Viriditas

Radio Free Wikipedia. Live from the former democracy known as the United States

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Only the best words found here

This machine kills fascists

• activism, activists, advocacy, advocate, advocates, barrier, barriers, biased, biased toward, biases, biases towards, bipoc, black and latinx, community diversity, community equity, cultural differences, cultural heritage, culturally responsive, disabilities, disability, discriminated, discrimination, discriminatory, diverse backgrounds, diverse communities, diverse community, diverse group, diverse groups, diversified, diversify, diversifying, diversity and inclusion, diversity equity, enhance the diversity, enhancing diversity, equal opportunity, equality, equitable, equity, ethnicity, excluded, female, females, fostering inclusivity, gender, gender diversity, genders, hate speech, hispanic minority, historically, implicit bias, implicit biases, inclusion, inclusive, inclusiveness, inclusivity, increase diversity, increase the diversity, indigenous community, inequalities, inequality, inequitable, inequities, institutional, Igbt, marginalize, marginalized, minorities, minority, multicultural, polarization, political, prejudice, privileges, promoting diversity, race and ethnicity, racial, racial diversity, racial inequality, racial justice, racially, racism, sense of belonging, sexual preferences, social justice, sociocultural, socioeconomic, status, stereotypes, systemic, trauma, under appreciated, under represented, under served, underrepresentation, underrepresented, underserved, undervalued, victim, women, women and underrepresented

Helpful links

How we got here

• Alfani, Guido (2023). As Gods Among Men. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691215730.
• Ben-Ghiat, Ruth (2020). Strongmen. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9781324001546.
• Du Mez, Kristin Kobes (2020). Jesus and John Wayne. Liveright Publishing Corporation. ISBN 9781631495731.
• Fromm, Erich (1941). Escape from Freedom. Farrar & Rinehart. ISBN 0744800145.
• Frum, David (2018). Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic. Harper. ISBN 9780062978417.
• Goldwag, Arthur S. (2012). The New Hate. Pantheon Books. ISBN 9780307379696.
• Gore, Gareth (2024). Opus. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781668016145.
• Greider, William (1992). Who Will Tell the People: The Betrayal of American Democracy. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780671688912. OCLC 25281775.
• Herman, Susan N. (2011). Taking Liberties. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199782543.
• Klein, Naomi. (2007). The Shock Doctrine. Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt. ISBN 9780676978001.
• MacLean, Nancy (2017). Democracy in Chains. Viking Press. ISBN 9781101980989.
• Mayer, Jane (2016). Dark Money. Doubleday. ISBN 9780385535595.
• McNamee, Roger (2019). Zucked. Penguin Press. ISBN 9780525561354.
• Nelson, Anne (2019). Shadow Network. Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781635573190.
• Neiwert, David (2017). Alt-America. Verso Books. ISBN 9781786634238.
• Newman, Saul; Conrad, Maximilian (Ed.) (2024). Post-Truth Populism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2024. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-64178-7.
• Oreskes, Naomi; Conway, Erik M. (2010). Merchants of Doubt. Bloomsbury Press. ISBN 9781596916104.
• Richardson, Heather Cox (2023). Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. Viking. ISBN 9780593652961.
• Rushkoff, Douglas (2022). Survival of the Richest. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. ISBN 9780393881066.
• Scahill, Jeremy (2007). Blackwater. Nation Books. ISBN 1560259795.
• Seidel, Andrew (2019). The Founding Myth. Sterling Publishing. ISBN 9781454933274.
• Simons, Suzanne (2009) Master of War. Collins. ISBN 9780061651359.
• Stewart, Katherine (2020). The Power Worshippers. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781635573435.
• Stanley, Jason (2020)[2018]. How Fascism Works. Random House. ISBN 9780525511830.
• Stewart, Katherine (2025). Money, Lies, and God. Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781635578546.
• Tepper, Jonathan; Hearn, Denise (2018). The Myth of Capitalism. Wiley. ISBN 9781119548140.
• Wark, McKenzie (2019). Capital Is Dead. Verso. ISBN 9781788735308.
• Varoufakis, Yanis (2023). Technofeudalism. Melville House. ISBN 9781685891244.
• Zoellner, Tom (2011). A Safeway in Arizona. Viking. ISBN 9780670023202.

How to cope

• Mycielski, Martin (2018). The Authoritarian Regime Survival Guide, VerfBlog.
• Snyder, Timothy (2016). 20 Lessons from the 20th Century on How to Survive in Trump's America. Human Rights Workshop.

Reminder

• Every year the rich avoid paying $500-600 billion in taxes, globally.[1] We are being distracted from this fact.
• What do the rich do with the money they use to evade taxes? They fund anti-democratic movements worldwide by going after the younger generation

Democratic backsliding

• Gen Z is Embracing Dictatorships (2024)
• Younger voters, particularly Gen Z, are far more likely to accept political violence (2024)
• More than half of Gen Z wants UK to become a dictatorship, survey claims (2025)
• Europe’s young voters are increasingly turning to far-right parties (2025)
• If we listen to how Gen Z really feel about democracy they might stop telling us they prefer authoritarianism (2025)
• Why do Gen Z believe in astrology more than democracy? (2025)

Key milestones

• CIVICUS adds U.S. to Monitor Watchlist, March 10, 2025.[2] The list is for countries experiencing a decline in civic freedoms
• Black Saturday, March 15, 2025: The end of constitutional democracy in the United States.
• U.S. could lose democracy status, says global watchdog (March 18, 2025)
  • "If it continues like this, the United States will not score as a democracy when we release [next year's] data," said Staffan Lindberg, head of the Varieties of Democracy project, run out of Sweden's University of Gothenburg."
  • U.S. may be an electoral autocracy under Trump admin
• "At around noon on 14 April, 2025, America ceased to have a law-abiding government."
• Trump regime milestones:
  • Discrediting the courts
  • Delegitimizing opponents
  • Undermining institutions
  • Challenging democratic outcomes
  • Disappearing people
  • Deporting U.S. citizens
  • Arresting judges
  • Threatening Wikipedia
• Trump economy as of May 2025:
  • Most Americans don't earn enough to afford basic costs of living, analysis finds (CBS News):
    • "For the bottom 60% of U.S. households, a "minimal quality of life" is out of reach..."The middle class has been declining — we just haven't recognized it fully...It's really dangerous because it's the kind of thing that leads to social unrest, and it's not fair. The American dream is not that it's given to you — it's that if you work hard, you have a chance to get ahead and achieve the things in life that you want to achieve. It's not living in a tent, not having to steal."
    • The Ludwig Institute also says that the nation's official unemployment rate of 4.2% greatly understates the level of economic distress around the U.S. Factoring in workers who are stuck in poverty-wage jobs and people who are unable to find full-time employment, the U.S. jobless rate now tops 24%, according to LISEP, which defines these groups as "functionally unemployed."

[3]

Archives

archive: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

DYK nomination of Portrait of Toulouse Lautrec, in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, with the Natansons

Hello! Your submission of Portrait of Toulouse Lautrec, in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, with the Natansons at the Did You Know nominations page has been reviewed, and some issues with it may need to be clarified. Please review the comment(s) at your nomination's entry and respond there at your earliest convenience. Thank you for contributing to Did You Know! SnowFire (talk) 07:53, 1 January 2025 (UTC)

Precious anniversary

Precious

One year!

Happy new year! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:10, 1 January 2025 (UTC)

story · music · places

Happy new year 2025, opened with trumpet fanfares that first sounded OTD in 1725 (as the Main page has). - I saw a lovely opera by Rimsky-Korsakov, - see here. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:53, 1 January 2025 (UTC)

Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen, BWV 123, my story today 300 years after the first performance, is up for GAN. Dada Masilo will be my story tomorrow. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:06, 6 January 2025 (UTC)

Thank you, I will take a look. Viriditas (talk) 22:09, 6 January 2025 (UTC)

My story today is about a composer who influenced music history also by writing. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:35, 8 January 2025 (UTC)

Today a violinist from Turkey, Ayla Erduran, whom you can watch playing Schubert chamber music --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:59, 13 January 2025 (UTC)

Her Polish ancestry is apparent in the pic! Viriditas (talk) 23:10, 13 January 2025 (UTC)

Today, pictured on the Main page, Tosca, in memory of her first appearance on stage OTD in 1900, and of principal author Brian Boulton. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:05, 14 January 2025 (UTC)

Yes, I saw it. I love those old poster designs. I might go down a rabbit hole of 19th century graphic design because of you. Viriditas (talk) 20:10, 14 January 2025 (UTC)

Enjoy it! - Very early 20th century, this one. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:17, 14 January 2025 (UTC)

Today I had a composer (trumpeter, conductor) on the main page who worked closely with another who just became GA, - small world! To celebrate: mostly flowers pics from vacation ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:43, 21 January 2025 (UTC)

I have more vacation pics to offer, and today's story of Werner Bardenhewer. I took the pic, and it was my DYK on his 90th birthday, in both English and German. He spent the day in Africa, and after his return said - chatting after a mass of thanks he celebrated at Mariä Heimsuchung - that we'd have to talk about these articles. - The singer now on top of your talk was mentioned for Gabriel Yacoub, DYK? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:03, 30 January 2025 (UTC)

DYK for Mountain Landscape

On 3 January 2025, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Mountain Landscape, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that a Mountain Landscape is difficult to capture with photography? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Mountain Landscape. You are welcome to check how many pageviews the nominated article or articles got while on the front page (here's how, Mountain Landscape), and the hook may be added to the statistics page after its run on the Main Page has completed. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

Z1720 (talk) 00:03, 3 January 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others

Hi there, I'm pleased to inform you that I've begun reviewing the article If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others you nominated for GA-status according to the criteria. This process may take up to 7 days. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have during this period. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of LEvalyn -- LEvalyn (talk) 02:02, 3 January 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe

Hi there, I'm pleased to inform you that I've begun reviewing the article Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe you nominated for GA-status according to the criteria. This process may take up to 7 days. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have during this period. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Simongraham -- Simongraham (talk) 06:04, 5 January 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others

The article If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others you nominated as a good article has been placed on hold . The article is close to meeting the good article criteria, but there are some minor changes or clarifications needing to be addressed. If these are fixed within 7 days, the article will pass; otherwise it may fail. See Talk:If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others and Talk:If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others/GA1 for issues which need to be addressed. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of LEvalyn -- LEvalyn (talk) 08:01, 5 January 2025 (UTC)

@LEvalyn: Thank you, great review. I will be working on it for the next several days or so. Viriditas (talk) 08:03, 5 January 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of Point the Finger

Hi there, I'm pleased to inform you that I've begun reviewing the article Point the Finger you nominated for GA-status according to the criteria. This process may take up to 7 days. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have during this period. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of LEvalyn -- LEvalyn (talk) 10:02, 5 January 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe

The article Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe you nominated as a good article has been placed on hold . The article is close to meeting the good article criteria, but there are some minor changes or clarifications needing to be addressed. If these are fixed within 7 days, the article will pass; otherwise it may fail. See Talk:Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe and Talk:Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe/GA1 for issues which need to be addressed. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Simongraham -- Simongraham (talk) 02:41, 6 January 2025 (UTC)

DYK for The Bootleggers (Hopper)

On 8 January 2025, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article The Bootleggers (Hopper), which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that The Bootleggers portrays the illegal alcohol trade during the Prohibition era of the Roaring '20s? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/The Bootleggers (Hopper). You are welcome to check how many pageviews the nominated article or articles got while on the front page (here's how, The Bootleggers (Hopper)), and the hook may be added to the statistics page after its run on the Main Page has completed. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

RoySmith (talk) 12:02, 8 January 2025 (UTC)

The Bootleggers

Very good, glad it made it to the main page. I calculated, looking at the views minus average day views, that 18% of readers who clicked on the painting's article during the time it was on the main page also clicked on the "List of paintings by..." in the See also section. Pretty good indication that adding lists there works well. Watching Jimmy Carter's funeral, met him once, a good guy. Randy Kryn (talk) 16:45, 9 January 2025 (UTC)

Thanks for the note. Viriditas (talk) 22:08, 9 January 2025 (UTC)

DYK for Portrait of Toulouse Lautrec, in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, with the Natansons

On 15 January 2025, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Portrait of Toulouse Lautrec, in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, with the Natansons, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that a portrait of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec cooking captures him in an unusual moment of sobriety? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Portrait of Toulouse Lautrec, in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, with the Natansons. You are welcome to check how many pageviews the nominated article or articles got while on the front page (here's how, Portrait of Toulouse Lautrec, in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, with the Natansons), and the hook may be added to the statistics page after its run on the Main Page has completed. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

1=Launchballer 00:02, 15 January 2025 (UTC)

		Hook update
		Your hook reached 24,068 views (1,002.8 per hour), making it one of the most viewed hooks of January 2025 – nice work!

GalliumBot (talk • contribs) (he/it) 03:29, 16 January 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others

The article If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others you nominated as a good article has failed ; see Talk:If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others for reasons why the nomination failed. If or when these points have been taken care of, you may apply for a new nomination of the article. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of LEvalyn -- LEvalyn (talk) 02:44, 16 January 2025 (UTC)

@LEvalyn: Thanks for the review. I’ve got some new ideas for article improvement that I will be rolling out soon. Viriditas (talk) 05:21, 16 January 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of Point the Finger

The article Point the Finger you nominated as a good article has passed ; see Talk:Point the Finger for comments about the article, and Talk:Point the Finger/GA1 for the nomination. Well done! If the article is eligible to appear in the "Did you know" section of the Main Page, you can nominate it within the next seven days. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of LEvalyn -- LEvalyn (talk) 01:44, 17 January 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of E. Graham Howe

Hi there, I'm pleased to inform you that I've begun reviewing the article E. Graham Howe you nominated for GA-status according to the criteria. This process may take up to 7 days. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have during this period. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Chiswick Chap -- Chiswick Chap (talk) 10:46, 18 January 2025 (UTC)

@Chiswick Chap: Thanks. This will take me a few days. Viriditas (talk) 23:31, 18 January 2025 (UTC)

DYK for The Hangover (Suzanne Valadon)

On 24 January 2025, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article The Hangover (Suzanne Valadon), which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that The Hangover by Toulouse-Lautrec, which features the stylistic influence of Vincent van Gogh, was once displayed by Aristide Bruant in his nightclub? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/The Hangover (Suzanne Valadon). You are welcome to check how many pageviews the nominated article or articles got while on the front page (here's how, The Hangover (Suzanne Valadon)), and the hook may be added to the statistics page after its run on the Main Page has completed. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

– 🌻 Hilst (talk | contribs) 00:02, 24 January 2025 (UTC)

		Hook update
		Your hook reached 9,310 views (775.8 per hour), making it one of the most viewed hooks of January 2025 – nice work!

GalliumBot (talk • contribs) (he/it) 03:29, 25 January 2025 (UTC)

DYK nomination of Delivery After Raid

Hello! Your submission of Delivery After Raid at the Did You Know nominations page has been reviewed, and some issues with it may need to be clarified. Please review the comment(s) at your nomination's entry and respond there at your earliest convenience. Thank you for contributing to Did You Know! Departure– (talk) 20:35, 24 January 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of E. Graham Howe

The article E. Graham Howe you nominated as a good article has passed ; see Talk:E. Graham Howe for comments about the article, and Talk:E. Graham Howe/GA1 for the nomination. Well done! If the article is eligible to appear in the "Did you know" section of the Main Page, you can nominate it within the next seven days. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Chiswick Chap -- Chiswick Chap (talk) 12:45, 25 January 2025 (UTC)

Thanks!

I really appreciated the review on Flying saucer and felt like you went well beyond what most reviewers put in. Take care, Rjjiii (ii) (talk) 23:23, 25 January 2025 (UTC)

Notice of noticeboard notice

There is currently a discussion at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents regarding an issue with which you may have been involved. The thread is Drbogdan misuse of talk page while blocked. Thank you. Ivanvector (^Talk/_Edits) 13:29, 27 January 2025 (UTC)

Discussion at WP:MCQ § File:1940 Dole ad Pineapple Bud O'Keeffe 1939.jpg

 You are invited to join the discussion at WP:MCQ § File:1940 Dole ad Pineapple Bud O'Keeffe 1939.jpg. -- Marchjuly (talk) 02:32, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

Hi Viriditas. Just letting you know about this as a courtesy. It's possible that this file may not need to be treated as non-free content. -- Marchjuly (talk) 02:33, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

50501

Title. Viriditas (talk) 11:00, 1 February 2025 (UTC)

Thank you

...for "How to Cope". I've bookmarked both pages. --Tryptofish (talk) 20:25, 2 February 2025 (UTC)

In case you are wondering, this is where it's going.[4] The Trump admin, Elon Musk et al. are intentionally disrupting the US government to create a network state. This is the pipe dream that right-wing conservatives steeped in libertarianism have been working towards for many decades. "At a recent rally in Las Vegas, Donald Trump promised that, if elected in November, he would free up federal land in Nevada to 'create special new zones with ultra-low taxes and ultra-low regulation', to attract new industries, build affordable housing and create jobs. The plan would, he said, revive 'the frontier spirit and the American dream'." "Steve Sisolak, announced a plan to launch so-called "Innovation Zones" in Nevada to attract technology firms. The zones would permit companies with large land areas to form governments with the same authority as counties, including imposing taxes, forming school districts and courts, and providing government services." "In March 2021, Elon Musk announced plans to incorporate the Boca Chica area of far southeastern Texas, the site of a SpaceX rocket manufacturing and launch facility, as the city of "Starbase". Some have labeled the plans and SpaceX's existing operations in the area as an example of a company town." They are just re-inventing company towns, a workaround to reintroducing feudalism and serfdom.[5] These people never change. Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis wrote a book about technofeudalism in 2023.[6] Viriditas (talk) 22:42, 2 February 2025 (UTC)

Check this out: [7] People are finally getting it. Viriditas (talk) 18:37, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

February music

story · music · places

On the main page today, 300 years after its first performance, Bach's cantata BWV 125, - a lovely very intimate piece, with peace and joy in the title. Enjoy listening with score - I discovered that only now! - Today is also the birthday of James Joyce, who has an article by many authors. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 23:08, 2 February 2025 (UTC)

Great piece. Listening now. Viriditas (talk) 23:10, 2 February 2025 (UTC)

There is a famous melody there, early on, I believe it is played by the oboe and the flute, that has found its way into much popular music. If I had more time, I would track it down, but I'm working on other things. Viriditas (talk) 23:13, 2 February 2025 (UTC)

Interesting! - My story torday is about an actor who played in almost every German TV series and in internal cinema. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:16, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

today: a German-born Spanish art collector, - the video in her honour is remarkable, as what she gave the world. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:00, 8 February 2025 (UTC)

If you take a look at her original photo, it's even better than the cropped one! This is one of my pet peeves. A Wikipedia/Commons editor thinks, "Hey, all bio photos should have a close crop and look the same", destroying any sense of uniqueness and creativity. Viriditas (talk) 20:25, 8 February 2025 (UTC)

You are right! (I had not looked.) Only, in both my story and my list in memory, I can use only small size, and then you'd see almost nothing of her face. - I find today's birthday child particularly inspiring, by enthusiasm and determination. That was - believe it or not - a pictured DYK in 2021, without the last line though. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:25, 9 February 2025 (UTC)

Paul Plishka, a bass who sang 88 roles of all kinds at the Met was interviewed before his (first) retirement. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:56, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

Love me some bass! Viriditas (talk) 20:38, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

Today's story is about Edith Mathis, who portrayed young women by Mozart. The video of a 1993 interview has videos of her performances. - You said bass: I saw my brother on stage, double bass, - see places. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:46, 13 February 2025 (UTC)

I point at a composer today, as the main page does. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 23:23, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

Thank you. Makes me wonder what Takemitsu thought of Ralph Vaughan Williams. Viriditas (talk) 23:30, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

@Gerda Arendt: I wanted to thank you again for reminding me of Tōru Takemitsu. Although he is played almost every day on the classical musical station in Hawaii, I had not gone back and revisited his work in earnest since 1985, when Ran was all the rage. I was also unaware that he was the arranger of all of the famous guitar reinterpretations of songs by the Beatles, as I've heard them so many times and never stopped to read the liner notes listing his name. I spent about two hours listening to his work today, and it left me in a very unusual state of mind. Viriditas (talk) 08:34, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

That's great - spring flowers and a song bird in action --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:38, 28 February 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe

The article Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe you nominated as a good article has passed ; see Talk:Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe for comments about the article, and Talk:Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe/GA1 for the nomination. Well done! If the article is eligible to appear in the "Did you know" section of the Main Page, you can nominate it within the next seven days. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Simongraham -- Simongraham (talk) 04:41, 3 February 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of John Hunter Thomas

Hi there, I'm pleased to inform you that I've begun reviewing the article John Hunter Thomas you nominated for GA-status according to the criteria. This process may take up to 7 days. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have during this period. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of An anonymous username, not my real name -- An anonymous username, not my real name (talk) 20:25, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of John Hunter Thomas

The article John Hunter Thomas you nominated as a good article has been placed on hold . The article is close to meeting the good article criteria, but there are some minor changes or clarifications needing to be addressed. If these are fixed within 7 days, the article will pass; otherwise it may fail. See Talk:John Hunter Thomas and Talk:John Hunter Thomas/GA1 for issues which need to be addressed. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of An anonymous username, not my real name -- An anonymous username, not my real name (talk) 23:43, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of John Hunter Thomas

The article John Hunter Thomas you nominated as a good article has passed ; see Talk:John Hunter Thomas for comments about the article, and Talk:John Hunter Thomas/GA1 for the nomination. Well done! If the article is eligible to appear in the "Did you know" section of the Main Page, you can nominate it within the next seven days. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of An anonymous username, not my real name -- An anonymous username, not my real name (talk) 00:45, 8 February 2025 (UTC)

Amaranthus pakai

Aloha, I saw how much time you put into Amaranthus brownii and figured you might be interested in knowing that it now as a close relative which was just formally described: https://doi.org/10.3417/2025953

Its amazing that this species had its inoa Hawai'i preserved despite the species being overlooked by western botanists until now. It might also explain why A. brownii is extinct, if it was infected by the Wilsoniana pathogen too. Wasp32 (talk) 06:15, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

@Wasp32: Thank you for thinking of me. I will read the paper. Viriditas (talk) 20:39, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

I will add the paper to the A. brownii article. Viriditas (talk) 20:47, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

@Wasp32: Can A. pakai be added to Wikispecies? [8] Viriditas (talk) 21:23, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

@Wasp32: Based on the paper, it looks like the article needs some significant changes. For example, in the table located in the notes section, it says that A. viridis ranges from Kure Atoll, Kaʻula, Kauai, Oahu, Lanai, Maui, Kahoolawe, to Hawaii. But the paper suggests that this was wrong based on a misidentification in Wagner et al., 1990. Based on the current paper A. viridis should now be replaced as A. pakai in this table. Can you confirm this is correct? Viriditas (talk) 21:38, 10 February 2025 (UTC)

Here's a wikispecies entry: https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Amaranthus_pakai

The current distribution of Amaranthus viridis is in Imada 2019 and was not affected by the publication of A. pakai so it does not need to be updated in the table of the A. brownii article (http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/publications/pdf/tr69.pdf).

Best, Wasp32 (talk) 22:59, 13 May 2025 (UTC)

DYK for Delivery After Raid

On 16 February 2025, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Delivery After Raid, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that The London Milkman was staged? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Delivery After Raid. You are welcome to check how many pageviews the nominated article or articles got while on the front page (here's how, Delivery After Raid), and the hook may be added to the statistics page after its run on the Main Page has completed. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

RoySmith (talk) 00:02, 16 February 2025 (UTC)

Query for you

Can you help me with a hard-to-find item? I need to find the Talk Page where people discuss the requirement that headings not begin with articles. I ask you because you participated in this debate long ago. Thank you for your help. Sincerely, Opus33 (talk) 05:07, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

So here's the dealio: I'm pretty good at tracking down old discussions, but this doesn't ring any bells. If you can give me a bit more info, such as the venue and year, that would help. Viriditas (talk) 09:07, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

Thank you! The old discussion can be found at [9]. Opus33 (talk) 22:32, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

Wow, that's an old discussion. The US was still a democracy back then. Viriditas (talk) 22:36, 18 February 2025 (UTC)

I don't give up hope. Thanks for giving it at try. Opus33 (talk) 00:51, 19 February 2025 (UTC)

DYK nomination of Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe

Hello! Your submission of Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe at the Did You Know nominations page has been reviewed, and some issues with it may need to be clarified. Please review the comment(s) at your nomination's entry and respond there at your earliest convenience. Thank you for contributing to Did You Know! MartinPoulter (talk) 15:53, 19 February 2025 (UTC)

March music

story · music · places

Today: Carmen turns 150, as the main page and my story tell you. I chose a 1962 concert of the Habanera, - enjoy! -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:15, 3 March 2025 (UTC)

On Ravel's birthday, we also think of a conductor and five more composers ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:05, 7 March 2025 (UTC)

Today Rossini's latest "sin", as the main page has --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:29, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

Today I could have written five stories off the main page, and chose Sofia Gubaidulina. I find the TFA also interesting, and two DYK, and a birthday OTD. How about you? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:38, 16 March 2025 (UTC)

@Gerda Arendt: Flight Pattern, Sofia Gubaidulina, Douglas Ahlstedt, Crystal Pite, and Simon Neal? Viriditas (talk) 23:46, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

Almost, just Unity Temple that I had reviewed. You can simply check my user page any day ;) - preparing 21 March, and not Bach's birthday this year --Gerda Arendt (talk) 23:50, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

Oh, I knew I missed it. Thanks for the correction. Viriditas (talk) 23:57, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

@Gerda Arendt: What do you think of Nigel Eaton? I was unaware of the role the hurdy-gurdy played in church music until the other day. Viriditas (talk) 23:59, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

(ec) I managed Ravel's opera centenary 3 minutes before midnight ;) - Too late for 200 years of the first UK performance of Beethoven's Ninth the same day, but also too similar, - I didn't know that they had commissioned it. - Never heard - too tired to look now. Travel tomorrow, - or rather: later today. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 00:04, 20 March 2025 (UTC)

here it is OTD, on Bach's birthday. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 23:23, 21 March 2025 (UTC)

Today, 300 years of Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1! We sang works for (mostly) double choir by Pachelbel, Johann Christoph Bach, Kuhnau/Bach, Gounod and Rheinberger! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:42, 25 March 2025 (UTC)

2018 quote

David Frum: "The government of the United States seems to have made common cause with the planet’s thugs, crooks, and dictators against its own ideals—and in fact to have imported the spirit of thuggery, crookedness, and dictatorship into the very core of the American state, into the most solemn symbolic oval center of its law and liberty. The man inside that oval center did not act alone. He held his power with the connivance of others. They executed his orders and empowered his whims for crass and cowardly reasons of their own: partisanship, ambition, greed for gain, eagerness for attention, ideological zeal, careerist conformity, or—in the worst cases—malicious glee in the wreck of things they could never have built themselves. They claim the symbols of the republic as they subvert its institutions. They pin the flag to their lapels before commencing the day’s work of lying, obstructing, and corrupting. They speak for America to a world that remembers a different and better America. But that memory is already fading into a question of whether it was not perhaps always an illusion, whether this new regime of deceit and brutishness will not only form the future—but whether it also retrospectively discredits the American past." Viriditas (talk) 13:51, 5 March 2025 (UTC)

Email

I have sent the email for DYK prep building. Let me know if you need any clarification. SL93 (talk) 14:43, 5 March 2025 (UTC)

@SL93: Thanks. Viriditas (talk) 21:13, 5 March 2025 (UTC)

DYK for Point the Finger

On 6 March 2025, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Point the Finger, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that "Point the Finger", a comic-book story written in 1989, has been described as "Trump fiction"? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Point the Finger. You are welcome to check how many pageviews the nominated article or articles got while on the front page (here's how, Point the Finger), and the hook may be added to the statistics page after its run on the Main Page has completed. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

 — Amakuru (talk) 00:03, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

		Hook update
		Your hook reached 7,764 views (647.0 per hour), making it one of the most viewed hooks of March 2025 – nice work!

GalliumBot (talk • contribs) (he/it) 03:28, 7 March 2025 (UTC)

Concern regarding Draft:Will A. Spens

Hello, Viriditas. This is a bot-delivered message letting you know that Draft:Will A. Spens, a page you created, has not been edited in at least 5 months. Drafts that have not been edited for six months may be deleted, so if you wish to retain the page, please edit it again or request that it be moved to your userspace.

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Speedy deletion nomination of Category:Unreferenced Hawaii articles

A tag has been placed on Category:Unreferenced Hawaii articles indicating that it is currently empty, and is not a disambiguation category, a category redirect, under discussion at Categories for discussion, or a project category that by its nature may become empty on occasion. If it remains empty for seven days or more, it may be deleted under section C1 of the criteria for speedy deletion.

If you think this page should not be deleted for this reason you may contest the nomination by visiting the page and removing the speedy deletion tag. Liz ^{Read! Talk!} 23:50, 10 March 2025 (UTC)

DYK for Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe

On 11 March 2025, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that Georgia O'Keeffe's Hawaii series began as a commercial art commission for Dole pineapple juice? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe. You are welcome to check how many pageviews the nominated article or articles got while on the front page (here's how, Hawaii series by Georgia O'Keeffe), and the hook may be added to the statistics page after its run on the Main Page has completed. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

 — Amakuru (talk) 00:03, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

Nice hook! --Tryptofish (talk) 22:25, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

Not as good as yours, I'm afraid. Your shadow is too large. Viriditas (talk) 22:26, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

Oh, not at all. (But it never hurts to Beware The Dreaded Tryptofish.) --Tryptofish (talk) 22:32, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

I still think your last hook was your best hook ever. Short and to the point. Shame you didn't get any credit. Viriditas (talk) 22:34, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

Love it. APK hi :-) (talk) 02:04, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

That’s very kind of you considering you are quite the expert when it comes to art. I will take that compliment and cherish it. Viriditas (talk) 02:25, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

DYK for Hylaeus paumako

On 19 March 2025, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Hylaeus paumako, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that a newly discovered bee descends from a single ancestor that reached the Hawaiian Islands between 1 million and 1.5 million years ago? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Hylaeus paumako. You are welcome to check how many pageviews the nominated article or articles got while on the front page (here's how, Hylaeus paumako), and the hook may be added to the statistics page after its run on the Main Page has completed. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

RoySmith (talk) 00:02, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

		Hook update
		Your hook reached 8,516 views (709.7 per hour), making it one of the most viewed hooks of March 2025 – nice work!

GalliumBot (talk • contribs) (he/it) 03:28, 20 March 2025 (UTC)

File:Hylaeus paumako DNLR 2025.jpg listed for discussion

A file that you uploaded or altered, File:Hylaeus paumako DNLR 2025.jpg, has been listed at Wikipedia:Files for discussion. Please see the discussion to see why it has been listed (you may have to search for the title of the image to find its entry). Feel free to add your opinion on the matter below the nomination. Thank you. (CC) Tbhotch^™ 02:12, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of Sketches of the Life of the Great Priest

Hi there, I'm pleased to inform you that I've begun reviewing the article Sketches of the Life of the Great Priest you nominated for GA-status according to the criteria. This process may take up to 7 days. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have during this period. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Rollinginhisgrave -- Rollinginhisgrave (talk) 02:28, 23 March 2025 (UTC)

A pie for you!

I am extremely grateful for your help in improving Jules Rabin and your assistance at DYK. Thank you for all your work in deepening the world's knowledge. Thriley (talk) 20:48, 23 March 2025 (UTC)

Disambiguation link notification for March 25

An automated process has detected that when you recently edited Jules Rabin, you added links pointing to the disambiguation pages Commune and Occitanie.

(Opt-out instructions.) --DPL bot (talk) 19:57, 25 March 2025 (UTC)

"Network state" listed at Redirects for discussion

The redirect Network state has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Anyone, including you, is welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2025 April 3 § Network state until a consensus is reached. Iknowyoureadog (talk) 03:32, 3 April 2025 (UTC)

Your draft article, Draft:Will A. Spens

Hello, Viriditas. It has been over six months since you last edited the Articles for Creation submission or draft page you started, "Will A. Spens".

In accordance with our policy that Wikipedia is not for the indefinite hosting of material, the draft has been deleted. When you plan on working on it further and you wish to retrieve it, you can request its undeletion. An administrator will, in most cases, restore the submission so you can continue to work on it.

Thank you for your submission to Wikipedia, and happy editing. Liz ^{Read! Talk!} 02:55, 5 April 2025 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of Sketches of the Life of the Great Priest

The article Sketches of the Life of the Great Priest you nominated as a good article has passed ; see Talk:Sketches of the Life of the Great Priest for comments about the article, and Talk:Sketches of the Life of the Great Priest/GA1 for the nomination. Well done! If the article is eligible to appear in the "Did you know" section of the Main Page, you can nominate it within the next seven days. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Rollinginhisgrave -- Rollinginhisgrave (talk) 03:03, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

story · music · places

Congratulations: Tout est lumière --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:57, 7 April 2025 (UTC)

today: a woman in red --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:44, 10 April 2025 (UTC)

Check out my talk: for a great woman's Johannes-Passion (listen!), our music in detail, and three people who recently died and are on the main page (where she isn't). My call for collaboration has the first "no", and the second - for the Easter Oratorio - seems inevitable. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:41, 18 April 2025 (UTC)

My story is about music that Bach and Picander gave the world 300 years (and 19 days) ago, - listen (on the conductor's birthday) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:05, 20 April 2025 (UTC)

@Gerda Arendt: What do you think of composer Anders Hillborg? It looks like he has several choral pieces. I am very impressed with his modern approach. We had nothing like this when I was younger, and I very much wish we did. Viriditas (talk) 10:37, 22 April 2025 (UTC)

Never heard but sounds good. I have a bad memory, - he may be the author of a Summer Psalm that we like to sing. I'm in the middle of rewriting Easter Oratorio, - after it didn't make it to DYK and OTD on its 300th anniversary, I boldly (defiantly) nominated it for FAC, and now have to get it there. Later I'll explore Hillborg. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:39, 22 April 2025 (UTC)

I finally managed to upload the pics I meant for Easter, see places. - Also finally, I managed a FAC, Easter Oratorio. I wanted that on the main page for Easter Sunday, but no, twice. You are invited to join a discussion about what "On this day" means, day or date. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:04, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

I’m listening to a track from the upcoming album Wind Takes Flight, with soprano Julia Marie Sinclair. It’s a somewhat modern approach to Hildegard. They performed the work live last year.[10] I think what impressed me the most is the quality of the recording. Viriditas (talk) 09:23, 27 April 2025 (UTC)

Nomination of Proposed Danish acquisition of California for deletion

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May music

story · music · places

Recommended reading today: Christfried Schmidt, a story about patience. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:01, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

musings on 15 May --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:54, 15 May 2025 (UTC)

birthday of Erik Satie --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:04, 17 May 2025 (UTC)

Thank you, Gerda. I've been fascinated with Satie for a long time. I think it started in the early 1990s when I realized one day that Satie was one of the unsung sources for modern, popular music. Once you hear it, you can't unhear it. Anyway, his obsession with Valadon is endlessly fascinating, and his commentary about her "lovely eyes, gentle hands, and tiny feet" are just so entertaining. If I had a time machine, I would definitely set it to the time and date of a little nook in a bar where I could watch the two of them get on and paw each other over a couple glasses of absinthe. (I wouldn't want to disrupt the timeline). Just to see the two of them together. Wow. Viriditas (talk) 10:44, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Lovely imagination! - Practically: I asked on Classical music (and my talk) if can get Satie's article to GA by his centenary (1 July). --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:47, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

@Gerda Arendt: That's great. I never gave much thought to how much you can hear Satie in Debussy, but yes, it's there. I should pursue that a bit more. I had the most terrible earworm the other day: "Cheek to Cheek", the 1956 version by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong. I couldn't get it out of my head for like 12 hours. Why have you and Naruto been fighting for so many years? I think he was a bit too harsh with you. I love your hooks and all the energy you devote to to the subject. Yes, you could dumb it down and get a bit more pedestrian to attract more people, but that's difficult to do. I've always had trouble writing hooks, so I can understand the dispute. Viriditas (talk) 10:57, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Thank you! Why we dispute: because N. keeps provoking me. Something is wrong with the instructions if they recommend to say - about people with great life achievements - no hint at these achievements (arguing that the broad readership would not be interested) but something marginal like father's job, some award, ... you name it. Trivia. The greatest provocation in years was the suggestion to say about Alla Osipenko that she caused a sensation by her body-revealing costume, - and nothing else. And N. doesn't even notice that it makes me sick. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:55, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

@Gerda Arendt: It sounds like several different things going on. On the one hand you have a clash of stylistic approaches, but on the other, a reliance on view counts and what readers want. I'm often interested in the counterarguments. Do we really want to give people what they want? 24/7 hooks about sex and violence? Towards this end, I recently made a re-discovery of sorts. There's this element of chance, randomness, and chaos when it comes to education. In other words, we shouldn't be supporting the expectations of our readers when it comes to hooks, but rather undermining them by giving them something they wouldn't necessarily want or expect. Why do I say this? Of late, I've been experimenting more and more and going back and forth with listening straight through my audio playlists and alternatively, listening to them on random shuffle. What I've found, is more often than not, because of the thousands of audio selections, the random shuffle will often expose me to something new and interesting in a more immediate way. Just yesterday, I heard a rare interview with John Coltrane that I had never listened to before because of the shuffle. Who knows how long it would have taken me to discover if I had listened to my playlists straight through? This is a tortured analogy, but in the same way, the sheer differences in hook styles and approaches, such as yours, also randomly exposes people to things that they never would have even thought about, let alone known. This will never translate into heightened views by a general audience, so I disagree with N. and others when it comes to using this metric to determine what is interesting or educational. This is also why the best things in life tend to be mostly unknown. What is often good, great, or excellent in terms of content or overall value is rarely if ever popular. These kinds of abstract ideas are often discussed in other contexts. For example, on Reddit, there are frequent discussions about cultural affectations for things, whether it is food, books, music, films, whatever. One thing you keep running into is this hostility to new things and experiences. There is this baseline of plain vanilla sameness that underlines consumer culture and is promoted at the highest levels, from brands to political parties, to entertainment products. Yesterday, I even heard a political scientist talk about this! She said that what they really need to discuss is structural reform of the US political system, but no single politician can do that on camera because it doesn’t translate into sound bites used on social media or in infotainment. This is fascinating. We can’t do what needs to be done because we can’t even talk about it due to the constraints put on public discourse and the reception from the public. Recent research has uncovered that much of this in recent years has come from Wall Street, which has infiltrated entertainment in such a way so as to basically eliminate anything new and unique. This is why it is so hard to find new and different content that doesn't resemble older content. I think we are also seeing this trend here in DYK. Any attempt to do something differently or out of the ordinary is perceived as "lacking views", which translates into lacking interest. But real interest doesn't work that way. That's the commodification, monetization, and click-model that Wall Street infected the internet with as a result of financialization. It's the primary engine of enshittification, and is the hostile enemy of true creativity and originality. That's what you are up against. My suggestion is to keep doing what you are doing, but find a way to adapt your approach to the house style by making it more palatable to the general public. Viriditas (talk) 00:07, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Great thoughts, waking me up, thank you!! Back to little DYK: the rule is not too bad: something interesting from the article, but I believe we should add "about the subject". The profession of any subject's father - if it were interesting which I don't think - is nothing introducing the subject, and even if we'd add "primaballerina of the Kirov Ballet" (which would give her a top position, time and place): why mention the father at all when there are so many things that could be said about her? This is all theory because I won't take the trouble of making the article GA only to have that discussion, but it's a good example. I think excluding topics because they are believed to be not interesting is censoring, and prevents readers from meeting the new and unexpected. Was I surprised reading that she was the one to have starred with Nurejev in Paris the night before he defected! I confess to have never heard her name (or forgot) until she came up under the recent deaths. - Back from theory to reality: Easter Oratorio needs a new hook, again. Perhaps we'll discuss until the 301st Easter after the premiere comes ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:27, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Sentient (intelligence analysis system)

Hello! Back when I first dipped my toes in the water toward GA, you had come over to Sentient (intelligence analysis system) at Talk:Sentient (intelligence analysis system)#GA Review last July.

I was foolishly nowhere near ready. I've been going hammer and chisel rather hard on it--this long gone version here is what you would have seen versus now, 185 edits later. I'm not ready to resubmit it yet. But... if you had availability or interest, I was curious if you'd be willing to give it an informal once over, and let me know if I'm close to escape velocity for GA here? Or am I not on the launchpad yet? Thanks!

(I'm still planning at least one more full sweep sentence by sentence at least.) -- Very Polite Person (talk) 20:11, 16 May 2025 (UTC)

@Very Polite Person: It's looking much improved. I am more than happy to review it when you're ready. Let me know. Viriditas (talk) 22:36, 16 May 2025 (UTC)

Thanks, Viriditas. Another 100+ edits and I just submitted it: Sentient (intelligence analysis system). -- Very Polite Person (talk) 21:47, 17 May 2025 (UTC)

@Very Polite Person: Per MOS:CITELEAD, does your lead section need citations? Viriditas (talk) 00:02, 18 May 2025 (UTC)

I was leaning toward an abundance of caution from the Complex ... subjects may require many citations point of view, since the topic is rather complex. Plus, being honest, my forays into two controversial pages have made me possibly overly-sensitive on citing things out the wazoo for the sake of caution. By the guidance, they can stay or go and I'd tried it both ways. I'm pretty sure there's no one who would call this page controversial or current, so I defaulted to complex and left them.

If you think that's over-thinking/over-worrying about it on my part, they're just an edit from the recycle bin. -- Very Polite Person (talk) 01:03, 18 May 2025 (UTC)

That's fine, just wondering about your thought process. Viriditas (talk) 01:04, 18 May 2025 (UTC)

@Very Polite Person: I have an incredibly silly question for you: your article says the development program for Sentient began in 2009, with some declassification in 2010. Coincidentally, it was in 2010 that Jonathan Nolan and J.J. Abrams began writing Person of Interest, which is a TV show based on "the Machine", a Sentient-like system. Is there any connection between the two subjects, such that one influenced the other? Your article says that in 2010, "These were the first public references to what would become Sentient". Do you think Nolan and Abrams based their show on these public references? Viriditas (talk) 01:25, 18 May 2025 (UTC)

It may well have -- that's the exact right time frame. Working on this is actually what led me directly toward Christopher Mellon. These kinds of topics are one of my things to work on. The Nolans did something like it before that in the The Dark Knight, at the end with the mass surveillance phones tracking everything. I know people in the industry, and the more financially successful some creators have entire staff that help them.

Like, we'd just assume someone like Swift or Oprah have a staff, for whatever roles. Top filmmakers pull similar cash and a lot more for the studios, so they have them too. Nerds like us, who help on research. Put some cool stuff in front of the genius creative brain... and voila, Person of Interest. If one of them literally popped in here and said: "Yep," I wouldn't even be surprised.

You ever seen Enemy of the State (film)? -- Very Polite Person (talk) 01:51, 18 May 2025 (UTC)

Yes. I think the major difference between the two is that the system in EOTS wasn't truly autonomous and was more concerned with mass surveillance as you said. Whereas the system in POI was both autonomous and used by bad actors in the same way as EOTS, but with more of a nefarious goal in mind. This also ties in with a lot of philosophy of technology, eugenics, tescrealism, etc. This is super interesting because Nolan continued this theme in Westworld and followed it out to its logical conclusion.[11] In fact there is somewhat of a continuity between the system in POI and the quantum computer known as Rehoboam in WW. Thanks for the discussion. Viriditas (talk) 02:06, 18 May 2025 (UTC)

Anytime. These might be fun for you, I started on them recently: Artificial intelligence in government and Algocracy, and some of the stuff around the blue links from there. It starts heading into some creepy and "over our collective species dead bodies no way" rich-person technocracy horrors... instead of like the good technocracy where we let doctors take point on medical law guidance, the civic engineers on road safety law, etc.... which can ultimately lead to The Culture kind of AI stuff. But less awesome Will Smith getting chased by the NSA in DC scenes. -- Very Polite Person (talk) 02:14, 18 May 2025 (UTC)

Sorry -- I just recalled Roko's basilisk and thought it may in the wheelhouse of your curiosity. -- Very Polite Person (talk) 02:45, 19 May 2025 (UTC)

You’re a Very Funny Person. My wheelhouse right now is in describing the rationalist and tescrealist movements as cults with roots in religion. Viriditas (talk) 02:49, 19 May 2025 (UTC)

@Very Polite Person: I don't see the statements in the lead section for Sentient as controversial, so as long as the statements are cited in the body, they don't need sources in the lead. Also, you don't need such a long see also section. It looks like you can easily add those links to the article. Finally, consider why you are using three different citations at the end of a sentence. That looks like citation overkill. If you really need to do that, bundle your cites. Viriditas (talk) 01:24, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

The lede, I agree, doesn't need them. I just pulled the lede cites. I did a quick clean up pass. -- Very Polite Person (talk) 02:21, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Try to focus on first usage on a consistent basis. You have AI as an abbreviation farther down than it should be. After first usage you can then use the term AI for a subsequent usage to save space. Follow this convention for everything else. Viriditas (talk) 06:03, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Your grammar needs some work. See the difference between a and an, for example. Viriditas (talk) 06:13, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Going to bring this up now rather than later: in the short sections that you have with one paragraph, consider if those short sections can be expanded to two paragraphs, if not, consider if they should be merged with other sections to make them longer. While I don't have anything against short sections with one paragraph, I've noticed that many other editors do. I don't know if this has to do with changing styles or what, but it's best to head this off at the pass before it becomes an issue. Viriditas (talk) 09:44, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Re paragraph size and structure -- I actually prefer a slightly beefier passage and originally had it like that back here. For some reason I'd decided granular was maybe better, but I've undone it.

Another 37~ edits in, what do you think? Sentient (intelligence analysis system) -- Very Polite Person (talk) 16:36, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

First paragraph in "Academic and media reporting" is unsourced and you're using WP:CONTRACT. Viriditas (talk) 23:31, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Earwig report looks good. Viriditas (talk) 01:34, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Prose and MOS look good. Viriditas (talk) 01:35, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Seeing issues with MOS:CURLY, likely due to your editing on mobile or some other platform/OS. Viriditas (talk) 02:21, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

I sometimes bounce back and forth between OSX and Windows and Linux (I only read on mobile). I'm now realizing I basically read the MOS on curly vs straight backward, literally. At least it's an easy fix... -- Very Polite Person (talk) 02:27, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Images look good. You should try and see if the PDF for File:NRO Sapp Sentient Future Ground Architecture 2016 slide.jpg is available and extract the image or screenshot. Those presentations are usually available online and the quality of the extracted image/page would be much higher than what you have now. Alternatively, you could try and recreate the diagram on your own. A quick search for "GEOINT 2016 PDF" shows it is probably online. Viriditas (talk) 01:39, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Lead section appears to have material not found in the body, for example, the "artificial brain" ("Classified at the highest levels, it has been described as an “artificial brain"." Also, when you quote something, follow it up with a citation, even in the lead.) Viriditas (talk) 02:00, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Huh, I literally didn't notice that I excluded that prime cut quote from the body, or cut it somewhere. Let me put it back in.

Do I need to even have it in quotes given how Scoles uses it here...?

I'm trying to find that PPT or PDF if it exists online.

(And thank you for your extreme graciousness as I edit.) -- Very Polite Person (talk) 02:06, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

I don't think you need the quotes, but I am concerned with the metaphor of the artificial brain in general, as I've heard other voices in the tech space dispute this analogy, although they may be minority voices. I will ask User:Tryptofish for guidance here. It might also be a good idea for them to look at your article. The more eyes, the better. Viriditas (talk) 02:24, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Thank you! I'm hardly married to the phrase and it seems like Scoles coined it there in regard to Sentient--all the other articles that bring it up all came after her article. -- Very Polite Person (talk) 02:27, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

For your service...

		The GA barnstar
		I don't know if people still give these out, but you deserve it for all the help you give in GA reviews. Hope you have a wonderful week! APK hi :-) (talk) 03:28, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Thank you! I haven’t forgotten about the Hopper project. Just trying to tie up some loose ends at the moment. Viriditas (talk) 04:57, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Deleted talk page comments

It's duck season!

The next time time you delete my talk page comments, I will report you at ANI. Please refrain from that sort of thing. Thanks, Jweiss11 (talk) 04:01, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

I read your usual threats in the voice of Daffy Duck. Report away. It's duck season! Viriditas (talk) 04:52, 20 May 2025 (UTC)