Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2010 November 14

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November 14[edit]

Why does Rotten Tomatoes always in the lead instead of Metacritic?[edit]

In nearly every movie article here, the "Reception" section takes about the movie's Rotten Tomatoes rating, and then might go on to talk about its Metacritic rating. Never does the Metacritic score get mentioned before the Tomatometer score. Why is this? C Teng(talk) 00:40, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Because of the Wikipedia policy/guideline/essay/failed proposal that says that review sites are always mentioned in reverse alphabetical order. No, that can't be right. More seriously, maybe because Rotten Tomatoes was started before Metacritic or because RT is better known? Just a guess. You could always reverse the trend. :-) --Bbb23 (talk) 00:46, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I'd be willing to bet that if I reversed the transition, Metacritic would start getting a lot more hits. C Teng(talk) 00:53, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
See Wikipedia:WikiProject Film which is where Wikipedia's film buffs decide the style guidelines for these particular articles. Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Film/Archive index lists a large number of discussion topics. Maybe you can find clues from past discussions. For example, a Ctrl-F search on that page for "tomato" finds:
Maybe that will get you started to find what you want to know, or help you track down other Wikipedia editors who may know something about this. Or you could start a new discussion topic there, with a better chance of finding Wikipedia editors who specialize in film articles. --Teratornis (talk) 00:57, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
(e/c with above 3 posts) I'll hazard an educated guess: Rotten Tomatoes' scores might be seen as more valid. Metacritic weights their scores towards "high profile" reviewers (i.e., their reviews count more when determining their scores). Rotten Tomatoes' score is a straight percentage of good reviews; although it too separates out the "top critics", they still factor equally with the low-profile reviewers into the overall score. Perhaps those at WikiProject Film can answer this question more thoroughly. Xenon54 (talk) 01:00, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Putting my tongue out of my cheek, my guess is there's no reason why RT is discussed before MC - it just is. More important, why does it matter if both are mentioned?--Bbb23 (talk) 01:04, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
It doesn't, really, I'm just wondering why. Also, it's common for Metacritic scores not to be mentioned. C Teng(talk) 01:10, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
For those articles that mention RT but not MC, if the MC info is relevant, I'd add it.--Bbb23 (talk) 16:43, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

How to remove the scary glassy-eyed stare of Jimbo from the top of every page[edit]

glassy-eyed scary stare of Lord Kitchener, inspiration for Orwell's "Big Brother"

Is there a setting somewhere which I could set to prevent Jimbo's scary glassy-eyed stare from appearing at the top of every page viewed? It makes me want to avoid editing Wikipedia. It seems like something out of Nineteen Eighty-Four. Edison (talk) 01:07, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure whether it's the same in every skin, but for me there was a teensy little cross in the top-right corner of the pic. Adrian J. Hunter(talkcontribs) 01:21, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The tiny x may appear to close the picture, but, in reality, the eyes are still following you wherever you go on Wikipedia, and maybe even beyond.--Bbb23 (talk) 01:56, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
If you are registered, then there is a gadget in your preferences to hide the fundraiser. Then you don't have to click it each week (the time the browser cookie remembers your choice). —TheDJ (talkcontribs) 02:43, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Talk page stalker[edit]

Hello! Just wondering, since I don't know where to ask questions, can someone be my talk page stalker? Thank you! Perseus!Talk to me 01:43, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Why would you want such a person? See WP:TPS. Bear in mind the humor in the article.--Bbb23 (talk) 02:00, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
This page is only for questions about how to use Wikipedia. --Monterey Bay (talk) 02:08, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
You can invite people with {{helpme}} when you have something for them to see. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:34, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Evidence of Revision[edit]

hi, there is a documentary called "evidence of revision" there is no wikipedia page about it. please let me know why, does wikipedia censor articles related to political issues? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.200.64.254 (talk) 02:37, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Huh? Any registered user can create an article at Evidence of Revision but nobody has. See Wikipedia:Your first article if you consider making the article yourself. Note however that if an article is unsourced or doesn't satisfy Wikipedia:Notability then it may be deleted. Then you can start throwing wild censorship accusations around.
Ohh, I just found a tiny suggested article at Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Evidence of Revision (Documentary). It was declined. So Wikipedia doesn't want an unsourced two-line article? I guess that will be sufficient evidence of censorship for some. PrimeHunter (talk) 03:10, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Getting corrections acknowledged[edit]

The WIKI on Tom Logan (Director) has several notes at the top which have all been addressed by myself, Mr. Logan, and others and yet the error notes are still there. Specifically, No articles associated with it.(IMDB is mentioned and linked http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0517665/) and his web site...grammar/ copy editing (corrected), conflict of interest (several authors contributed)...and adjectives and other changes have been made to be more objective and less like an advertisement (which was not intended).

However, the advisory posts remain at the top. What procedures should be followed to get them officially removed. I don't want to just delete them and violate protocol.

Thanks ~ Ray Remillard —Preceding unsigned comment added by RayROnline (talkcontribs) 05:18, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There is no specific process: anybody may remove them if they think that they no longer apply (but should explain why they are doing so in the edit summary. However, Tom Logan (director) is certainly not ready to have them removed at present. The main problem (Which is not tagged, as it happens) is that there is not one single inline reference to a reliable source (note that iMDB is not regarded as a reliable source, except for very basic factual information, and a person's own website is not regarded as an independent source).
Other issues that remain are the number of peacock words in it (such as "top" and "prestigious"), which even if it no longer reads like an ad, still make it scarcely neutral. It is also still an orphan, in that not one single other Wikipedia article links to it (some User pages do, but they don't count.).
Fix these issues, and you are welcome to remove the tag.
Incidentally, Tom Logan (director) is not a wiki. Wikipedia is a wiki, one of thousands. That is a Wikipedia article. --ColinFine (talk) 16:59, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

1. Hi! A long time ago, I created the article about the little known actress called Alexandra Powers. I read on a website about 5 or 6 years ago that grew up in Manhattan but I'm not for sure. Should I delete that information from the article? Please let me know. 2. Also I want to create an article about English-Canadian author Martyn Godfrey. Here are some article I found about him: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:RoW3smVJ5k0J:www.epl.ca/TheSource/EPLv5i2a25and26.cfm+martyn+godfrey&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca http://projects.cbe.ab.ca/ict/2learn/jcreid/famousalbertans/htmlfiles/albertans/godfrey.htm Should I make an article about him? Let me know. Neptunekh2 (talk) 05:47, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

  1. If there's no reliable source available to confirm the "Manhattan" statement, it should be removed.
  2. There is already an article on Martyn Godfrey. You could perhaps check and expand it. -- John of Reading (talk) 17:18, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Schizophrenia[edit]

Is Schizophrenia hereditary??

Mayuri Ghag —Preceding unsigned comment added by 120.62.19.135 (talk) 06:56, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Genetics does play a factor in schizophrenia, but may not be the actual cause. --Monterey Bay (talk) 07:21, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
We have an entire article on the causes of schizophrenia, which is summarized in the Causes section of our main article on Schizophrenia. It's more common in certain families, but it's not something you just "get" from one parent in any simple way. If you want more explanation you should ask at the Science reference desk (this page is really for questions about using Wikipedia). Adrian J. Hunter(talkcontribs) 08:28, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
And please read the medical disclaimer. – ukexpat (talk) 15:12, 15 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Jonah Hill[edit]

Jonah Hill (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) Hello. Read about Jonah Hill. Somebody has written bad things about him. I think you need to delete this —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.179.211.141 (talk) 09:18, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for helping to catch this. The damage has been cleaned up. -- John of Reading (talk) 12:52, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Adding A Reference[edit]

how do i properly add a reference —Preceding unsigned comment added by WESCASE (talkcontribs) 16:07, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Welcome to Wikipedia! I've left you some introductory links on your talk page. The beginner's guide to references is here. -- John of Reading (talk) 16:18, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Monument on Wilshire Blvd[edit]

I took a picture yesterday of a marble mounment at the corner of Wilshire and Sepulveda Blvd of three figures: A woman in the middle holding a torch in her left hand and two smaller soldiers by her sides. I have searched the internet and can find no information on the statue. On a plaque it says it was erected by the Spanish War Veterans. I would include the picture here if I could figure out how to put it in. Hope you can help, Abe Zion —Preceding unsigned comment added by Abe Zion (talkcontribs) 16:17, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Wilshire Boulevard (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)
Is it this statue? Yes, if you're willing to release your photo with a suitable license, you could upload it to Wikimedia Commons using this form. Commons has several pictures of the Boulevard but doesn't yet have a picture of the statue. -- John of Reading (talk) 17:33, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"No sleep" problem[edit]

I am a very frequent user of Wikipedia. However, I am very disappointed because recently, whenever I try to use your website I am greeted with an ugly face that appears as part of a green banner.

Can you please help me by giving me instructions on how to block this advert?

Thank you very much, your help will be greatly appreciated as it will help avoid future nightmares. Regards, The Martian. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.71.206.80 (talk) 17:05, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There is a little "x" at the top right of the advert. I think that should suppress it, at least for a while. -- John of Reading (talk) 17:09, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]


Thank you very much, I will make sure to get someone to close it for me before I view a page. Do you think that there is a more permanent solution? Thanks again, your help is very very very much appreciated. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.71.206.80 (talk) 17:26, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

For a permanent solution you could create an account and then tick the fourth checkbox on the "Gadgets" tab of the "Preferences". -- John of Reading (talk) 17:50, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

How to find sheet music[edit]

How do I find sheet free sheet music in Wikipedia/ Wikimedia? There have to be a number of songs, especially older ones, where the sheet music is in the public domain. I did find a sheet music for a song somewhere in Wikimedia. But I can no longer find them.

Even stranger, yesterday, when I looked up some old songs on Wikipedia, the sheet music was right there on the wikipedia page in a PNG image on the right of the page. When I go back there today, the images are no longer there. An example is Yankee Doodle Dandy

64.252.209.77 (talk) 17:07, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I see a page of sheet music at Yankee Doodle. Do you? Public domain images will probably be at Wikimedia Commons; you could explore the files and sub-categories of the Commons sheet music category, or visit the Commons Main Page and use the "Search" box there. -- John of Reading (talk) 17:46, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Template for marking misplaced content[edit]

As an example, I think some of the content on this talk page should not be there and perhaps some content is missing (deleted). I am not sure how to characterise it, but it is somewhat complicated to untangle (for instance there are some deletions by Raniecutiefaye). Is there some template that can be added to such a page to draw the right kind of attention to it (such that sufficiently experienced Wikipedia users can handle it)? --Mortense (talk) 17:48, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I've removed most of it as nonsense. As for the template, there are probably a few you could use. {{Help me}} might work. TNXMan 17:52, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, at a second look, we can probably live without the previously deleted content contributed by Taku, mav, and Stevey7788 (it was just commentary). It was not a good example, I realise now. --Mortense (talk) 19:28, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Child Abuse[edit]

where in wikipedia will I find denial of visitation rights to grandparents addressed. Does this reference address the question of whether this constitutes child abuse? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.254.234.92 (talk) 18:23, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried the Miscellaneous section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. TNXMan 18:25, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

how to donate in Indian rupees?[edit]

i wanted to do my bit for wikipedia which has been my frnd since i have joined my college how do i send money in Indian Rupees from Indian debit card? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.240.210.73 (talk) 19:04, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

When I click on the Donate button on the left, I get a PayPal form (on the right) to donate. As part of that form, there's a drop-down for different major currencies, not including rupees, but there's also a box next to it called Other where maybe you can enter rupees (not sure). In any event, there is also an e-mail address at the bottom of the form where perhaps you can pose your question.--Bbb23 (talk) 20:06, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Paypal don't do rupees, or Indian accounts. I remember this being asked last year, so I'll try to remember to look into this tomorrow when I'm not at work! -- PhantomSteve.alt/talk\[alternate account of Phantomsteve] 23:46, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Article name change and status of entry[edit]

I've created an entry, but I can't find a way to change the entry name from "Enter_your_new_article_name_here" to the actual article name; I read the Wiki pages on Moving, etc., but don't have the option to do that yet since I am a new user. I am also unclear on if the page I created is actually submitted for review or still in a draft state that only I can see.

Thanks for any help!

Chase Patrick (talk) 20:18, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I see that you have now re-submitted your text at Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Richard Chase. This is another good way to submit content; be patient and someone will get round to reviewing it there.
When your article was at User:Chase Patrick/Enter your new article name here, it was a "user space draft". If it had stayed there, you could have requested feedback on it, either at this Help Desk or at Requests for feedback - see "So you made a user space draft". It could have been given a more appropriate name after being reviewed, as you saw at this help page. A user space draft is partly visible - anyone who knows that it is there will be able to read it, but it will not be included in the results of a standard search in the Wikipedia "Search" box, and will not be indexed by search engines such as Google. -- John of Reading (talk) 22:18, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

wrong name[edit]

I am the twins brother and our mother's name was Eileen, not Maureen. Source for this article has been corrected but I don't know how to fix it here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dodgers4ever (talkcontribs) 22:02, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Assuming this is a Wikipedia article to which you're referring, could you please tell us the name of the article?--Bbb23 (talk) 22:11, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, I looked at his contributions - this is his only one. So I don't know what he's talking about either. Dodgers, we'd like to help, but we need to know what article you are speaking of. Thanks! :) Endofskull (talk) 23:40, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
But we only have a few million articles to choose from! I like a challenge: [1]. PrimeHunter (talk) 03:57, 15 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Holy cow. That was awesome. Well done! --Jayron32 05:54, 15 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Underground bands[edit]

I've got a question concerning that. I've read the criteria for a band to be approved on Wikipedia (to be article-worth), and they're extremely oriented for popularity. A band's even supposed to have accomplished at least a Gold CD award and hit the charts of a mid-large country. However, many renowned underground bands, notably Black Metal, will never nor intend to accomplish this, and still they have articles on Wikipedia, no matter how underground. What is supposed to be done with those bands? Delete their articles? Or is there an understanding/exception for those bands who have underground media attention despite not being able to sell thousands of records? Thank you.--Magnvs.alex (talk) 20:45, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The notability requirement for a band is expressed at WP:BAND. Twelve criteria are listed. The band has to meet "at least one" of the criteria, not all. The gold criterion you refer to is only one of the twelve.--Bbb23 (talk) 22:33, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
If you do see articles that do not meet any of the criteria, then you can either propose their deletion or start a deletion discussion about them. TNXMan 03:24, 15 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The most important criteria about a band is that they have been written about by reliable sources. There are bands which have not sold many records, but which were highly influential. Take a band like The Skatalites. They've never sold many records, but they almost singlehandedly invented a musical style (ska). Being popular is not one of the criteria for having an article at Wikipedia; popular bands will likely already meet the general notability guideline, but there are lots of lesser known bands which do too. --Jayron32 05:48, 15 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]