Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 February 17

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February 17

User names

How do I prevent my user name appearing automaticaly when I press the log in tab? I thought deleting my history and cookies etc would work, but it still displays my name before I type it. 81.158.177.64 (talk) 00:12, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Well, when you edit, your username is automatically recorded; if you don't want your username displayed, then change your username. Imperat§ r^(Talk) 01:00, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

I dont mean when I edit. Above the space for the password my user name is displayed before I log in without me typing it, and for private reasons (I mean within my home) I would rather it didn't. I thought that deleting my history and cookies etc would prevent this. 81.151.84.100 (talk) 01:47, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

There should be something in your browser options with a name like "AutoComplete" that's all about remembering things you fill in fields. It's sometimes separate from cookies and history (in IE7 it's under the Content tab in the Internet Options dialog box). Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 02:34, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

How do I create a link that opens within the Wikipedia frame?

Newbie question.How do I create a link that opens within the Wikipedia frame? I tried *Google, it opens a new page, and have to click the "back" button to go back to wikipedia. Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wsunarko (talk • contribs) 00:29, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

I'm fairly certain you can't, and if you can, you shouldn't. Framed links are utterly vile. Algebraist 00:31, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

• In the Gadgets section of your preferences there is an option that says "Open external links in a new tab/window" If you choose that option, external links will open a new window or tab so that if you close that page, the Wikipedia page you came from is still waiting. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:37, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Contribute a photo

How do I contribute a photo to Wikipedia for Malibu U TV show?36hplandspeedracer (talk) 01:32, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

First read WP:FU to figure out whether the image complies with Wikipedia's non-free content guideline. If it does, see WP:UPLOAD. – ukexpat (talk) 01:56, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Screen

Why was the "Login Successful" screen removed? JCI (talk) 02:43, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

I just logged out and back in to check and got the requisite screen so I'm not sure what you encountered but it hasn't been removed.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 03:11, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

It hasn't come up for me lately, but that's because I'm not using unified account any more. It just goes straight to the main page. Queenie ^Talk 17:10, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

Disagreement with statement in article

What can be done to voice disagreement with the content of an article? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bandawg (talk • contribs) 03:30, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

You should discuss it on the article's talk page. – ukexpat (talk) 03:32, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

(e/c) Every article (and most pages) have an associated talk page, accessible when you are at an article by clicking on the tab marked "discussion" at the top of the screen. Voice your concerns on that page. There are also all manner of maintenance tags that can be placed on an article to raise specific concerns. See {{Article issues}} for a tag that integrates many concerns, as well as generally Wikipedia:Template messages. Note that information in articles should be verified by citation to reliable sources, which means that unsourced disputed content can be removed and the burden is on those wishing to include the content to provide a source. This also means that reliably sourced material has a presumption of being kept, within reason. While I have provided some options, exactly what you should do really depends on context. I would not, for example, bowdlerize an article citing WP:BURDEN until I first voiced my concern on the talk page first unless there was exceptional circumstances, such as defamatory content in an article on a living person. Likewise, a judicious maintenance tag may be appropriate, but not slapping on twenty. Treading lightly is a good idea for new users until they get more steady clue legs.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 03:47, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

I'm just not seeing a way to comment on the article by clicking the "discussion" tab. It's very confusing ... exactly where would I click to comment while on the discussion page for the article?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bandawg (talk • contribs) 03:57, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Click on the edit buttons in near the last section and comment there. Like the ones on this page that look like this [edit]. Ltwin (talk) 03:59, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

I think I've done that, but I don't see my comments.—Preceding unsigned comment added by Bandawg (talk • contribs)

You posted a comment at User talk:69.157.239.212, but that's not an article talk page. – ukexpat (talk) 04:06, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Did you click on the "save page" button below the edit window? If not then it wasn't saved. Also make sure you comment at the bottom of the talk page as it gets confusing if you comment near the top. Ltwin (talk) 04:07, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Check the user's contributions - apart from this page, their only other edit is to User talk:69.157.239.212 as I said above. – ukexpat (talk) 04:13, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

When I follow those instructions, my comments are not shown as a new subject, but as a continuation of the previous input.

First, please be careful that you don't inadvertently delete other user's replies, which you just did to mine above (now reinstated). Second to create a new section heading, type this at the left hand side of the page == nameofsection ==, then type your comment below it. If you want to indent a comment in an existing thread, use a : at the start of the line. Add additional colons to create successive levels of indentation ::, ::: etc. And don't forget to sign your messages by typing 4 tildes (~) at the end. – ukexpat (talk) 04:31, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Forgive me for all of my wikipedic transgressions - I'm new to this. If there is a user's guide containing all of this information, please point me to it. Ever so grateful for your infinite wisdom and patience. Bandawg (talk) 05:29, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

If you're starting at the beginning, which seems to be the case, a good place to start is with the book:

• Wikipedia - The Missing Manual, with the full text here for free

--Teratornis (talk) 08:51, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

You can click the "new section" tab to start a new section. See more at Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:09, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

How come the movie Tiger Claws doesn't have a page here?

I thought films were granted a famous status, which in turn would fulfill Wikipedia's criteria of notability. But I searched, and you don't have that movie, not a single thing about it; not even a line.--96.232.49.24 (talk) 03:39, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Why don't you create it then. Ltwin (talk) 03:45, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

The user will have to create an account first. – ukexpat (talk) 04:03, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

They could also use WP:AFC. To answer the question: A topic might fulfill the notability criteria, but to get an article, someone still has to decide to write one. In this case no one made the decision yet. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:34, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

As far as I know, there is no rule of thumb that all films are notable. --Orange Mike | Talk 16:55, 18 February 2009 (UTC)

Duplicate image

What tag can be applied to an image which was uploaded here but already exists on Commons? The image to which I refer is this one. Dismas|^(talk) 03:45, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

It doesn't look like a duplicate - that's the Wikipedia info page for a Commons file. See the box immediately below image, though I can understand why you missed it! – ukexpat (talk) 03:49, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

The problem is that the Wikipedia image page exists (and is empty). Algebraist 04:00, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

So, how come the page has a history? I'm confused by your two, seemingly opposed, responses. Dismas|^(talk) 04:33, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

It looks like someone added tried to create the WP image page by adding an HTML image link, then deleted the text, creating the history. – ukexpat (talk) 04:40, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Template Infobox Planet

I'm not sure what to do. The "alt-names" part of the template is demanding a reference section in various asteroid articles, e.g. 5668 Foucault. Clarityfiend (talk) 07:39, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

The template documentation is actually clear on this one "This template expects that the <References /> tag will be present in articles setting the minorplanet parameter to yes." Just add the {{reflist}} template as I did in 5668 Foucault. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 07:50, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

The problem is that there are a lot of articles like this (looks like maybe half the ones in Category:Asteroid stubs), and I have more interesting editing to do. Clarityfiend (talk) 08:21, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

• I have an update for the protected Template:Infobox_Planet which will treat the ref-tag footnote "[1]" as an infobox note "^[a]" (of colspan=2) and avoid having to edit any of those 10,788 asteroid articles. The tag "<references/>" will no longer be required by Infobox_Planet when used for asteriods ("minor planets"). However, the Wikipedia servers might take a week to reformat those 10,788 (or more) asteroid-articles to use the updated template. This is an easier, but not instant, fix for a massive nightmare problem. -Wikid77 (talk) 04:25, 18 February 2009 (UTC)

I want to know about the type of techniques and methods for Removing of Arsenic Impurity from Air.

Respected Sir, iam having all the data about how to remove Arsenic impurity from the Water, you just let me know about how to remove a Arsenic Impurity from Air.I required this Detail as soon as.... ♠ ♠ ♠ —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mjaveed21 (talk • contribs) 08:14, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

• Please head over to the science reference desk; they answer factual questions. This page is for questions about the use of Wikipedia. - 131.211.211.53 (talk) 08:29, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Syntax for linking to an image's File page

Resolved

 – Zain Ebrahim (talk) 09:26, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

I was just writing a comment on an article's discussion page and wanted add a text-only link directly to an images's file page, eg [[File:Bananas.jpg|the bananas' image page]]

Although that syntax worked as I'd expected in an edit summary, the wiki page itself treats it identically to [[Image:Bananas.jpg]] and displays the image rather than a link.

Is there a better option than using http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bananas.jpg?

Sisson (talk) 08:48, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Use a colon like this or this. See Help:Colon trick for more. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 08:58, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Aha! Thanks! Sisson (talk) 09:18, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

You're welcome! :) Zain Ebrahim (talk) 09:26, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

bushfire danger area for The Basin

I am in South Australia and have friends who live at The Basin in Victoria. I have emailed them several times and had no reply. Is this an area affected by the horrific bushfires? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.214.201.81 (talk) 09:55, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

This is the page for questions about using Wikipedia. You may wish to check the reference desk. Stifle (talk) 11:57, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Alert if someone edits your text entry

Is there an alert system if someone goes in and changes something you have written? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.194.173.45 (talk) 11:43, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

No. However, registered users can keep a watchlist to keep track of articles they want. And please note that anyone is free to change anything you submit here per the GFDL, unless their edit is unconstructive. Nobody owns articles here, and as it clearly says below the edit box, "If you don't want your writing to be edited mercilessly or redistributed for profit by others, do not submit it". Cheers. Chamal ^talk 11:53, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Also, if there is a particular article you are interested in following, you can click on the history tab, and see what edits have been made. The "Compare selected versions" button allows you to see the exact changes to the article. — Ched (talk) 12:26, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

'+363'? On watchlist

Resolved

 – Quincel99  (talk) 12:54, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

I've just joined wikipedia, and set a page to be watched. It now has '(+363)' next to it on the watchlist. Is this the number of days it will be watched left, and if so why the + sign? ThanksQuincel99 (talk) 11:51, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

The + or - number next to a watchlist (or recent changes) entry reflects how many characters were added or removed in the last edit. In your case it means that the last edit added 363 characters to the article. Richard⁰⁶¹² 11:56, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

• It's the number of net bytes added to the article. The number could also be a negative displayed in red. It's a way to quickly see if large amounts of significant information have been moved that is also used in Recent Changes (see left menu) - Mgm|^(talk) 11:57, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Thank you both for the timely responses, they clear up the matter excellently. Quincel99 (talk) 12:47, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Changed Username

I recently had my username changed. I understood that my old username account would be deleted, but it is still active. I am automatically logged into my old account when I go onto wikipedia even though I have cleared my cache and saved passwords. How do I get my old account completely deleted? God Emperor (talk) 12:58, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

• If you are signed into your old account, it might be because Single User Login is kicking in with your old Wiktionary account. Try logging out and forcing your browser to remember the new login details. - Mgm|^(talk) 13:36, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

uploading a word document

Why won't it let me upload a word document? It keeps saying 'file type cannot be uploaded. What do i need to do?86.138.164.109 (talk) —Preceding undated comment was added on 13:11, 17 February 2009 (UTC).

Why do you need to upload a word document to Wikipedia? This type of files are not used in Wikipedia, so there is usually no need to upload them. If you want to create an article, please see this page and follow the instructions there. You can't create an article by uploading a text file. Also, please see WP:UPLOAD for further information and instructions on uploading files. This page explains in detail about the file types we use here and how they are used. Cheers. Chamal ^talk 13:16, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

If you want to convert a Word document to article text then see Wikipedia:Tools#Importing (converting) content from other formats to Wikipedia (MediaWiki) format. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:30, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Correct me if I am wrong, anon users cannot upload files nor create new articles. Please create an account if you want to create an article. --Joshua ^{Say "hi" to me!}_{What I've done?} 14:05, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Of course. And then you have to get autoconfirmed before you can upload files to Wikipedia. Chamal ^talk 14:10, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

If the message "file type cannot be uploaded" was reached then I think the upload attempt was made while logged in to an autoconfirmed account. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:43, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

What was the exact error or warning you got? Was it "".doc" is not a permitted file type. Permitted file types are png, gif, jpg, jpeg, xcf, pdf, mid, ogg, ogv, svg, djvu."? Jay (talk) 09:49, 18 February 2009 (UTC)

How to add Google Maps reference to Wikipedia article?

Resolved

 – ukexpat (talk) 16:13, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Hello, as my topic indicates I am wondering how to add the geographical data to an article or cause the article to appear on the wikipedia overlay. Any information would be appreciated. I noticed there are some articles about locations near where I live but they do not appear on the google maps wiki overlay at all (presumably, because they don't have any geographical location info in them). This is an example of what I am talking about, how to add these:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=37.794864,-122.421341&spn=0.046663,0.11158&t=k&z=14&lci=lmc:wikipedia_en

Almost all the pages with landmarks that appear on the overlay have geographical coordinates, so I guess what I am asking is how do I generate the nifty geographical link from toolserver.org? example:

http://stable.toolserver.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Bear_Mountain_Bridge&params=41_19_12_N_73_58_49_W_region:US-NY_type:landmark

thanks _ morde _t ^.. 14:14, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

{{coord}}. Algebraist 14:23, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

ah yes that's what I was looking for. then google crawls wiki, finds that, bingo _ morde _t ^.. 14:27, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Can you change what was originally put on wikipedi?

I'm trying to delete a lot of the information that was originally put on the description. It keeps coming right back to the original information. Can I delete information? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.213.46.194 (talk) 15:18, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Can I assume you are referring to this article? If so, the best suggestion I can give you is to discuss your concerns on the article's talk page. See what other editors think about the information you want to remove and determine why they want to keep it. Remember, all articles must be backed up by reliable sources and written from a neutral point of view. TNXMan 15:26, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Why can't I...

...email articles from Wikipedia? There doesn't seem to be a button to email. Am I missing something? or is it not possible to email?

Thanks, Senisaboy (talk) 15:25, 17 February 2009 (UTC)Senisaboy

Why do you need a special button? What's wrong with just emailing the url? Algebraist 15:27, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

How to remove a tag that is a hidden category

The page Johston Center for Integrative studies is tagged as follows "The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject."

I rewrote the introduction and believe the tag can be removed, but I can't figure out how to remove the tag. How do I do that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lcuff (talk • contribs) 16:11, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Delete the {{context}} tag at the top of the article text.  Badgernet  ₪  16:19, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Change to title of article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlow_Carr_Gardens

Hi,

My name is Jenni Shepherd and I work in the marketing department here at RHS Garden Harlow Carr. I have been editing the article on the gardens through my account but can't seem to change the main title of the article from 'Harlow Carr Gardens', which was the name of the gardens when it was owned by the Northern Horticultural Society to 'RHS Garden Harlow Carr' which is the current name of the garden. Is there any way I can change it or would it be possible to have it updated internally as it is causing some confusion with our visitors? If you require any more information please do not hesitate to contact me at <e-mail redacted> Kind Regards,

Jenni Shepherd PR & Marketing Assistant RHS Garden Harlow Carr —Preceding unsigned comment added by RHSGardenHarlowCarr (talk • contribs) 16:50, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Your account must be autoconfirmed before you can move an article, I will do it for you. However, your user name gives me concern as it appears to violate WP's rules against promotional user names: WP:USERNAME. – ukexpat (talk) 17:02, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

 Done. Article moved to RHS Garden Harlow Carr. – ukexpat (talk) 17:08, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

How to change contents of boiler-plate text that appears on many pages?

On each of the pages devoted to Richard Strauss's operas, in the upper right corner, is a box listing all of the composer's operas and the dates of their premieres. Although the premieres are correctly dated in the main text of the discrete pages, many of the dates in the box are incorrect. How do I edit this box? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Purslane (talk • contribs) 16:56, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Clicking on the little "e" at the bottom of the box will bring you to this page, where you can edit {{Strauss operas}}. Bencherlite^Talk 17:02, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Does it say anywhere that the box is supposed to show the date of the premiere? Maybe it is the year Strauss completed writing. PrimeHunter (talk) 19:37, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

The template talk page has zero activity so it may be best to discuss changes to the template at the Opera Project's talk page. – ukexpat (talk) 19:57, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

knowledge and belief

how can knowledge be justified through belief? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.204.224.15 (talk) 17:17, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. But I think you really need a philosopher because we cannot do your homework for you. – ukexpat (talk) 17:23, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Lots of people try to justify knowledge through belief alone. A common result of this approach is Religious war. This contrasts with the Scientific method which allows people from all around the world and having every kind of cultural background to agree on what "truth" is (at least within narrowly defined domains), without having to kill each other. --Teratornis (talk) 21:16, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

my article doesn't appear but it isn't rejected either...

...it just sits in limbo: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Ncoapedia&oldid=264520837

Why? What can I do to get it published or publicly available? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ncoapedia (talk • contribs) 17:25, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

You need to move your article to the mainspace, but I really would not recommend doing that. The article appears to be advertising, which is not allowed on Wikipedia. You may want to retry re-writing your article from a neutral point of view which is supported by independent reliable sources. TNXMan 17:38, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Sorry that is 100% spam and has been nominated for speedy deletion. – ukexpat (talk) 17:48, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Now deleted. – ukexpat (talk) 18:21, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

school assignment on HIV/AIDS

What are the symptom of HIV/AIDS? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.242.134.134 (talk) 17:34, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Please do your own homework.

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help desk. Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misevaluation, but it is our policy here to not do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn how to solve such problems.
Please attempt to solve the problem yourself first. You can search Wikipedia or search the Web.
If you need help with a specific part of your homework, the Reference desk can help you grasp the concept. Do not ask knowledge questions here, just those about using Wikipedia.

Please sign your post by typing four tildes (~~~~) or clicking the signature button above the edit box which looks like this: . Do NOT sign in articles. Dendodge Talk^Contribs 17:36, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

You might find some information, however, in the HIV and/or AIDS articles. —teb728 t c 18:35, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Moving userspace articles to main article space

Resolved

 – TNXMan 20:13, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Am I right in thinking it's OK to move an article I've created in userspace over to the main article space? If I'm the only editor, is there any preference for doing it that way rather than copy&paste? Do I need to delete the resulting redirect from my userspace when I'm done?Gonzonoir (talk) 20:09, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

I've moved the page for you and you can find it at Sex Panic!. You do not have to delete the resulting redirect if you don't want to, but if you wish to do so, simply blank the page or place {{db-userreq}} at the top. Best, TNXMan 20:11, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Grand! Thanks very much. Gonzonoir (talk) 20:12, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

No problem! TNXMan 20:13, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Hmmmm ... looks like good work. Nice job Tnxman307 Gonzonoir. — Ched (talk) 20:38, 17 February 2009 (UTC) (well - nice job on the move Tnxman lol - sigh, I REALLY need new bifocals ;)) — Ched (talk) 20:50, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Cheers! Fraught topic; hope I've done it some justice. Now to get more eyes onto it to check :) Gonzonoir (talk) 23:33, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Some might argue that it's better to copy and paste, since the previous revision history of an article you've created in userspace is only really meaningful to you.--Michael White^T·C 20:48, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Help:Moving a page advises against copy and paste moves, but when only one editor has contributed to a page, only one editor needs attribution to comply with the GFDL, and thus it wouldn't seem to matter whether the attribution gets collapsed into one history page entry. However, as long as the "move" tab works, that's the method I would recommend. I myself have used both methods, for example I've developed several templates in a sandbox user page, which I keep reusing to develop more templates. If I were to move the sandbox to a real template page now, the history would contain a bunch of junk from my previous templates. To get a "clean" history, I'd have to develop each template from a distinct page name in my userspace. But then I would end up cluttering my userspace with a bunch of redirects to all the templates I have created, and I would have to {{db-user}} them, which seems like a pointless bother. --Teratornis (talk) 21:35, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the thoughts, all. Looks like consensus is broadly "doesn't really matter", but since I'd like to work on multiple draft articles simultaneously I guess I'll go with distinct user subpages and moves as the way forward, to make it easier for me to keep track. Out of interest, anyone know if moving the subpage to article space reattributes the historic edits as article space contributions? Gonzonoir (talk) 23:32, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Also, Ternatoris, do you mean that the {{db-user}} route is pointless bother for the page creator who adds the tag, or for the admin who has to act on it? I'm happy to suck up a bit of bother myself, but don't want to add to a backlog someone else must deal with. Gonzonoir (talk) 23:35, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

It does reattribute the edits. At AfC, moving a page reattributes all of the edits from Wikipedia Talk space to main article space. Also, adding {{db-userreq}} adds the article to list of articles, talk pages, and other things that qualify for speedy deletion. It's a queue that is regularly cleaned up by admins. TNXMan 23:43, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Help for Article in the scope of "Computing WikiProject"

Dear Sirs, I have found in Wikipedia that a WikiProject, named "Computing WikiProject" exists, which aims at building a comprehensive and detailed guide to computers and computing. I would like to submit to Members of such a Project the article EICASLAB and possibly receive indications for improving the article in term of quality. Can you please tell me which is the correct way to proceed? Thank you very much for your help and support. Best regards. Caporaletti (talk) 20:28, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Actually Wikipedia:WikiProject Computing is more of an umbrella WikiProject, with many subsidiary projects specializing in the many different aspects of computing. See the table at:

• Wikipedia:WikiProject Council/Directory/Science#Computing

to find the most specific WikiProject(s) for the EICASLAB article. There is also a Wikipedia:WikiProject Robotics which may apply. Once upon a time we had an Article Collaboration and Improvement Drive, but this seems to have died. In general, the best way to improve something on Wikipedia is to just improve it yourself. We don't really need organizations to oversee what people should be doing anyway. If you don't know how to improve articles on Wikipedia, then read the friendly manuals. A great place to start is by reading the book:

• Wikipedia - The Missing Manual (here is the full text)

--Teratornis (talk) 20:41, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

As far as what specifically the EICASLAB article needs, the best place to critique the article is on its talk page. To get a general idea of where we want all articles to go, examine our featured articles (the articles judged to be of the highest quality on Wikipedia), in particular Wikipedia:FA#Computing. The number of things one has to know to write a featured article would fill a book. In fact they do. --Teratornis (talk) 20:50, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Your talk page already contains some criticism of the EICASLAB article. Do you need clarification on any of these issues? Also, your username resembles one of the authors cited in the EICASLAB article. If you are personally associated with the article's subject, please read WP:COI carefully. Some Wikipedia users take the strict view that nobody should edit an article they have a personal interest in, because it will be difficult for them to maintain neutrality. For users with very little editing experience on Wikipedia, that is probably good advice. However, I consider the strict view somewhat impractical, because it contradicts the Foundation issue that anyone should be free to edit Wikipedia. To my mind, "free" means "free to edit anything they want." However, everyone else is equally free to edit, so when an editor edits with an obvious bias, other editors are likely to swoop in and remove the bias. Therefore I view WP:COI as more descriptive (of what will happen to biased edits) than prescriptive (what we must not do). I.e., if you edit the EICASLAB article without a firm understanding of WP:COI, you will not be in complete harmony with other editors, and your edits are less likely to "stick". --Teratornis (talk) 21:02, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Which Wikipedian said this?

I recall reading a year or two ago a discussion page in which a scientist Wikipedia stated that he might have left Wikipedia because of the drama (I think), but that he felt it was his duty to make sure the top Google results for his field (Wikipedia articles) contained good content. Does anyone happen to know who wrote this? --Michael White^T·C 20:46, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Can you give any more details? Such as the namespace containing the discussion page? The topic of discussion? The specific definition of "his field"? Whether the scientist posted under a real name or a pseudonym? How you know this user is a scientist? (I.e., is he famous and verified to be that person, or does he merely self-report as a scientist?) We can:

• Search Wikipedia with Google for: scientist google drama

but those terms are common, we don't know if they actually appeared on the page you saw, and Google does not index pages in the article talk namespace. --Teratornis (talk) 21:08, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

This isn't really what the Help Desk is here for; we're here to help you use Wikipedia. That is a very common reason for leaving anyway, so if that's the only thing to go on you're not going to have much luck. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 21:11, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

If the original poster is asking how to search for a particular string of text on Wikipedia, that is within the scope of using Wikipedia. However, the description of the particular string seems insufficiently clear to give our (relatively dumb) search tools any purchase. --Teratornis (talk) 21:19, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

To answer similar questions in the future, the original poster may want to install Desktop search software, which among other things allegedly can search the Web pages a user has viewed. This could help with the common problem of "I know I saw it somewhere but I can't recall exactly where". --Teratornis (talk) 21:23, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

You can try asking at WP:Village pump (miscellaneous). Jay (talk) 09:28, 18 February 2009 (UTC)

How do I find the history of a building?

I live in an old house and want to know more about it....2136 Red Rose Way Santa Barbara CA.

It isn't a prominent home...looks like a farm house. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kath763 (talk • contribs) 21:20, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

You could ask on the Reference desk. This Help desk is for questions about using Wikipedia, and Wikipedia only has articles about a limited number of notable houses. --Teratornis (talk) 21:24, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Centering a Template

Is there a way to center a template? As in, one that could be included in the template? I think that "div style="text-align: center;"" only works on text. Is this true, and if so, how would I center a template? Thanks, Genius101^Guestbook 22:19, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

There are different types of templates with different purposes. Centering can be done in different ways and wouldn't make sense for many template types. Do you have a specific template in mind? If the template makes a table then the table can be centered. See Help:Table#Centering tables for a way. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:14, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Al Pacino biography _ administrator

Hi there

how can I get in touch with the administrator of the Al Pacino biography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Pacino#1960s because i have problems with editing process for the references Thank you! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sergeji (talk • contribs) 22:58, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Articles do not have administrators. Please let us know here what the problem is or discuss it on the article's talk page. – ukexpat (talk) 23:04, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Maybe Wikipedia:Footnotes is of help. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:06, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

You can get the attention of the other editors of the article on the article talk page, Talk:Al Pacino —teb728 t c 00:03, 18 February 2009 (UTC)

Scrollable Userbox box

I've seen some users that have a scrollable box for their Userboxes. I'd like to know what that template/command/syntax is. If at all possible, is it able to be left-aligned? Thanks!! ←Signed:→Mr. E. Sánchez ^{Get to know me!} / _{Talk to me!}←at≈:→ 23:57, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

• This might help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Scroll_box —Noah 00:32, 18 February 2009 (UTC)