 March 2006 (UTC))

Clipper routes

Hi, what about shipping before the clipper existed? See Portugese, Dutch and East Indiaman Götheborg. Cheers 198.54.202.226 19:13, 14 March 2006 (UTC) its me Gregorydavid 19:14, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

Clipper route map

Hi Johantheghost, I notice on the image that you uploaded at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:ClipperRoute.png, 'Sydney' is incorrectly spelt 'Sidney'. I thought it would be easier for you to change as you have the source image. Regards -- Chuq 02:01, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

reply

How to read coordinates off google satelite images?

Hi, do you know how to pick up coordinates off google images? I need this so that I can direct users to specific places. Thanks, Gregorydavid 07:22, 23 March 2006 (UTC)

Talk:Rack railway, Panama Canal Mules?

I don't know whether this really fits here, but the mules on the Panama Canal run on a rack railway. — Johantheghost 11:23, 30 October 2005 (UTC)

Please see my replies back in Panama Canal Mules?.

--Peter Horn 16:35, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Re: Sunday Times Golden Globe Race

Sure, I'll be happy to take a look at it. I'll do it as soon as I get some more time, probably either later today or tomorrow evening at the soonest. Thanks! Flcelloguy (A note?) 18:44, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

If it's still around this weekend, I may devote some time to it. My first impressions: very, very interesting subject and well-written. Move the table to the bottom. I'm not happy with the over-reliance of a single source though, and if that source is all there is out there right now, then this might be a topic that's not ready for FA yet. But don't quote me on that. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 21:13, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

I've started reading it and made some minor corrections, but on account of my tiredness I'll finish later, probably tomorrow. Looks good so far. Flcelloguy (A note?) 03:24, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

I'm sorry I haven't had as much time as I would like to do a thorough job of reading the article yet; I promise that I haven't forgotten and will get to it as soon as time permits. Thanks! Flcelloguy (A note?) 00:55, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your understanding and (hopefully) I'll get to it soon! Flcelloguy (A note?) 19:16, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

I've left some comments at the FAC page. Thanks! Flcelloguy (A note?) 20:58, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

No problem, and congratulations! Flcelloguy (A note?) 14:31, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

Hooray! About time it got promoted! —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 17:02, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

Tonnage

Hi Johan,

Tonnage in the modern sense is solely a measure of volume. Weight measures (such as displacement) are no longer referred to as 'tonnage'. (See Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers text books). What is required is a definition of Lightship, Deadweight and Displacement. Once I figure out how to do that I will add definitions. Currently Lightship refers you to the wrong definition - that is a Light-ship (i.e. : navigation light on a ship). The weight terms lightship and deadweight are sub-parts of displacement. Lightship is the weight of the ship and deadweight is the weight of everything it carries (ex: fuel, cargo, crew, provisions, etc.).

I rather like the idea of Wiki and hope it gets used in a constructive manner. What is required is a greater effort to reference accepted text of specific subjects to ensure Wikipedia is collecting facts and not just a lot of opinions.

Cheers, John

Sunday Times Golden Globe Race FAC

Sorry I didn't get a chance to review it. I somehow got logged out of my profile and didn't realize untill today, when I saw your message. Congrats on its promotion. - The Catfish 18:51, 14 May 2006 (UTC)

American alligator

yep i tried to nominate it - if i fucked it up it'd be great if you could sort it out Ben Payton

Tonnage

Johan,

I agree with the changes you made to the Tonnage entries to a point. Tonnage has become a very specific term used in a number of industries (ex: mining, refrigeration, marine). The entry only deals with the marine definition (is there anyway of explaining that in the entry?). In a marine context, using 'tonnage' when referring to weight or mass is incorrect and should be noted as such. I am not sure if adding the superseded uses of the word enhances the entry. Perhaps an entry on displacement with the explanation on its constituent parts (Deadweight & Lightship) would be warranted. This entry could then be linked from the tonnage entry. I'll review the Wikipedia references and try and figure out what the intent is. Please review the changes I have made and let me know if this retains the necessary intent as you see it.

I would very much like to add references but it is honestly beyond my Wiki expertise. I think I should try build an entry from scratch to get a better feel for the various controls (Would it be appropriate to plagiarize style from a similar entry? - guidance appreciated!). Nonetheless ... here are two good references for tonnage : 1) "The Oxford Companion To Ships & The Sea", Peter Kemp, 1979, Oxford University Press 2) "Ship Design and Construction", Thomas Lamb, 2004, Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (http://www.sname.org/newsletter/VOLIITOC.pdf)

Cheers, John

Re: Help

Response left at Wikipedia:Help_desk#Template_.2F_feature_for_expandable_box.3F.—G.He 00:38, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Sunday Times Golden Globe Race was a great read. Thanks for writing it. JayW 02:08, 24 May 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates

background

original

Then the problem is one of gross miscommunication/misinterpretation, because as I told you, the idea of running two parallel wikis was never on the table. (Maybe it was after Worldtraveller created the static versions page, but for most of the discussion, the page was not existent and I was clearly referring to the plan outlined at WP:STABLE.) The quotes you gave are ambiguous and could go either way. Some sort of stable version has to be the way to go, with an "official" foreground stable version and a background "unstable" wiki version... - Does this not even imply that the unstable one is the wiki, and the stable version is uneditable (or at least, not a wiki - though the two are pretty much the same for our purposes here). A stable site, not wiki, mind you. Don't confuse the two. the fact that it's done via a wiki is secondary. If a stable version would help to produce a better encyclopaedia, it would be totally in accord with the ideals of Wikipedia. - does this not again clearly state that the stable version would not be editable while the unstable one would remain the Wikipedia we know and love? Maybe the error was that we both neglected to clearly spell out the definitions of terms we were using - a wiki is not a site which can be edited by anyone, anonymous or otherwise. A wiki is a site which allows many people (who don't necessarily have to be just anyone; an organisation might only allow members to edit its wiki, for instance) to edit it. A site which is not a wiki would obviously not be editable at all by a collective group of people, which was the whole point.

Remember, the idea simply is that Wikipedia stays as normal, but we create a stable version of selected articles so that while the unstable version can fall apart in a bitter edit war, readers can still find the article helpful by visiting the stable version. Most of your objections are total strawmen because nobody is proposing two parallel wikis - any changes made to the stable version would have to appear on the unstable version first. All our work would continue to go to the unstable version; the stable version exists more for the readers.

As for inflammatory comments, I fail to see how referring to ideas as "overwhelmingly crap" does not fall under such a heading. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone? Johnleemk | Talk 14:56, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

response

Considering that the original phrase used was "stable versions", I don't think it would be too much for one to assume that what we had in mind was the stable versions proposal (which has been around for what seems like forever). I didn't have Worldtraveller's ideas in mind specifically, considering I believe it was Taxman who first used the phrase "stable versions" in our discussion.

The idea for stable versions is that the stable site will essentially be editable in the same sense that CNN.com or Google.com is editable; only certain people (probably admins) will be allowed to edit. Even then, this will only be to sync the stable version with the unstable one; they should never make normal edits as we would expect had they been editing the normal Wikipedia.

The contradiction you think you have found isn't one at all (although since it's 1.30 in the morning here perhaps my sleepless brain is missing the logical inconsistency). Assuming Wikipedia:The perfect article could even be possibly created, it is not by any stretch of the imagination impossible to imagine it falling apart if it remains open to editing (indeed, if it has achieved perfection, by definition, the only way to go is down). The rationale for stable versions is that while we sort out new issues that can lead to an article being turned into a construction zone with rubble everywhere, the readers can still turn to a somewhat outdated but nevertheless easier to read stable version of the same article.

I didn't know I was expected to create process on the fly here; I assumed we were discussing merely why (or why not) stable versions would be a good idea for Wikipedia (and our featured articles). Anyhow, WP:STABLE (at least, when I checked it a few days ago) outlines a procedure whereby people "vote" on whether a particular revision of an article on the unstable version should become the article on the stable version. That's basically how it goes. There's no need to look at the diffs (although there will definitely be some people doing that, since any article with enough people caring about it to nominate and second it would have at least one dedicated contributor) - what's important is the article as it stands.

I don't pull punches when talking about objects; the "crap" assertion is demonstrably true, as some editors' (namely Carnildo's) travails with the random article function have shown. I'm not sure what I was supposed to say that wouldn't be "negative"; unworthy? inadequate? not compliant with our standards? articles nobody cares about? Anyway, putting that aside, it's also been proven by some nifty stats someone (I think it was Kim Bruning or Gmaxwell) found that most of our articles don't get much attention paid to them. As a result, they are less likely to be subject to the content disputes that are the main rationale for stable versions, and also less likely to have reader interest. The articles we're looking to preserve in stable versions are those which will be immensely popular with the public and those of sufficiently high quality (such as FAs) that there's a good chance future edits would degrade them.

As for the personal attack, I was exasperated, considering we seemed to be talking past each other instead of actually communicating. That doesn't justify it, and so I apologise. Johnleemk | Talk 17:36, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

response

Sure, no problem about the delay in response. :) I'm of the view that we shouldn't be so conservative about restricting edits to FAs, but at the same time, it's difficult to find a means of ensuring that editors don't chuck all that work out. (To cite on example I was involved with, it was recently agreed that the section on literary attributes of the King James Version of the Bible had totally degraded from its version at the time of featuring; as a result, all subsequent edits to the section were reverted.) It is my opinion that editors can make many helpful edits to a featured article. The problem is that at the same time there is a class of FAs which would not be improved by the average edit. The issue at hand now IMO is distinguishing between "perfect" FAs and "imperfect" ones. There's also the fact that at the same time, one of our most touted benefits is that our articles are constantly up to date, and getting a "supereditor" to make such updates would be somewhat m:instruction creepy. (Although one possibility would be temporarily unquasiprotecting the article for the time being.) There's also the fact that "supereditors" as things stand are a rarity on Wikipedia, and some of the most super (e.g. Lord Emsworth, if I'm not mistaken) have left/are rather inactive. I have a feeling that if we just quasiprotected FAs, what we'd end up with is a sandbox for normal editors - which would effectively be a more cruder implementation of stable versions.

This is why I think the stable versions idea as it stands is a good one. It provides an incentive for editors to ensure their edits to the unstable version are of high calibre, because otherwise they won't be included in the stable version. If you want the stable version to progress, you must first ensure progress on the unstable version. Another thing is that it's not just FAs we should limit our scope to; well-read and controversial articles suffer from the same kind of issues. It's not nice, IMO, for readers to visit Roman Catholic Church and have the first thing they see is three {{merge}} tags. It's time we started limiting backend processes of Wikipedia out of sight of readers; they don't have to be hidden, and we ought to advertise them, but nevertheless, for controversial and popular articles, the first thing people should see is a decent (if a bit outdated) article on the subject.

The idea that only supereditors should be able to sync an unstable version with the stable one is a good one, though. A few problems that could arise from it, however, are (for instance) editors who have a problem co-operating with others. They might want to push through a version that only they like, and others disapprove of. This could lead to messy wars on the stable version. Still, I suppose the same caveat applies if we only let admins sync versions. However, this way, we could have a rule that only uninvolved admins would be allowed to make the call. Finding an uninvolved supereditor, with the lack of supereditors as things stand, would be rather difficult, on the other hand.

While like any editor who takes pride in their work, I would like for us to be able to maintain the unstable articles to as high a standard as possible, I think we must remember that it's the final product - the encyclopaedia - that counts. In my opinion, the stable versions will be able to form a good set of encyclopaedia articles our readers can count on, and that's what's most important. The unstable version will have warts and all, but at least we can rest assured that our readers won't have to worry themselves about these articles too much. The unstable articles can be sorted out just like we currently sort them out - the good old fashioned eventualist way. Johnleemk | Talk 17:27, 27 May 2006 (UTC)

No, it seems the error is on my end. My point was that creating supereditors, if based only on the criterion on whether someone has helped significantly write/nominate an FA or not, would result in significantly fewer people authorised to make modifications than if we just gave supereditor access to every admin. I don't think we have anywhere near close to 800 FA writers yet.

In my proposal, for any article to get a new stable version approved, it would be necessary for some broad-based support. In my experience, many articles (including those that have degraded significantly) have people interested in discussing the article or dipping in now and then, but not in making the wholesale edits necessary. These people should be enough to ensure that even the most ardent newbies won't be able to push through a significantly deteriorated article. It'll also provide an additional incentive for editors to work on improving the article; if they don't, the stable version never progresses. An admin would make the final judgement on whether an article should have a new revision promoted to stable, and even so, there would be some considerable discretionary leeway given (on a similar level as that given to admins closing AfDs). There's no need for admins or supereditors to approve every edit made to an article by anons (in the first place, you assume that it is anons who contribute most significantly to the problem, which from my experience, is not true).

It is of course true that this proposal is more of a reactive cure than a preventive remedy, but it's significantly better than anything we have now. The only way I can think of preventing low-quality edits would be to penalise poor editors, which isn't exactly what we ought to be doing, even now. I think this problem can only be fixed through culture. Currently there are a lot of misconceptions about what Wikipedia is, or what an article should/can have. People don't recognise trivia sections as poor writing as long as similar sections proliferate wherever they turn. This can't be addressed directly through a top-down policy; what we can do is start a grassroots bottom-up movement to improve our implicit and informal editorial standards, in the same way we've managed to ingrain in people that citing sources is a good thing. The challenge, of course, is that combatting bad writing without getting on people's nerves is a lot harder than simply asking for sources.

I'm not familiar with the details of the stable versions proposal, but I think there's nothing wrong with allowing anons to continue editing. The question of whether the stable version should be the first thing a reader sees depends, really. On the one hand, even our best articles occasionally have minor errors (spelling, etc.) that anons tend to fix. On the other, there is sometimes no clear gain to an individual article from being editable by anons. Still, anonymous editing is (from what I know) a major hook for people. I started editing anonymously, and little can be more frustrating than being unable to edit popular articles simply because I'm anonymous. It's not for any philosophical reasons that people like me didn't/don't register; we're just lazy. We need to see how addictive Wikipedia is before we can be drawn in enough to register.

I used to consider myself immediatist, but more and more I see the benefits of an eventualist viewpoint. Wikipedia not only will never be finished, but it isn't even close to being finished. That makes the eventualist viewpoint important, since there's no point getting stressed about minor peripheral issues when major structural ones have yet to be dealt with. At the same time, parts of Wikipedia are often close to being finished, but due to diminishing returns, end up retrograding. So in the end, you need to have a balance between eventualism and immediatism. Johnleemk | Talk 16:11, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

Hull Speed

Johan,

I seem to have entered into one of the minefields of Wikipedia. A well-meaning yet somewhat mis-informed fellow has taken umbrage at the modifications I had made to the Hull speed article. The changes I made were undone (ok) and the original article has been ineffectually re-worked by the original author. I have given as much argument to this gentle person as I am willing to commit to the subject and I'm wondering what the correct course of action is at this point as I see no profit in entering into an editing battle over such a trivial subject (or any other subject for that matter).

I appreciated the manner in which the Tonnage article was addressed and seek your guidance on how to proceed in this matter.

Cheers, Jmvolc 02:16, 27 May 2006 (UTC)

Panama Portal

Hey Johan, Just created the Panama Portal, added a link to the portal to your great Panama Canal article and put that article on the selected article section of the portal. As you are so interested on Panama topics, your input and wikipedia experience could be really useful on expanding the portal, as I am still learning. I hope you like the basic work I did. Radioheadhst(talk) 16:50, 3 June 2006 (UTC)

I'm appaled

I am appaled at your proposal to ban all ip edits. If we are to do this, what is to make Wikipedia any better then another online encyclopedia. This encyclopedia is, in my personal opinion, a wonder of the world. This is the closest anyone has gotten to putting all of the world's knowledge. Wikipedia is so great because of the fact that it is so easy to edit. I am a student, and I remember my first edit on WIkipedia. I was linked to Wikipedia from google and saw the edit link, and I was like: "No F***'n way is this as easy as it looks" So I go to the edit page and decide to see if it works. I type " yo mama is gay" and click save page. It worked, and I became in love with Wikipedia. Vandalism can lead to people becoming Users. False Prophet 02:55, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

NiceCategoryList - not updating

Hi, I'm using your NCL extension which I like very much. Unfortunately it doesn't update automatically. I order to have no pages showing up on a list using NCL in need to click edit and then save the page. What can I do have this working automatically? Your help would be appreciated very much.

Your extension is used on an intranet wiki. You can find me on meta: metawikipedia:User:Pamima

BTW: The link to your page on meta is not working. I hope you are the user I was looking for. 19:14, 27 June 2006 (UTC)

FP nomination

Just wanted to inform you, I've nominated your SmokeCeilingInLochcarron.jpg for Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates. That must've been something amazing to witness, and I'm glad you photographed it so appealingly.--Father Goose 11:05, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

reply

Steorn

original

Hi! Thanks for the clarification, and I apologize if my revert message came across as a bit impatient. I just took a look at the link, and it's true that someone mentions April Fools' Day there, but the "someone" is just a random poster to a blog, so it's not a valid citation for a Wikipedia article. (But if, say, the Times of London or the Economist were to make the same observation, then it would be fair game.) If you haven't read Talk:Steorn, check it out -- at different times, the article has been accused of both acting as an advertisement for Steorn and calling the whole thing an outright fraud. Trying to keep the article somewhat neutral is a constant struggle. -- Jim Douglas ^(talk) _(contribs) 22:35, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

response

map

Others may have already asked you (sorry, I didn't check each of your discussions), but then let me be another one who asks you: Do you still have the original that you've used for several race and circumnavigation maps? I'm looking for a map to show how much further south Cape Horn is compared to Cape of Good Hope, South East Cape and South West Cape, possibly even including the "Roaring Fourties" & "Roaring Fifties". The maps that I've found already sported some information that didn't belong into my article (Cape-Horners), and in addition that information was in English (the article isn't)... but apart from that I haven't found anything as nice-looking and/or well-fit. So I'm wondering if you might still have the original--or even a version including the Fourties & Fifties and the Capes (be it in English :o))? Thanks in advance, and great work! --Ibn Battuta 01:10, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

You'll find the source for the global route maps on Commons: Commons:Image:Sailing routes map - Gimp source.xcf. Various other maps were produced using GMT. — Johan the Ghost _seance 18:41, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

Which file format is that/ which program do you use to edit it? Thanks! --Ibn Battuta 00:35, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

That's The Gimp. — Johan the Ghost _seance 11:00, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Great, I can open it now! (And yes, I've figured out by now that this is leading me ways beyond my non-existing computer abilities ;o)) Anyway, the map we're talking about (Commons:Image:Sailing routes map - Gimp source.xcf) seems to contain already quite a number of marks, labels, etc. Do you happen to have a more "basic" map (so I wouldn't have to undo all the prior edits), or am I just not understanding some of the tools that the Gimp offers? Thanks, and sorry about my clueless questions. --Ibn Battuta 22:19, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm afraid that's a multi-layer image -- this is how we use a "basic" image to make multiple product images. So you're going to have to be familiar with how layers work to manage it. For example, to turn off the parts you don't want, just turn off those layers. You'll find some good tutorials at the Gimp web site. — Johan the Ghost _seance 10:55, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like it's interesting enough to figure it out one day when I have more time... Thanks for your help, and thanks for getting me interested!! --Ibn Battuta 03:14, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Servo tracks on tape media

I updated the discussion page on DLT tape where you asked for more information on servo tracks.

---

Servo tracks are written on the back of tapes to keep the read/write heads on the correct data track. Newer tape media have very thin dense data tracks. 256, 384 and 768 data tracks on a half inch wide tape are now common. While moving from one reel to another when loaded in the tape drive, there may be some lateral tape movement that could cause the drive to 'lose track' of which data track it is reading. By putting servo tracks on the back side of the media, where it will not affect the actual data being stored, the servo system of a tape drive can tell precisely which track is being accessed and allows the tape drive to accurately position the tape media. TapeLady 06:31, 3 December 2006 (UTC) Tape Lady

Commercial vessel template

Hello. As you may know, there are a variety of infobox templates used for ocean liners; at least one of which is ill-suited to passenger vessels. As a consequence of a discussion I had with User:Ebyabe at User_talk:Ebyabe#RMS_Queen_Mary, Ebyabe has generously agreed to create a template for passenger vessels. It appears at Template:Infobox Commercial Ship. Its creator needs assistance with the fields for the template. For example, it will need a tonnage field, but would not need a displacement field. Should beam be moulded breadth, or extreme beam? Should length be pp, or oa? Given your interest in this area, would you be willing to particpate in the project? If so, go to Template talk:Infobox Commercial Ship and weigh in. It may be that different templates are needed for passenger ships (gt), freighters (dwt, net), containerships (TEU) and that one size will not fit all. Thanks for your interest. Kablammo 21:13, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Units Formatter status

Hi,

 I've read you ran out of time due to 'real world' intrusion... 

What's the status of the Units Formatter extension? i.e. any known issues preventing it to evolve from the 'experimental' status? (in other words, what would be required to be available for de wikipedia?)

Any help on development?

Thanks!

  Daniel.

Hi Daniel, basically, it has been tested mostly in "unit test" mode; in other words, it hasn't been used widely in "real-world" situations. But as far as I know, it works well. If you decide to use it, please let me know how it goes! The best place for discussion is on the extension talk page. Cheers, — Johan the Ghost _seance 20:34, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

Borders with Extension SimpleTable

Hi Johan, I installed the Extension "SimpleTable", which was coded by you. As describes on the diskussionpage (see here), here are no borders on the generated wiki, when using a current version of MW. Any ideas? --Nyks2k 20:58, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

FAR

U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program has been nominated for a featured article review. Articles are typically reviewed for two weeks. Please leave your comments and help us to return the article to featured quality. If concerns are not addressed during the review period, articles are moved onto the Featured Article Removal Candidates list for a further period, where editors may declare "Keep" or "Remove" the article from featured status. The instructions for the review process are here. Reviewers' concerns are here.

Disputed fair use rationale for Image:Stamp-ctc-panama-canal-opens.jpg

Thanks for uploading Image:Stamp-ctc-panama-canal-opens.jpg. However, there is a concern that the rationale you have provided for using this image under "fair use" may be invalid. Please read the instructions at Wikipedia:Non-free content carefully, then go to the image description page and clarify why you think the image qualifies for fair use. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to ensure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If it is determined that the image does not qualify under fair use, it will be deleted within a couple of days according to our criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot (talk) 07:36, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Congrat

Hey dude good job with the Panama CanalNando Cdl (talk) 04:22, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

NCL extension

Hi Johan, your NCL ext looks great, however, it doesn't work with the newest (1.12alpha) MediaWiki. Will you be so kind to check what goes wrong? I figured out that in function hookNcl $title doesn't have any value after returning from function Title::newFromText, so it just dies with the message Failed to create title. or something. (I contacted You, because the other developer's user page is empty.) Thank you so much in advance for your effort. -- pestaa (06-02-2008 16:46 GMT+1) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.199.231.246 (talk) 15:47, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:The_Impostors_DVD.jpg

Thanks for uploading or contributing to Image:The_Impostors_DVD.jpg. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use. Suggestions on how to do so can be found here.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to ensure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If you have uploaded other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on those pages too. You can find a list of 'image' pages you have edited by clicking on the "my contributions" link (it is located at the very top of any Wikipedia page when you are logged in), and then selecting "Image" from the dropdown box. Note that any non-free media lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you. Project FMF (talk) 21:57, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

Redirect

Thanks for restoring the G-11 redirect to the dab page. I was using an automation script to make a couple of redirects, and G-11 got overwritten unintentionally. - Neparis (talk) 23:39, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

MicroSD

You were right about the MicroSD, I changed it back to reflect the facts. It is scary that the community condones fiction over fact in wikipedia. As soon as Sandisk or a competitor reaches the 16GB target, the article can be updated. Cheers. Flyingbird (talk) 20:35, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

NiceCategoryList2

Hi! I use your NiceCategoryList2 Mediawiki extension in my own site. Since I've made an upgrade to MW 1.12, the extension doesn't work. I think there is a problem with a new parser. This extension is very useful for me, and I'd like to save it. Could you help me please? --Panther (talk) 09:15, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

Forget it, I solved the problem with a developer. Panther (talk) 10:20, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

Sunday Times Golden Globe Race

I have added Sunday Times Golden Globe Race to Wikipedia:Date formattings/Whitelist Friday. Some people check that page, particularly when they are targetting excessive links to days of the week. It is not a guarantee but it will help. I have also asked about a more generic solution at Wikipedia_talk:AutoWikiBrowser#Can a wikipedia page request that AWB not fix it or warn AWB users? Lightmouse (talk) 16:19, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Sunday Times Golden Globe Race

Thanks for your message - and thanks for taking the time out to post it. I thought the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race article was really interesting; but not being a 'nautical' person I don't understand nautical miles - or get a 'feel' for the distances involved. Then I thought there must be lots of people like me! So I thought I'd make good use of the {{convert}} template. Cheers! DrFrench (talk) 18:51, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

USN Flag template on ships

For the Hornet CV-12, the previous flag/ensign had 48 stars so I put 1912 - the year when the 48 star version was introduced. I'll change it to the correct format. Thanks for pointing that out. Firefox FS1 (talk) 5:15, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

I am a meteorology instructor seeking permission to use your wonderful photograph of Lochcarron smoke in a textbook on basic meteorology. How should we proceed? Many thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Over45softball (talk • contribs) 10:56, 3 August 2008 (UTC)

Extension:NiceCategoryList2

I am using this extension to display a category list inside an article. When I update one of the categories displayed, the list on the article does not appear to update. Is this part of the caveat, or am I doing something wrong?

If this is part of the caveat, are there any workarounds?

Thanks in advance, GICodeWarrior (talk) 19:33, 3 September 2008 (UTC)

Friday

Johan, I'm truly interested to know how the linking of "Friday" would increase the readers' understanding of the topic. Please note that every link slightly reduces the value of the others through dilution; it's hard enough to get readers to click on any, so the modern trend is to link selectively. Tony (talk) 16:00, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

hii..

hii.. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Huiping123 (talk • contribs) 06:12, 9 October 2008 (UTC)

Panama Canal Wikipedia Content

Johan –

I manage international communications at the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) and noticed that the Wikipedia.com content on the Panama Canal needs to be updated. After looking at the discussion page, I noted that you have contributed greatly in updating the text on the Canal and was wondering if you would be able to incorporate the attached edits on our behalf or forward them to the appropriate Wikipedia.com staff member. As you’ll notice, we’ve separated the needed corrections by section to smoothen the editing process. All of the updates provided in the list below can be found on the Panama Canal Web site, www.pancanal.com, where we post all announcements related to Canal operations.

We look forward to your response.

Best regards,

Teresa Arosemena

Panama Canal Authority (ACP)

Wikipedia Edits

Early Efforts

1st paragraph, 1st sentence needs to be deleted and replaced with:

“The earliest mention of a canal in Panama can be traced to the 1513 Isthmian crossing of Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, who discovered that only a narrow strip of land separates the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In 1534, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain…”

Later Efforts

2nd paragraph, first half regarding Philippe Bunau-Varilla needs to be deleted and replaced with:

“The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was negotiated by John Hay and the new republic’s “Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary” Philippe Bunau-Varilla. The new treaty was sent to Panama for ratification. The founders of Panama had little choice but to accede, as to refuse would have withdrawn all U.S. support from the fledgling republic and further dealings with Colombia. It was this arrangement that gave the United States the control it needed in this vastly underdeveloped country to get the monumental job of canal construction done. The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was ratified in Panama on December 2, 1903, and in the United States on February 23, 1904; the U.S. also gave Panama a payment of $10 million upon ratification.”

3rd paragraph, 1st sentence needs the following addition:

           “Panama declared independence from Colombia on November 3, 1903.”

Layout

5th bullet point regarding the measurement of the Gaillard (Culebra) Cut needs to be corrected:

“The Culebra Cut is 13.7 kilometers long and extends from Gatun Lake to the Pedro Miguel Locks through the Continental Divide, at an altitude of 26 meters.”

Final sentence, the total length of the Canal needs to be corrected:

“The length of the Panama Canal is 80 kilometers (50 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.”

Tolls

2nd and 3rd paragraphs need to be deleted and updated with Fiscal Year 2008 information:

“For container ships, the toll is assessed per the ship’s capacity as expressed in twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs. One TEU is the size of a container measuring 20 feet (6m) by 8 feet (2m) by 8.5 feet (2.6m). Effective May 1, 2009, this toll is US$72 per TEU. The toll is calculated differently for passenger ships and for container ships carrying no cargo (“in ballast”). A Panamax container ship may carry up to 4,400 TEUs.

“As of fiscal year 2008, the toll per PC/UMS ton for the first 10,000 tons is US$3.90; per ton for the next 10,000 tons is US$3.82; and per ton thereafter is US$3.76. As with container ships, a reduced toll is charged for freight ships in ballast. In the case of vessels charged tolls based on their displacement, the Canal will assess tolls based on the maximum displacement instead of the arrival displacement. Small vessels up to 583 PC/UMS net tons when carrying passengers or cargo, or up to 735 PC/UMS tons when in ballast, or up to 1,048 fully loaded displacement tons, shall be assessed minimum tolls based on their length overall (according to the table).

“The following toll increase has been approved: 2009 – 10.1% average, with implementation dates on May 1, 2009 and October 1, 2009.”

Final sentence needs the following addition:

“In the case of passenger vessels, the ACP will assess tolls based on the maximum passenger capacity in accordance with the International Tonnage Certificate 69, or the vessel’s passenger ship safety certificate; vessels over 30,000 gross tons and whose PC/UMS ÷ maximum passenger capacity ratio is equal to or less than 33 will be charged on a per berth basis.”

Efficiency and Maintenance

1st paragraph, last sentence regarding CWT needs to be updated:

“According to the ACP, CWT decreased 9.7 percent during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2008 from 29.61 hours to 26.73 hours for all transits.

Competition

1st paragraph, 2nd and 3rd sentences need to be deleted and replaced with:

“Remote speculation continues on the possibility of a new canal through Colombia, Nicaragua or the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico that will be capable of accommodating post-Panamax vessels, as well as two private proposals for a railway linking the ports on the two coasts.

New paragraph following first paragraph needs to be added:

“Because Canal tolls are expected to rise, some critics have suggested that the Suez Canal may become a viable alternative for cargo en route from Asia to the United States East Coast. The Panama Canal, however, continues to service more than 144 of the world’s trade routes and the majority of Canal traffic comes from the “All-Water Route” (the route from Asia to the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts via the Panama Canal). Furthermore, the ACP remains committed to providing safe, reliable and efficient service to the world’s maritime community.”

Third set of locks project

4th paragraph, 2nd sentence needs to be updated:

“The project is designated to allow for the anticipated growth in traffic from 309.6 million PC/UMS tons in 2008 to nearly 510 million PC/UMS tons in 2025;…”

Final paragraph, 3rd sentence needs to be updated:

           “…trench connecting the Gaillard Cut with the Pacific coast, removing…”

Final paragraph, last sentence needs to be updated:

“The tendering process of the expansion project to build a new set of locks will begin later this year.”

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.77.204.181 (talk) 20:25, 13 February 2009 (UTC)

kendall 32

i have a kendall 32 if you need any information. s/v syren —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.92.155.189 (talk) 04:02, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

NiceCategoryList2 cause font size change in browser

Johan –

I am trying NiceCategoryList2 in my wiki. It's output is just what I want. However, I find there are several problems:

In IE: The font size of my wiki changed and become larger. In IE8, part of the login page becomes blank (the login input box and text disappears). When I click "Compatibility View", the login page returns normal.

In Firefox: The font size of the wiki changed.

When I comment the require_once("extension/NiceCategoryLine.php") line in LocalSettings.php, all these problems disappears.

I am using Mediawiki 1.14.0 with PHP 5.1.6, MySQL 5.0.45 in a Linux 2.6.9 box.

Could you help me on how to fix this problem? Thanks!

Lei Jiang 123.112.62.66 (talk) 00:35, 17 March 2009 (UTC)

Nice Category List Sorting

Thanks for the extension, it's brilliant. I was just wondering if there was a way to make a list, list pages in reverse alphabetical order or in order of the date they were created? Here's my test page: http://feedbackwiki.org/wiki/Reviews:Forza_3

On the extension page it said:

sort=<bool>
Non-0 to sort the list alphabetically; else sort the list according to the index key

What exactly do you mean by index key?

Also if you look on my page you'll see that there seems to be a lot of vertical space in-between separate lists? How do I change the height of that vertical space? Holygamer (talk) 20:58, 12 June 2010 (UTC)

Would you be interested in helping with a documentary on the Panama Canal?

Hello, I noticed that you have more than ten edits on the Panama Canal article. First of all I would like to say thank you for contributing to Wikipedia. Secondly, I am writing to ask you if you would consider participating as an advisor to a group producing a documentary about the canal and its history. If this is of interest to you please drop me a note on my talk page. Thank you for your time. Psingleton (talk) 15:50, 10 December 2010 (UTC)

FAR

I have nominated Cape Horn for a featured article review here. Please join the discussion on whether this article meets featured article criteria. Articles are typically reviewed for two weeks. If substantial concerns are not addressed during the review period, the article will be moved to the Featured Article Removal Candidates list for a further period, where editors may declare "Keep" or "Delist" the article's featured status. The instructions for the review process are here. Arsenikk ^(talk) 17:46, 2 January 2011 (UTC)

Proposed deletion of Liz and Pete Fordred

The article Liz and Pete Fordred has been proposed for deletion because of the following concern:

Very heartwarming, but unfortunately unnotable

While all contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, content or articles may be deleted for any of several reasons.

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the {{proposed deletion/dated}} notice, but please explain why in your edit summary or on the article's talk page.

Please consider improving the article to address the issues raised. Removing {{proposed deletion/dated}} will stop the proposed deletion process, but other deletion processes exist. In particular, the speedy deletion process can result in deletion without discussion, and articles for deletion allows discussion to reach consensus for deletion. Dylanfromthenorth (talk) 14:17, 22 July 2011 (UTC)

Open 50 listed at Redirects for discussion

An editor has asked for a discussion to address the redirect Open 50. Since you had some involvement with the Open 50 redirect, you might want to participate in the redirect discussion (if you have not already done so). Sven Manguard Wha? 09:32, 15 October 2011 (UTC)

Notification of automated file description generation

Your upload of File:AlamedaEonProductionsSign.jpg or contribution to its description is noted, and thanks (even if belatedly) for your contribution. In order to help make better use of the media, an attempt has been made by an automated process to identify and add certain information to the media's description page.

This notification is placed on your talk page because a bot has identified you either as the uploader of the file, or as a contributor to its metadata. It would be appreciated if you could carefully review the information the bot added. To opt out of these notifications, please follow the instructions here. Thanks! Message delivered by Theo's Little Bot (opt-out) 11:34, 14 December 2013 (UTC)

Sunday Times Golden Globe Race

I can see that real life has intruded, but this is just to inform you that I have nominated Sunday Times Golden Globe Race for a featured article review here. Please join the discussion on whether this article meets featured article criteria. Articles are typically reviewed for two weeks. If substantial concerns are not addressed during the review period, the article will be moved to the Featured Article Removal Candidates list for a further period, where editors may declare "Keep" or "Delist" the article's featured status. The instructions for the review process are here. DrKiernan (talk) 09:03, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!

Hi,
You appear to be eligible to vote in the current Arbitration Committee election. The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to enact binding solutions for disputes between editors, primarily related to serious behavioural issues that the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the ability to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail. If you wish to participate, you are welcome to review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. For the Election committee, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:04, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

Thanks

for the radioisotope decay chart you did back in 2006. If I use it I will attribute it. 71.237.196.97 (talk) 19:23, 14 December 2015 (UTC) dave baasch Porland Oregon USA

Matt Rutherford

Not sure how editing Wikipedia really works. I just wanted to see if we could include Matt Rutherfords "round the America's" trip in 2011. He sailed a 27ft ALbin Vega sloop from Annapolis, Md, to Annapolis, MD via the Northwest Passage and Cape horn in 309 days. there is a documentary on PBS called "red Dot on the Ocean" covering his trip and motivations behind it. He has since gone on to other short handed sailing in extreme conditions for his Ocean Research Project. Thanks Jeffrey204.74.20.14 (talk) 18:29, 30 September 2016 (UTC)

ArbCom Elections 2016: Voting now open!

Hello, Johantheghost. Voting in the 2016 Arbitration Committee elections is open from Monday, 00:00, 21 November through Sunday, 23:59, 4 December to all unblocked users who have registered an account before Wednesday, 00:00, 28 October 2016 and have made at least 150 mainspace edits before Sunday, 00:00, 1 November 2016.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

If you wish to participate in the 2016 election, please review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 22:08, 21 November 2016 (UTC)

Picture of Moitessier

Hi,

I saw that you uploaded the main picture of Bernard Moitessier in his article. You mentioned that the picture was scanned from a book. Do you recall which book that is?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bernard_Moitessier_Golden_Globe.jpg

EDIT: Never mind, I found it! "A Voyage for Madmen" by Peter Nichols. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.100.128.192 (talk) 01:57, 19 April 2017 (UTC)

Thank you! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.100.128.192 (talk) 00:38, 19 April 2017 (UTC)

Colin Archer "Regis Voyager"

Hi. On the page of Colin Archer you have written about a boat called "Regis Voyager". I am Norwegian and studied Colin Archer a lot, but never heard of this boat. What is your source for this information? You can also contact me on mail jeppejul@online.no. Jeppejul (talk) 18:48, 16 October 2017 (UTC)

ArbCom 2017 election voter message

Hello, Johantheghost. Voting in the 2017 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23.59 on Sunday, 10 December. All users who registered an account before Saturday, 28 October 2017, made at least 150 mainspace edits before Wednesday, 1 November 2017 and are not currently blocked are eligible to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

If you wish to participate in the 2017 election, please review the candidates and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 18:42, 3 December 2017 (UTC)

South_West_Cape_(New_Zealand) - I edited the talk page LawrieM (talk) 20:39, 7 December 2017 (UTC)

The South_West_Cape_(New_Zealand) talk page has been edited LawrieM (talk) 20:39, 7 December 2017 (UTC)

ArbCom 2018 election voter message

Hello, Johantheghost. Voting in the 2018 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23.59 on Sunday, 3 December. All users who registered an account before Sunday, 28 October 2018, made at least 150 mainspace edits before Thursday, 1 November 2018 and are not currently blocked are eligible to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

If you wish to participate in the 2018 election, please review the candidates and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 18:42, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

Hi Johan

I think I've found a bug with your SimpleTable extension, using | in a wikilink is parsed as a table separator. See https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension_talk:SimpleTable issue 23

John — Preceding unsigned comment added by Notmadewelcome (talk • contribs) 08:21, 2 February 2019 (UTC)

Radioactive decay chains diagram

Hello,

Did you make this diagram?

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Radioactive_decay_chains_diagram.svg

If yes, I think, it would be better, if colomns (mass number A=constant) would be 4 different colours, showing the 4 chains. What do you think?

Thanks a lot, Miklos Vass physics teacher — Preceding unsigned comment added by Vassmiklos (talk • contribs) 21:12, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Purpose of the LPH

Hello Johantheghost,

I just read your entry in the Iwo Jima Class page asking "why these ships were used". Hopefully answering how one of them was used will help. I served on the USS New Orleans from 1990 to 1993, including Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and I can list a few things our ship did. I served in the deck department being a BM3 the last year onboard. I don't have links, as this is from memory.

Transported hundreds of Marines and their gear, including over 650 pallets of ammo. Transport and maintain helicopters, we had 100% aircraft ready in Desert Storm. Ready to serve as triage to bring injured Marines to a hospital ship. Hosted mine sweeping helicopters and remote control surveillance drones. The Our ship had accommodations to be a command ship; staterooms, kitchen, and bridge for command staff.

We sent fuel to another ship while underway, maybe to get that important training checkmark. I heard that before I was stationed on the ship it was sent to relief after a hurricane.

I can send you a link to my Navy photos of the ship on Google.

The way I heard it, and maybe read it, the LPH is code for L is for Amphibious, P is for Deiseal Marine Powered, and H is for Helicopter.

Lionjim (talk) 15:32, 22 September 2020 (UTC) jim

Thanks Jim, but my question on the Iwo Jima page was specifically about why they were used to recover Apollo command modules during the Apollo space program. I mean these were obviously great ships, and one can imagine that an LPH would have great facilities for bringing a command module on board, but I was just wondering if there was something more specific. This was sparked by reading somewhere that the Essexes were used because they had 4 shafts. johantheghost (talk) 09:24, 23 September 2020 (UTC)

ArbCom 2020 Elections voter message

Hello! Voting in the 2020 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23:59 (UTC) on Monday, 7 December 2020. All eligible users are allowed to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once. The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail. If you wish to participate in the 2020 election, please review the candidates and submit your choices on the voting page. If you no longer wish to receive these messages, you may add {{NoACEMM}} to your user talk page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 01:16, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

Proposed deletion of Liz and Pete Fordred

The article Liz and Pete Fordred has been proposed for deletion because of the following concern:

Fails WP:BLP1E, basically, for lack of sustained coverage. First source is primary (authored by one of the subjects), second is a review of the book and not independent coverage of the couple themselves, third is another primary source (guy on his own website talking about meeting them), fourth (working link here) is also by Liz Fordred, and the final one is basically a book review. What we don't really have is sustained significant independent coverage of the Fordreds themselves.

While all constructive contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, pages may be deleted for any of several reasons.

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the {{proposed deletion/dated}} notice, but please explain why in your edit summary or on the article's talk page.

Please consider improving the page to address the issues raised. Removing {{proposed deletion/dated}} will stop the proposed deletion process, but other deletion processes exist. In particular, the speedy deletion process can result in deletion without discussion, and articles for deletion allows discussion to reach consensus for deletion. ♠PMC♠ (talk) 22:04, 29 October 2021 (UTC)

Nomination of Liz and Pete Fordred for deletion

A discussion is taking place as to whether the article Liz and Pete Fordred is suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia according to Wikipedia's policies and guidelines or whether it should be deleted.

The article will be discussed at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Liz and Pete Fordred until a consensus is reached, and anyone, including you, is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.

Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article.

♠PMC♠ (talk) 16:55, 30 October 2021 (UTC)

File permission problem with File:AlamedaEonProductionsSign.jpg

Thanks for uploading File:AlamedaEonProductionsSign.jpg. I noticed that while you provided a valid copyright licensing tag, there is no proof that the creator of the file has agreed to release it under the given license.

If you are the copyright holder for this media entirely yourself but have previously published it elsewhere (especially online), please either

• make a note permitting reuse under the CC-BY-SA or another acceptable free license (see this list) at the site of the original publication; or
• Send an email from an address associated with the original publication to permissions-en@wikimedia.org, stating your ownership of the material and your intention to publish it under a free license. You can find a sample permission letter here. If you take this step, add {{permission pending}} to the file description page to prevent premature deletion.

If you did not create it entirely yourself, please ask the person who created the file to take one of the two steps listed above, or if the owner of the file has already given their permission to you via email, please forward that email to permissions-en@wikimedia.org.

If you believe the media meets the criteria at Wikipedia:Non-free content, use a tag such as {{non-free fair use}} or one of the other tags listed at Wikipedia:File copyright tags#Fair use, and add a rationale justifying the file's use on the article or articles where it is included. See Wikipedia:File copyright tags for the full list of copyright tags that you can use.

If you have uploaded other files, consider checking that you have provided evidence that their copyright owners have agreed to license their works under the tags you supplied, too. You can find a list of files you have created in your upload log. Files lacking evidence of permission may be deleted one week after they have been tagged, as described in section F11 of the criteria for speedy deletion. You may wish to read Wikipedia's image use policy. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you. --Minorax^«¦talk¦» 14:38, 6 August 2022 (UTC)