Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 April 16

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April 16

aweazing

This word should be in the dictionary. It is amazing and awesome put together so it means amazing and awesome. ex) This book is aweazing. So instead of saying This book is amazing and awesome you just say aweazing —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.139.210.6 (talk) 02:12, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

And this applies to an encyclopedia how, precisely? --Alinnisawest,^{Dalek Empress} (extermination requests here) 02:19, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Even our sister project, Wiktionary (which is a dictionary, unlike this encyclopedia), would not likely accept such a word for an entry as I don't think it would meet their Criteria for inclusion. That policy requires evidence of widespread usage, use in an refereed academic journal, or other bases of "attestation." A policy you might find instructive by analogy is Wikipedia is not for things made up one day. Though geared toward addressing encylopedia material that is not suitable, and this is not even that, all Wikimedia projects adhere to similar policies.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 02:36, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Coding Your Tag

How do you code your tag so it is multi-coloured or different like I see on some of the more veteran users of Wikipedia? CanadianNine (talk) 02:21, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

you'd want to work on the "my preferences" page, and use the <span style="color:#000080"> tags. If you see a signature that is similar to what you're looking for, click and edit that section (you don't actually have to edit), and see how another editor formated their sig. Once you put the for tildes in and save ( ~~~~ ) the wiki pulls that code into the page. For general guidelines, see: WP:SIG — Ched :  ?  02:39, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

(edit conflict) If by "tag", do you mean the username and timestamp that appear when you type four tildes in a reply? If so, there are many tips for customization at this page. TNXMan 02:40, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Thanks a lot for the advice. CanadianNine (talk) 02:41, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Please see also Wikipedia:How to fix your signature and Wikipedia:Smurrayinchester's signature tutorial.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 02:48, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

printing

I find that with most wikipedia articles I open, they are complete but when I try to print them one or two pages refuse to print even when I select that individual page for printing. Any suggestions? 70.75.8.217 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 02:24, 16 April 2009 (UTC).

Hm, I'm not familiar with this particular issue. If you think it's a bug, feel free to report it to WP:Bugzilla. hmwithτ 05:26, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

• Are you using Internet Explorer? Other users in that browser encountered a problem recently. User:Gadget850 described a solution at Help:Printable#Blank pages in Internet Explorer. Hope that helps. Gonzonoir (talk) 08:12, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

SAGE edits - timeframe for changes to show?

Dear WikiHelp: I did not log in to my Wiki account when I last made changes to an entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Study_on_Global_Ageing_and_Adult_Health_%28SAGE%29 (on 14 April 2009). I subsequently logged in and see that the changes have been logged, but the public viewing of the Wiki page remains the old version.

Have I done something wrong with logging the edits, or does it take a bit of time for the edits to show up? Thanks, Paul —Preceding unsigned comment added by 158.232.3.98 (talk) 02:50, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Your changes are visible to me. Perhaps you need to refresh the page? tempodivalse [☎] 02:54, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

User Contribs and Search

Resolved

 – TNXMan 11:58, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Suppose I am viewing a user's User page. How do I view his/her contribs?

Also, more generally, how can I search for a user by name?

Ordinary Person (talk) 02:59, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Whenever you are on a user's talk or user pages, there is a link for "User contributions" in the toolbox (the second menu under the search field) on the left hand side of the page. To search for user names, go to Special:ListUsers. You can also search using Special:PrefixIndex and set it to the user space. Finally, you can search users on all Wikipedias using Special:GlobalUsers--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 03:10, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

And read Help:User contributions. --Teratornis (talk) 03:30, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Thanks.Ordinary Person (talk) 03:33, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Template:Geobox Settlement third map parameter needed quickly

I need to add a third map to the code for {{Geobox Settlement}} so that I can add File:Snyder, New York map.png to Snyder, New York. The article is scheduled to be on the main page as part of the DYK in about 6.5 hours. Can anyone fix the code quickly?--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 04:21, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Are you sure you no longer need any advice? hmwithτ 05:24, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

log in password confusion (fairly sure I am the one confused)

hello and I want to first say I am amzed at how complex all this can get and this is good it needs to be organized as it is waaaay more powerful than the dictionaries and encyclopedias I had to use as a kid - as such I am adicted to wikipedia nad go here everday for almost everything but the news

my problem is I can't log in and I am sure I used the email address and password I gave when joining, I also am a member whereby you sign something and you are allowed to make changes to articles but of course there is some safety guards in there -- so for months if I wanted to edit a page I could without loggging on I guess I was always logged on I figured it had to do with security and the verizon and all that as I had agreed you knew my ip address so everything is on the up and up

so today I wanted to communicate a message to somone about something I think needs to be added to wikipedia and also I hoped to learn the answer to my question about the subject as I had directed access to talk groups I could enter if I could only log on

the only thing I can see different is perhaps I am using firefox - does using firefox keep one from logging onto the wikipedia website even if you use your right name and password? also I guess while I have your ear and again I much appreciatte it - what happens if you have a laptop and are at some other ip address or doesn't that even matter anymore? maybe firefox does something different but I am not using internet explaorer becasue it won't let me watch videos and I love youtube and it apparently is so confusing to fix the problem I just switched to fire fox and it took me about ten seconds to download and click a couple of the old legal stuff and presto video

my name is william morley my email address <email addresses redacted>

but when I click on the send me my password it just says (on your website/wikipedia) that I must log in and that there is no williammorley I tried all ways and there's no challenege question? sorry maybe I am tired so sorry to ramble if you could help it would be appreciatted

p.s. I just got all these warnings and more links about all this and that andended back wher I started from - there is no way that I cansee to contact a help desk via email so if you say it is really scary to have my email address in the message how are you supposed to know how to contact me to answer my question? again I must be tired, I need the answer so I guess Iwill have to get lot of spam and put them in the blocked senders list —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.184.255.113 (talk) 05:30, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

I removed your email addresses. We don't respond to Help desk requests by email - we do so here on this desk so I hope you get this. I see we have a User:William morley so try logging in as William morley (i.e. with a space between the names) and see if that works. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 08:44, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

(ec) If you are still having problems, perhaps you could try here — Ched :  ?  15:58, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

problems nominating a category for renaming

Resolved

could some kind and patient help-desk denizen have a look at my attempt here: [1] ? it seems like the "add entry" bit should be removed now that i've added the entry on the page it links to, but i can't figure out how to do that without messing up the whole template. thanks for any assistance (i did try to wade through the instructions at "categories for discussion" but they made my eyes glaze) Sssoul (talk) 07:19, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

I removed the "add entry" bit from that page, but the problem here is that our procedures for nominating articles for deletion/merge/rename/wathever are 1) way too complicated, 2) lacking consistency from one procedure to another, 3) Sometimes unclear/badly documented.

Never used a CfX template before, but apparently, the 'add entry' link is supposed to make the procedure easier (click the link, copy/paste the rest), but it does not seem to be documented, and adds yet another step to nomination since that bit should be deleted so as to not confuse people, and that part is not documented either. Meh.

I think the whole nomination thing should be automated so it can be done with just one edit with a bot to take care of the notices, creating discussion pages, adding the entry to logs and whatever is needed. That's for the village pump though. Equendil Talk 08:34, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

thank you kindly, Equendil - both for the deft assistance and for confirming the eye-glazing effect of the CfX instructions. the whole process really does need a major overhaul. thanks again Sssoul (talk) 10:38, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Tea Cultivation

what is the maximum or minimum number of tea bushes per hectare in an actual tea garden —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.212.10.130 (talk) 08:31, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Have you tried the Science 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. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 08:35, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Plagurism

Resolved

 – ukexpat (talk) 15:06, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

I'd like to use information from a book that is out of copyright, namely this one (published 1806) as a basis for a new article, not that I can create yet, but I'm unsure how to credit the text, would be largely lifted from this work (me having no alternative or additional source for a particular passage). How can I do this? Thanks, Grandiose2 (talk) 11:18, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Just cite the book as you would any other. Instructions will be found at WP:CITE.--Orange Mike | Talk 13:38, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

It's not so much citing as quoting large passages directly out of a non-copyrighted work. I've noticed that some pages say they have material for the 1911 En. Britannica; presumably there must be some direct quotations (see below) otherwise there wouldn't be a need for such measures (?). Of course, I could paraphase/etc. but I'm worried I'd lose the actual detail and some accuracy. (BTW, it was published 1804.) More confused :( Grandiose2(me,talk,contribs) 14:09, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

(Just to say, by 'direct quotation' I meant a quotation that doesn't have quote marks, indents, but is part of the article text.) Could I use ref tags with text like Taken from XXX, by XXX, page XXX - a sort of source acknowledgement and citation in one? Grandiose2 (me,talk,contribs) 14:21, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Well, I'd just put a little note on the bottom small and in italics like this, saying something like, "Some of the initial content of this article was taken verbatim from THISHEREBOOK, which was published in 1804 and is in the public domain." --Orange Mike | Talk 14:23, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

• You could make a template like Template:DNB to do the job for you. DuncanHill (talk) 14:26, 16 April 2009 (UTC)
  • In fact, here is one I have made for you. Just add it at the bottom of the article Template:Noble. DuncanHill (talk) 14:30, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Thanks! Grandiose2 (me,talk,contribs) 14:50, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Need help with tables

Hi, is there something in wikipedia's css - or whatever might make tables that behave fine in pure html behave strangely when loading a webpage - that sets a minimum row height for tables in Internet explorer?

The problem I am having is illustrated on the right. I created a table that is supposed to hold one row of images with different heights, with no blank spaces between the images. This apparently works fine on Safari and Firefox. It works reasonably well on IE if the size of the images is big enough (see upper example). It also works fine on IE if you copy the html code of the page you are just watching into a new .htm file on your computer and then open this file with IE. It does not work if you want to use the table on normal wp and with small images (see lower example, if you use IE).

The problem seems to be that every row of the table has a fixed minimum size. Is there any way to get around this? Yaan (talk) 15:16, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Can I get my name spelled correctly?

A friend told me my name was mentioned in a Wikipedia article about the comic book "Tales from the Heart" but it (my name) is misspelled. I'm listed as "Saitu" Hayden instead of "Seitu". Can I change that? (I'm not sure how)Saytwo (talk) 15:23, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Fixed. Algebraist 15:28, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

The Rolling Stones

The name of the current band mumbers —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jsulaica (talk • contribs) 15:56, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

See our article on The Rolling Stones. TNXMan 16:26, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

mental problem- cleanliness

I am an Indian. One of my relative washes hands frequently with soaps and solutions and thinks that everything is dirty, and doesn't want to visit a doctor or take medicines. This problem slowly reached its peak (relative is suffering from this problem for the past eight years). Please reply

Unfortunately, Wikipedia does not give medical advice. Please consult a licensed physician. TNXMan 16:25, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Or possibly you want to consult a psychiatrist. You could read our article: Obsessive-compulsive disorder as long as you don't construe anything in the article to constitute medical advice. --Teratornis (talk) 18:18, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

For future reference, questions regarding real life information are better suited for the reference desk. This help page is only for questions about how to use Wikipedia. hmwithτ 18:38, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

But it bears repeating that we cannot give medical or legal advice in any forum. – ukexpat (talk) 19:03, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Talking smoke detector

was trying to find out when the firsr talking smoke detector was invented —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.194.61.40 (talk) 18:06, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Did you try searching the Web: talking smoke detector finds United States Patent 6043750. --Teratornis (talk) 18:21, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Line numbers in edit diffs

A WP:diff displays the line number where a change begins. Is there a way to display the line numbers in the article? Finell (Talk) 19:00, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Hmm. I don't see where the line numbers are displayed. If you mean a number like this: [2], I think that refers to the external links already listed on the page. For example, the next external link listed on this page will be incremented by one. TNXMan 19:05, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

In the diff of this page that you linked, Line 562: displays above the old text and the new text, indicating where in the article the change begins. In a diff with multiple changes, like this one, a boldface line number appears above each. That would be very helpful in editing longer articles if it is possible to display the line numbers in the article. Is it? Finell (Talk) 19:20, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Oh! (Boy, do I feel dumb). I see the numbers to which you are referring. However, I do not know how to display them outside of a diff. Sorry for the confusion. :( TNXMan 19:28, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

It looks like the same question came up before:

• Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2008 July 12#How to find a line number?

I can't think of anything more to add to my answer then, which was to try using an external editor which could display line numbers. See: WP:EIW#EditSoft. I agree that it is peculiar for the diff to display line numbers when there is no obvious "go to line number" command in the article edit window. (Perhaps the line numbers are a now-largely-useless vestige left over from the diff command on Unix which undoubtedly inspired MediaWiki's eponymous feature.) However, I'm with TNXMan - I generally ignore those line numbers in the diff, because they seem to be as useless as mammary glands on a bull. When I want to jump to some text in the edit window, I use Ctrl+F to search for it. --Teratornis (talk) 20:27, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Seattle University

Resolved

 – Algebraist swiftly dealt with this one. – ukexpat (talk) 20:32, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Just wondering why you didn't refer ence Bruce Lee in the Alumni section?Bzmom62 (talk) 19:13, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

If you have a reference for that be bold and fix it! – ukexpat (talk) 19:20, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Because he never attended that university. He's mentioned in the List of University of Washington people, as he should be. Algebraist 19:21, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Referencing the same articles a/b style

Hi,

On the wiki page for Spotify, I've referenced two statements from the same source. However, there are two references in the reference section that are the same. Does anyone know how to edit the reference so it has a superscript 'a' and 'b' which jumps to the specific point in the wiki page where the article is cited, thus eliminating the need for two instances of the same link in the reference section?

I hope that is clear/makes sense...if anyone could help I would really appreciate it.

CheersWikiCamel (talk) 19:41, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

See Help:Footnotes. Algebraist 19:50, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Missing links in Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria

When I look at the current revision of that page, every wikilink on the page is missing (no text appears). I thought the page had been vandalised, but if I edit it and look at the preview, the links are all fine.

I don't see this on any other page, and I've never seen it before; but it's happening on both FF and IE. --ColinFine (talk) 19:57, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

This intermittent problem is being discussed at WP:VPT#My contributions bizarritude. Algebraist 20:00, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Persondata

Is there something wrong with Persondata today ?

I can't see it. Normally I can.

Is there anything going on ?

Thanks,

Tovojolo (talk) 21:21, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

I see you have posted to Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)#Persondata where somebody replied. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:18, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Help with WP:NOTE and WP:COI on Mike Signer page

I recently created an article for Mike Signer, who is running for Virginia lieutenant governor. I’m volunteering on this campaign and so I was especially cognizant of following WP:NOTE and WP:COI when I created the article. Another editor, however, tagged the article with these two notices. I believe that both of these tags are not warranted and wanted to ask for your help in resolving this situation.

With regards to the WP:NOTE tag, the rules state that “A person is presumed to be notable if he or she has received significant coverage in reliable secondary sources that are independent of the subject.” Signer has recently been covered by nearly a dozen newspapers, including the Washington Post and Richmond Times-Dispatch. To be more specific, the editor stated that WP:POLITICIAN and WP:BLP1E applied. Given the first, Signer should meet “Major figures in national or first-level sub-national political races,” especially as he had the most donors for the first fundraising period[3]. And while he is primarily notable for just this race, he was recognized in The Nation as Wesley Clark’s foreign policy adviser[4] so I think he is notable for more than this one event. He has also appeared on national cable news discussing foreign policy [5].

In the interest of making this more clear, I suggest adding this to the article:

== Lieutenant governor campaign ==

Signer officially announced his campaign for Lieutenant Governor on April 6, 2009 with a tour of 20 events across the state of Virginia. For the first quarter of 2009, Signer raised $250,000 from more than 800 donors. Signer has been critical of Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling for opposing a House of Delegates measure that would have used federal stimulus money to expand unemployment coverage by $125 million. He has received the endorsement of prominent rural strategist David "Mudcat" Saunders.

I am requesting that someone else add this also because of the COI tag on the page. The other editor suggested the tag could be removed after others had edited the page, so I am requesting someone else to look at the article and make these edits. With regards to WP:COI, I am a volunteer for the campaign, but I worked to avoid a conflict with interest. The guidelines state that a conflict of interest exists when the writer’s goals do not align with Wikipedia, but I think you will find the tone of the article is neutral and informational and I did not make any changes. For that reason also I believe the COI tag should be removed.

Thanks in advance for your help. --Patrickottenhoff (talk) 21:34, 16 April 2009 (UTC)