User talk:Buster7/Archives/2011/March

Thoughts on Wikipedia?

I've read a number of your essays on specific things related to Wikipedia and I would like to find out more if that's OK. I had some bad experiences with some users here which made me upset not just at them, but at the system too. I tried doing some new page patrol a while ago and found myself assuming bad faith at a lot of new submissions. I was wondering if it was me, or the system, or something else. It got me thinking about the big picture. So I was wondering if you'd mind discussing your general thoughts about Wikipedia. Would you mind? Thanks. - Hydroxonium (H₃O⁺) 05:22, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

i would like that. maybe after this initial rush of trying to keep up with 'my10' list. i don't even have time to capitalize. :-)...Buster Seven Talk 05:25, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

No rush. I'll be working on this for the next couple months. Thanks again for everything. - Hydroxonium (H₃O⁺) 05:36, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

I stopped by the reading room and read Wikiknights and the Round Table. Good stuff. I was wondering about the nice biscuit above. May I ask about it? Best regards. - Hydroxonium (talk) 09:13, 6 March 2011 (UTC)

The biscuit resembles the speculous cookies of my childhood. More important is the gentle message of NICE. It's a reminder to myself and a subtle message to visitors. The comment below is a bit of a non-sequitar and has nothing really to do with the biscuit. Just a tiny joke about articles that I run across while random article editing that are well-linked but still have the Orphan tag. Buster Seven Talk 16:18, 7 March 2011 (UTC)

May I interfere?

I have been working on this recently and I wanted to get input from a newer user. I was wondering if I interacted with one of your Wiki guidees, if that would invalidate the test or results? I don't want to interfere if it's going to ruin the results. Please let me know what you think. Thanks. - Hydroxonium (talk) 13:50, 7 March 2011 (UTC)

What new editor did you have in mind?Buster Seven Talk 16:20, 7 March 2011 (UTC)

I was thinking of this one as they seem to be doing exceptionally well. I was going to give them some encouragement and hoping for some honest critiquing of this how-to in return, so that I might improve it. But like I said, I don't want to skew any results of the Wiki guide project. Thanks. - Hydroxonium (talk) 23:57, 7 March 2011 (UTC)

I think you should run this request past User:jalexander who is in a better position to make a judgement as to wether it would skew any results. Buster Seven Talk 00:37, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

Good call. Will do. - Hydroxonium (talk) 07:50, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

NL-2

Thanks very much for the cookies. That was very nice. I saw you use to have a babel box that said NL-2. Do you still speak the language? A long time ago I had a friend from the Nederlands. He taught me a tongue twister that he would say when he was young.

Zuiver gesteld zou ik zeer zeker zeggen
Gestel ik het zuiver zeer zeker zo zei
Zou ik het niet zuiver en zeker zo zeggen
Dan zei ik het zeker zo zuiver als jij

I don't remember the translation but it was something like this, "If I would try to say something difficult, I would say something like this..." and so on. I tried google translate, but I think it looses a lot in the translation. Best regards. - Hydroxonium (talk) 12:50, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

The language that I speak is one of the Flemish dialects from East Flanders called 'Stekese' (Belgium). While I am relatively fluent in Stekese (it is the language of my childhood and that was 60 years ago), I am not very fluent in Proper Nederlanse. There is considerable difference and at the same time similarity. The same can be said of the Belgians and the Hollanders.Buster Seven Talk 02:21, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

I wish I spoke another language. Sometimes I get interested and learn a little, but never enough to hold a conversation. I learned from you that Koekjes means cookie. BTW, I saw your conversation with Chaosdruid about the Nice Koekjes template. I went ahead and made one up at {{Nice Koekjes}}. You may want to reword it as I just did a copy/paste to have something to work with. Best regards. - Hydroxonium (talk) 04:54, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

Thanks, it was delicious!

SP... Like a train wreck about to happen that you see from afar, and you just can't turn away!  :) Hope life is treating you well, my friend. Fcreid (talk) 01:18, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

Friendship

		The Friendship Barnstar
		Thanks for being a friend to me and everybody else on Wikipedia. You are the best that Wikipedia has to offer and you inspire others to do great things. Thanks. - Hydroxonium (talk) 08:33, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

New Users batch 2

Ah - I didn't check my mail yet today lol, looking now...nope, just the week 1 wrap up notes from yesterday Chaosdruid (talk) 06:40, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

Yup - just got the mail but, as I was a little busy with copyediting tonight, will probably have to start on them tomorrow :¬( Chaosdruid (talk) 02:30, 10 March 2011 (UTC)

Thanks, my friend

"And if I close my mind in fear, please pry it open and see me. And if my faith becomes sincere, beware the error of me."

You know, Buster, after a rather disheartening discussion on Mr. Wales talk page, your request for comment gave me a much needed reason to look at Wikipedia from a long forgotten perspective. Some of the people on Wikipedia who I consider to be my good friends are those with whom I've had the most adamant disagreements, or at least who share views opposing my own. I guess too much agreement does make for boring conversation.

That's something I would probably encourage for all Wikipedians. How does the old saying go; Love thy enemy ... if nothing else, it'll confuse the hell out of them.

Have a nice weekend.

Zaereth (talk) 02:17, 12 March 2011 (UTC)

Re: The Banner at the Top of This Page

Hello. You have a new message at Hydroxonium's talk page. TRA! - Hydroxonium (talk) 06:20, 12 March 2011 (UTC)

The Essay

I am putting this here, rather than on the essay talkpage because I don't want too many people to read and comment - because it may be the genesis of a dispute rather than its resolution. Please remove the Jimbo "toxic personality" quote(s), because the background to it is counter to the purpose of the essay. There are those who consider the comment offensive and unfair against the individual to whom it is thought (by those who find it offensive) to have been aimed. I consider it unfortunate and ill considered and still, on the basis exampled by your essay that the perception rather than the intent is what is important, not apologised for. There are those, among them individuals who may well be pointed toward this essay should it achieve recognition, who would most certainly be annoyed or even inflamed upon reading those references. It may be a good example, but it demonstrates the point of the essay - don't ignore the sensibilities of those labelled as acting contrary to the best interests of the project.

Other than that, I think the essay is very good and would be a useful tool in any person who has unwittingly stepped onto the downward path toward not respecting other people and their viewpoints. It is perhaps a little naive as regards tolerance of "evidenced" incivility, since civility issues are often used as a lever in content disputes - just because someone is right and starts cussing at the other party does not mean that the other party can then remove the opposition to their viewpoint by removing the editor. It also needs a more comprehensive ending, in line with the initial premise which is (I trust) that we all need to take that little bit longer to consider what we are saying and ensure that we hold to the spirit as well as the wording of WP:CIVIL.

I am not going to say more, because I am sure you want to work on this further and since I have only said it is good generally the once and then found a couple of issues where I feel it might be improved it seems that I am finding more wrong than right about it. Not true. The fact is, I think it is worthy of being promoted now - but, hey, why not see if it cannot be even better?

Give me another shout when you have refined it further.

Regards,

Mark (LessHeard vanU (talk) 21:56, 13 March 2011 (UTC))

Editor Haines

Unfortunately I do not know. I want see him again on the wiki, just like you. He was professional editor. Leszek Jańczuk (talk) 01:56, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

Sorry to but in, but I read wwAs a few weeks ago. There is an email this user link on thier page. It been almost a year, so maybe (dot, dot, dot) TRA! - Hydroxonium (T•C•V) 08:11, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

User:Buster7/wwAs was dedicated to User:Alastair Haines, my mentor and Wiki-friend and the BEST Editor I have ever met. I was a neophyte, he had his talk-page door open, and I stepped in and said, "Hello". In an AN/I that rivaled the Salem Witch trials, he was drummed out Wiki-World on trumped up charges regarding legal threats. Those days were the genisis for my disdain of Admins. You would have liked him; when he returns I hope you will meet him. Your reminder to email him is right on the money. I'll do just that! BTW, your investigative back-room searches are a reminder of what I used to do: just let my 'mouse' flit here and there and read, read, read and discover whatever I was meant to discover. The Templates are Awesome...TY...TRA!Buster Seven Talk 14:04, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

I was wondering what the connection was. I didn't know he was your mentor. I am looking forward to meeting him. Yeah, after I read wwAs, I went through all the other stuff like the arbcom case and related stuff. There seemed to be a stretching of the truth in order to get a long block. The whole ordeal seemed very excessive to me. Thanks for giving me the back story. Yeah, I like to read, and I especially like to read your stuff, Buster. It gives me a better perspective on how the Wiki-world works behind the scenes. Thanks. Anyhoo, since it's been almost a year, maybe Arbcom would be willing to review the situation and unblock early. It might be worth a try. TRA! - Hydroxonium (T•C•V) 14:40, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

New templates

Hi Buster7. I did some work on the templates.

• The Friendship Barnstar is here. It comes blank and allows one to use their own message. We can change that if you like.
• The Cents for Sense template is here. It is also blank so users can add their own message. We can change that too.
• Nice Koekjes is here. I removed all the extra stuff in it. The standard use, like this {{subst:Nice Koekjes}} is the self-baking version. If you add "option=beast" like this {{subst:Nice Koekjes|option=beast}}, it uses the "calm even the most savage beast" line.

We can change any of this stuff if you like. TRA! - Hydroxonium (T•C•V) 07:34, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

Friendship barnstar

Wow, thanks! It's good to know that not everyone thinks positive user interaction is a waste of time :P Kaldari (talk) 03:58, 17 March 2011 (UTC)

Thanks

I hope you'll manage to do something. Sincerely — Preceding unsigned comment added by Caring-writer (talk • contribs) 00:04, 19 March 2011 (UTC) Caring-writer (talk) 00:06, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

Nice welcome template!

Is that yours? It's very well-made.

Where did the initial welcome at the top of his page come from? Is that included with account creation these days or has he undergone a change in username? I noticed that the article subject once edited the article but hasn't since 2007.

Admittedly, I'm distracted with very important matters happening...but I'll try to check back when the chance arises. :)
⋙–Berean–Hunter—► ((⊕)) 01:09, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

Luckily my Alma-Mater, DePaul University, doesnt waste their precious time with such frivolity as The NCAA Tourney. (DRAT!) Or the NIT, for that matter. (Double DRAT!) There is not a single Illinois team worthy of a second of my time (except for the Bulls, of course). The Welcome comes from User:Chaosdruid, a fellow Wiki Guide with a few personal touches. Wiki Guides is a new WP Foundation study on how to improve the early days of new editors so that the will stay and become veteran editors. TRA!Buster Seven Talk 01:24, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

Well you seem to be doing a good job as a WikiGuide..and his template is commendable. I can't answer for the Illinois teams...once the master left the Bulls, it was all over but the crying. Hey, at least there are always cheerleaders...they almost never disappoint. Almost!.
⋙–Berean–Hunter—► ((⊕)) 02:13, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

Cookie

I dream of horses has given you a cookie! Cookies promote WikiLove and hopefully this one has made your day better. You can Spread the "WikiLove" by giving someone else a cookie, whether it be someone you have had disagreements with in the past or a good friend.

To spread the goodness of cookies, you can add {{subst:Cookie}} to someone's talk page with a friendly message, or eat this cookie on the giver's talk page with {{subst:munch}}!

I dream of horses If you reply here, please leave me a {{Talkback}} message on my talk page. @ 15:10, 14 March 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for Cookies. Leszek Jańczuk (talk) 00:04, 21 March 2011 (UTC)

Templates stuff

Hi

Thanks for that, praise indeed and grateful I am (hmmm, that was a bit of Yoda lol) but credit has to go to whoever designed the background on the ¿Spanish? Wiki, I simply changed all the Spanish to English and corrected the links to en-wiki.

Anyway, just to let you know I am updating the templates tabs page you copied over. You may have spotted the changes already, if not then "Lookout! I've changed it a bit", it will be a couple of days before I have finished so they will move around a bit.

Hope all is well with you though and catch you tomorrow :¬) Chaosdruid (talk) 06:55, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

Many thanks for the new (and indeed the honoured position as First Recipient!) barnstar. I saw some of your discussions about brains and now I understand what you were talking about lol.

The Welcoming committee has been asked if it my intention was to revitalise those plain, cold and very impersonal ones that seem to get given out, so I am grateful that at least things are moving in the right direction here in Wikiworld. Wikipedia_talk:Welcoming_committee#New_standard_welcome_template

Anyway, thanks once again, the GOCE appointment is only until the next elections (I think in June) but I hope that I can be a useful addition to the team :¬) Chaosdruid (talk) 15:01, 21 March 2011 (UTC)

Just to let you know I have modified my base welcome template for vector users User:Chaosdruid/welcome, I am not sure how many people use vector or not though.

If you are a non-vector user, can you tell me if the image is the same when editing pages? I know the Welcoming committee said that the pic was out of date, but I am not sure which uses what lol. Chaosdruid (talk) 20:56, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

Hey Chaos. I assume you mean the image of the signature with the ARROW. FYI...I have 3 versions at the bottom of my user page. The image that is displayed on them is NOT the same as when I go to edit a page. when I edit it is much simplified....Bold...Italics..Embedded file...SIGNATURE AND TIMESTAMP...Link...Etc. I hope this helps1 TRA! Buster Seven Talk 21:08, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

Hi m8, I reread my last post and it was pretty much devoid of any sensible context lol.

I have two versions on that welcome banner page, the top version which just has the little squiggle & pen single square button (it appears above the edit window when I edit), and the bottom version (the original one you modified) with the strip of buttons and the big pointy red arrow with SIGNATURE.

What I was trying to ask you was whether you had either of those on your edit page, and which Wikipedia skin you are using. I don't know how they display when using the other skins...I have just tried as many versions as I can of all the different skins with default settings and it looks like the only one I can see is the same as the vector one User:Chaosdruid/welcome#Vector_new_graphic_for_sig Chaosdruid (talk) 05:30, 23 March 2011 (UTC)

oh oh

Your welcome template (which is very nice by the way) is actually listing individuals in the category "Wikipedians looking for help"....See User talk:75.59.201.106 for example. Jezebel'sPonyo^{bons mots} 15:15, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

Hello. You have a new message at Ponyo's talk page. --Jezebel'sPonyo^{bons mots} 15:51, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for the

"Nice Koekjes". Uh, what is it? It's like a cookie/biscuit, right? Any chance you could write an article about this food item for those of us who have never heard of it? Anyway, there are a couple of people who have made contributions I'd like to thank, & this might be just the way to do it. -- llywrch (talk) 14:48, 23 March 2011 (UTC)

Aha. Thanks. -- llywrch (talk) 15:14, 23 March 2011 (UTC)

The Signpost: 28 March 2011

• News and notes: Berlin conference highlights relation between chapters and Foundation; annual report; brief news

• In the news: Sue Gardner interviewed; Imperial College student society launched; Indian languages; brief news

• WikiProject report: Linking with WikiProject Wikify

• Features and admins: Featured list milestone

• Arbitration report: New case opens; Monty Hall problem case closes – what does the decision tell us?

• Technology report: UploadWizard release; code review – should MediaWiki move to Git?; brief news

Read this Signpost in full · Single-page · Unsubscribe · EdwardsBot (talk) 00:34, 29 March 2011 (UTC)

FYI

You may be interested in this sockpuppet case, if you aren't already aware.
⋙–Berean–Hunter—► ((⊕)) 15:33, 29 March 2011 (UTC)

Hey Buster!

Hi, I would love to talk over E-mail :) but I don't know how to do this as displaying email addresses over wikipedia is dangerous, so how do we go about doing this? Lastly sorry to be this picky, but its Afrikaans, no C. Unlike Dutch, the letter C is practically non-existant in Afrikaans, you will only find them in Loan-words, which is also fairly rare, as Afrikaans people wil loften try to find a translated version. :) Bezuidenhout (talk) 18:30, 30 March 2011 (UTC)