User talk:HalfGig/Archive 2

Archive 1

Archive 2

Archive 3

Welcome back

…and a Happy New Year to you, too! Wikipedia can be a "break or burnout" place. So glad to see you took the former, as needed. Hamamelis (talk) 22:49, 11 January 2014 (UTC)

Books & Bytes New Years Double Issue

Books & Bytes

Volume 1 Issue 3, December/January 2013

(Sign up for monthly delivery)

Happy New Year, and welcome to a special double issue of Books & Bytes. We've included a retrospective on the changes and progress TWL has seen over the last year, the results of the survey TWL participants completed in December, some of our plans for the future, a second interview with a Wiki Love Libraries coordinator, and more. Here's to 2014 being a year of expansion and innovation for TWL!

The Wikipedia Library completed the first 6 months of its Individual Engagement grant last week. Here's where we are and what we've done:

Increased access to sources: 1500 editors signed up for 3700 free accounts, individually worth over $500,000, with usage increases of 400-600%

Deep networking: Built relationships with Credo, HighBeam, Questia, JSTOR, Cochrane, LexisNexis, EBSCO, New York Times, and OCLC

New pilot projects: Started the Wikipedia Visiting Scholar project to empower university-affiliated Wikipedia researchers

Developed community: Created portal connecting 250 newsletter recipients, 30 library members, 3 volunteer coordinators, and 2 part-time contractors

Tech scoped: Spec'd out a reference tool for linking to full-text sources and established a basis for OAuth integration

Broad outreach: Wrote a feature article for Library Journal's The Digital Shift; presenting at the American Library Association annual meeting

...Read Books & Bytes!

The Signpost: 15 January 2014

• News and notes: German chapter asks for "reworking" of Funds Dissemination Committee; should MP4 be allowed on Wikimedia sites?

• Technology report: Architecture Summit schedule published

• Op-ed: Licensed for reuse? Citing open-access sources in Wikipedia articles

• In the media: Is Google hurting Wikipedia traffic?; "Wikipedia-Mania" in the New York Times

• Traffic report: The Hours are Ours

• WikiProject report: WikiProject Sociology

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• EdwardsBot (talk) 23:38, 19 January 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 22 January 2014

• Book review: Missing Links and Secret Histories: A Selection of Wikipedia Entries from Across the Known Multiverse

• News and notes: Modification of WMF protection brought to Arbcom

• Featured content: Dr. Watson, I presume

• Special report: The few who write Wikipedia

• Technology report: Architecting the future of MediaWiki

• In the media: Wikipedia for robots; Wikipedia—a temperamental teenager

• Traffic report: No show for the Globes

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• EdwardsBot (talk) 02:33, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

DYK nomination of Pyrus ussuriensis

Hello! Your submission of Pyrus ussuriensis 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) underneath your nomination's entry and respond there as soon as possible. Thank you for contributing to Did You Know! Green Giant (talk) 02:16, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Disambiguation link notification for January 29

Hi. Thank you for your recent edits. Wikipedia appreciates your help. We noticed though that when you edited Prunus nipponica, you added a link pointing to the disambiguation page Cerasus (check to confirm | fix with Dab solver). Such links are almost always unintended, since a disambiguation page is merely a list of "Did you mean..." article titles. Read the FAQ • Join us at the DPL WikiProject.

It's OK to remove this message. Also, to stop receiving these messages, follow these opt-out instructions. Thanks, DPL bot (talk) 08:58, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

DYK for Pyrus ussuriensis

Callanecc (talk • contribs • logs) 00:03, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

DYK nomination of Prunus sibirica

Hello! Your submission of Prunus sibirica 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) underneath your nomination's entry and respond there as soon as possible. Thank you for contributing to Did You Know! Kevin Rutherford (talk) 07:08, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 29 January 2014

• Traffic report: Six strikes out

• WikiProject report: Special report: Contesting contests

• News and notes: Wiki-PR defends itself, condemns Wikipedia's actions

• Arbitration report: Kafziel case closed; Kww admonished by motion

• Recent research: Translation assignments, weasel words, and Wikipedia's content in its later years

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 20:25, 1 February 2014 (UTC)

DYK for Prunus sibirica

The DYK project (nominate) 00:02, 2 February 2014 (UTC)

Intricate biological work

The Biology of Kells award

A special award for your excellent work in weaving together elegant biological patches for the fabric of wikipedia! The articles on crop plants and crop relatives that you've been making have been a sad deficiency of the wiki because few editors know enough about biology and have the determination to work on pages that will be so very noticeable. Wonderful work! Sminthopsis84 (talk) 14:09, 2 February 2014 (UTC)

• WOW. So many thanks to you, Sminth! This means sooo much to me and I GREATLY appreciate it. HalfGig talk 14:26, 2 February 2014 (UTC)

Congratulations from me too, excellent work that I should have awarded a Natural History Shield for, seems there's a bit of a BAFTA / Oscar rivalry here! I turned up here because the bot for some reason emailed me about it ... not sure what the bot was up to, but pleased I came along. Lovely to see. Chiswick Chap (talk) 15:01, 2 February 2014 (UTC)

Oh why thank you! I didn't know about the Natural History Shield. That's a very neat award too. HalfGig talk 15:21, 2 February 2014 (UTC)

DYK for Prunus nipponica

Thanks from the DYK project and I Victuallers (talk) 00:02, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 29 January 2014

• Traffic report: Six strikes out

• WikiProject report: Special report: Contesting contests

• News and notes: Wiki-PR defends itself, condemns Wikipedia's actions

• Arbitration report: Kafziel case closed; Kww admonished by motion

• Recent research: Translation assignments, weasel words, and Wikipedia's content in its later years

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• EdwardsBot (talk) 12:19, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

DYK for Prunus mandshurica

Allen3 ^talk 17:41, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

Talkback

Hello, HalfGig. You have new messages at Benlisquare's talk page.
Message added 06:39, 4 February 2014 (UTC). You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template.

--benlisquare_T•C•E 06:39, 4 February 2014 (UTC)

DYK for Prunus simonii

Allen3 ^talk 09:08, 4 February 2014 (UTC)

Sorry to see you driven out by a barbarian (again)

Dear HalfGig, I'm so sorry to see here that the ad hominem fallout from submitting articles for DYK has caused you to give up in disgust. Your experience convinces me, further, that these various efforts to promote wikipedia (including the efforts to push articles to GA and FA status) are very damaging to the community. What a horrible situation. Sminthopsis84 (talk) 14:23, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 12 February 2014

• In the media: WikiVIP; Art Feminism; Medical articles; PR manipulation; Azerbaijani Wikipedia

• Technology report: Left with no choice

• News and notes: WMF bites the bullet on affiliation and FDC funding, elevates Wikimedia user groups

• Featured content: Space selfie

• Traffic report: Sports Day

• WikiProject report: Game Time in Russia

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 03:59, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 19 February 2014

• News and notes: Foundation takes aim at undisclosed paid editing; Greek Wikipedia editor faces down legal challenge

• Technology report: ULS Comeback

• WikiProject report: Countering Systemic Bias

• Featured content: Holotype

• Traffic report: Chilly Valentines

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 15:10, 21 February 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 26 February 2014

• Forum: Should Wikimedia modify its terms of use to require disclosure?

• Featured content: Odin salutes you

• WikiProject report: Racking brains with neuroscience

• Special report: Diary of a protester: Wikimedian perishes in Ukrainian unrest

• News and notes: Wikimedia chapters and communities challenge Commons' URAA policy

• Traffic report: Snow big deal

• Recent research: CSCW '14 retrospective; the impact of SOPA on deletionism

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 03:27, 28 February 2014 (UTC)

Books & Bytes, Issue 4

Books and Bytes

Volume 1, Issue 4, February 2014

News for February from your Wikipedia Library.

Donations drive: news on TWL's partnership efforts with publishers

Open Access: Feature from Ocaasi on the intersection of the library and the open access movement

American Library Association Midwinter Conference: TWL attended this year in Philadelphia

Royal Society Opens Access To Journals: The UK's venerable Royal Society will give the public (and Wikipedians) full access to two of their journal titles for two days on March 4th and 5th

Going Global: TWL starts work on pilot projects in other language Wikipedias

Read the full newsletter

MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 04:00, 1 March 2014 (UTC)

(test) The Signpost: 05 March 2014

• Traffic report: Brinksmen on the brink

• Discussion report: Four paragraph lead, indefinitely blocked IPs, editor reviews broken?

• News and notes: Wikipedia Library finding success in matching contributors with sources

• Featured content: Full speed ahead for the WikiCup

• WikiProject report: Article Rescue Squadron

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 04:48, 10 March 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 12 March 2014

• News and notes: Wikimedians celebrate International Women's Day, Women's History Month

• Traffic report: War and awards

• Featured content: Ukraine burns

• WikiProject report: Russian WikiProject Entomology

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 04:45, 15 March 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 19 March 2014

• Forum: Wikimedia Commons mission: free media for the world or only Wikimedia projects?

• WikiProject report: We have history

• Interview: Nate Ott: the writer behind 71 articles in the largest-ever good topic

• Featured content: Spot the bulldozer

• News and notes: Foundation-supported Wikipedian in residence faces scrutiny

• Traffic report: Into thin air

• Technology report: Wikimedia engineering report

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 03:14, 23 March 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 26 March 2014

• Comment: A foolish request

• Traffic report: Down to a simmer

• Recent research: Wikipedians' "encyclopedic identity" dominates even in Kosovo debates

• News and notes: Commons Picture of the Year—winners announced

• Featured content: Winter hath a beauty that is all his own

• Op-ed: Why we're updating the default typography for Wikipedia

• Technology report: Why will Wikipedia look like the Signpost?

• WikiProject report: From the peak

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 08:18, 29 March 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 02 April 2014

• News and notes: Wikimedia conferences—soul-searching about costs, attendance, and future

• WikiProject report: Deutschland in English

• Special report: On the cusp of the Wikimedia Conference

• Featured content: April Fools

• Traffic report: Regressing to the mean

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 23:02, 6 April 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 09 April 2014

• News and notes: Round 2 of FDC funding open to public comments

• WikiProject report: WikiProject Law

• Special report: Community mourns passing of Adrianne Wadewitz

• Traffic report: Conquest of the Couch Potatoes

• Featured content: Snow heater and Ash sweep

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 04:05, 13 April 2014 (UTC)

Books & Bytes - Issue 5

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 5, March 2014
by The Interior (talk · contribs), Ocaasi (talk · contribs)

• New Visiting Scholar positions
• TWL Branch on Arabic Wikipedia, microgrants program
• Australian articles get a link to librarians
• Spotlight: "7 Reasons Librarians Should Edit Wikipedia"

Read the full newsletter

MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 17:54, 19 April 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 23 April 2014

• Special report: 2014 Wikimedia Conference—what is the impact?

• Op-ed: Five things a Wikipedian in residence can do

• News and notes: Wikimedian passes away

• WikiProject_report: To the altar—Catholicism

• Wikimania: Winning bid announced for 2015

• Traffic report: Reflecting in Gethsemane

• Featured content: There was I, waiting at the church

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 03:40, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 30 April 2014

• News and notes: WMF's draft annual plan turns indigestible as an FDC proposal

• Traffic report: Going to the Doggs

• Breaking: The Foundation's new executive director

• WikiProject report: Genetics

• Interview: Wikipedia in the Peabody Essex Museum

• Featured content: Browsing behaviours

• Recent research: Wikipedia predicts flu more accurately than Google

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 15:24, 1 May 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 07 May 2014

• News and notes: New system of discretionary sanctions; Buchenwald; is Pirelli 'Cracking Wikipedia'?

• Traffic report: TMZedia

• In focus: Foundation announces long-awaited new executive director

• WikiCup: 2014 WikiCup enters round three

• In the media: Google and the flu; Adrianne

• WikiProject report: Singing with Eurovision

• Featured content: Wikipedia at the Rijksmuseum

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 19:56, 9 May 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 14 May 2014

• Investigative report: Hong Kong's Wikimania 2013—failure to produce financial statement raises questions of probity

• WikiProject report: Relaxing in Puerto Rico

• News and notes: 'Ask a librarian'—connecting Wikimedians with the National Library of Australia

• Featured content: On the rocks

• Traffic report: Eurovision, Google Doodles, Mothers, and 5 May

• Technology report: Technology report needs editor, Media Viewer offers a new look

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 20:44, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 21 May 2014

• News and notes: "Crisis" over Wikimedia Germany's palace revolution

• Featured content: Staggering number of featured articles

• Traffic report: Doodles' dawn

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 01:03, 24 May 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 28 May 2014

• News and notes: The English Wikipedia's second featured-article centurion; wiki inventor interviewed on video

• Featured content: Zombie fight in the saloon

• Traffic report: Get fitted for flipflops and floppy hats

• Recent research: Predicting which article you will edit next

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 12:52, 1 June 2014 (UTC)

Books & Bytes, Issue 6

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 6, April-May 2014
by The Interior (talk · contribs), Ocaasi (talk · contribs)

• New donations from Oxford University Press and Royal Society (UK)
• TWL does Vegas: American Library Association Annual plans
• TWL welcomes a new coordinator, resources for library students and interns
• New portal on Meta, resources for starting TWL branches, donor call blitzes, Wikipedia Visiting Scholar news, and more

Read the full newsletter

MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:59, 5 June 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 04 June 2014

• Special report: IEG funding for women's stories: a new approach to the gender gap

• News and notes: Two new affiliate-selected trustees

• Op-ed: "Hospitality, jerks, and what I learned"—the amazing keynote at WikiConference USA

• Featured content: Ye stately homes of England

• In the media: Reliable or not, doctors use Wikipedia

• Traffic report: Autumn in summer

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 04:01, 8 June 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 11 June 2014

• News and notes: PR agencies commit to ethical interactions with Wikipedia

• Traffic report: The week the wired went weird

• Paid editing: Does Wikipedia Pay? The Moderator: William Beutler

• Special report: Questions raised over secret voting for WMF trustees

• Featured content: Politics, ships, art, and cyclones

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 12:27, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

The Wikipedia Library: New Account Coordinators Needed

Hi Books & Bytes recipients: The Wikipedia Library has been expanding rapidly and we need some help! We currently have 10 signups for free account access open and several more in the works... In order to help with those signups, distribute access codes, and manage accounts we'll need 2-3 more Account Coordinators.

It takes about an hour to get up and running and then only takes a couple hours per week, flexible depending upon your schedule and routine. If you're interested in helping out, please drop a note in the next week at my talk page or shoot me an email at: jorlowitzgmail.com. Thanks and cheers, Jake Ocaasi via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 23:41, 20 June 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 18 June 2014

• News and notes: With paid advocacy in its sights, the Wikimedia Foundation amends their terms of use

• Featured content: Worming our way to featured picture

• Special report: Wikimedia Bangladesh: a chapter's five-year journey

• Traffic report: You can't dethrone Thrones

• WikiProject report: Visiting the city

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:57, 22 June 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 25 June 2014

• News and notes: US National Archives enshrines Wikipedia in Open Government Plan

• Traffic report: Fake war, or real sport?

• Exclusive: "We need to be true to who we are": Foundation's new executive director speaks to the Signpost

• Discussion report: Media Viewer, old HTML tags

• Featured content: Showing our Wörth

• WikiProject report: The world where dreams come true

• Recent research: Power users and diversity in WikiProjects

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 03:51, 29 June 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 02 July 2014

• In the media: Wiki Education; medical content; PR firms

• Traffic report: The Cup runneth over... and over.

• News and notes: Wikimedia Israel receives Roaring Lion award

• Featured content: Ship-shape

• WikiProject report: Indigenous Peoples of North America

• Technology report: In memoriam: the Toolserver (2005–14)

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 04:23, 6 July 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 09 July 2014

• Special report: Wikimania 2014—what will it cost?

• Wikicup: Wikicup's third round sees money, space, battleships and more

• Wikimedia in education: Exploring the United States and Canada with LiAnna Davis

• Featured content: Three cheers for featured pictures!

• News and notes: Echoes of the past haunt new conflict over tech initiative

• Traffic report: World Cup, Tim Howard rule the week

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 04:53, 13 July 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 16 July 2014

• Special report: $10 million lawsuit against Wikipedia editors withdrawn, but plaintiff intends to refile

• Traffic report: World Cup dominates for another week

• Wikimedia in education: Serbia takes the stage with Filip Maljkovic

• Featured content: The Island with the Golden Gun

• News and notes: Bot-created Wikipedia articles covered in the Wall Street Journal, push Cebuano over one million articles

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 18:26, 18 July 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 23 July 2014

• Wikimedia in education: Education program gaining momentum in Israel

• Traffic report: The World Cup hangs on, though tragedies seek to replace it

• News and notes: Institutional media uploads to Commons get a bit easier

• Forum: Did you know?—good idea, needs reform

• Featured content: Why, they're plum identical!

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 02:30, 26 July 2014 (UTC)

Books and Bytes - Issue 7

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 7, June-July 2014
by The Interior (talk · contribs), Ocaasi (talk · contribs), Sadads (talk · contribs)

• Seven new donations, two expanded partnerships
• TWL's Final Report up, read the summary
• Adventures in Las Vegas, WikiConference USA, and updates from TWL coordinators
• Spotlight: Blog post on BNA's impact on one editor's research

Read the full newsletter

MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 22:20, 31 July 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 30 July 2014

• Book review: Knowledge or unreality?

• Recent research: Shifting values in the paid content debate

• News and notes: How many more hoaxes will Wikipedia find?

• Wikimedia in education: Success in Egypt and the Arab World

• Traffic report: Doom and gloom vs. the power of Reddit

• Featured content: Skeletons and Skeltons

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 05:06, 2 August 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 06 August 2014

• Technology report: A technologist's Wikimania preview

• Traffic report: Ebola

• Featured content: Bottoms, asses, and the fairies that love them

• Wikimedia in education: Leading universities educate with Wikipedia in Mexico

• News and notes: "History is a human right"—first-ever transparency report released as Europe begins hiding Wikipedia in search results

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 12:51, 9 August 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 13 August 2014

• Special report: Twitter bots catalogue government edits to Wikipedia

• Traffic report: Disease, decimation and distraction

• Wikimedia in education: Global Education: WMF's Perspective

• Wikimania: Promised the moon, settled for the stars

• News and notes: Media Viewer controversy spreads to German Wikipedia

• Op-ed: Red links, blue links, and erythrophobia

• In the media: Monkey selfie, net neutrality, and hoaxes

• Featured content: Cambridge got a lot of attention this week

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 01:56, 18 August 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 20 August 2014

• Interview: Improving the visibility of digital archival assets using Wikipedia

• Traffic report: Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero

• WikiProject report: Bats and gloves

• Op-ed: A new metric for Wikimedia

• Featured content: English Wikipedia departs for Japan

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 20:09, 23 August 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 27 August 2014

• In the media: Plagiarism and vandalism dominate Wikipedia news

• News and notes: Media Viewer—Wikimedia's emotional roller-coaster

• Traffic report: Viral

• Featured content: Cheats at Featured Pictures!

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 10:37, 31 August 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 03 September 2014

• Arbitration report: Media viewer case is suspended

• Featured content: 1882 × 5 in gold, and thruppence more

• Op-ed: Automated copy-and-paste detection under trial

• Traffic report: Holding Pattern

• WikiProject report: Gray's Anatomy (v. 2)

• Recent research: A Wikipedia-based Pantheon; new Wikipedia analysis tool suite; how AfC hamstrings newbies

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 08:03, 6 September 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 10 September 2014

• Op-ed: Media Viewer software is not ready

• Traffic report: Refuge in celebrity

• Featured content: The louse and the fish's tongue

• WikiProject report: Checking that everything's all right

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 21:55, 14 September 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 17 September 2014

• In the media: Turkish Twitter outrage, medical translation, audience metrics

• WikiProject report: A trip up north to Scotland

• News and notes: Wikipedia's traffic statistics are off by nearly one-third

• Traffic report: Tolstoy leads a varied pack

• Featured content: Which is not like the others?

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 05:36, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 24 September 2014

• Featured content: Oil paintings galore

• In the media: Indian political editing, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Congressional chelonii

• Recent research: 99.25% of Wikipedia birthdates accurate; focused Wikipedians live longer; merging WordNet, Wikipedia and Wiktionary

• Traffic report: Wikipedia watches the referendum in Scotland

• WikiProject report: GAN reviewers take note: competition time

• Arbitration report: Banning Policy, Gender Gap, and Waldorf education

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 05:49, 28 September 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 01 October 2014

• From the editor: The Signpost needs your help

• Dispatches: Let's get serious about plagiarism

• News and notes: Wikipedia article published in peer-reviewed journal; Wikipedia in education

• WikiProject report: Animals, farms, forests, USDA? It must be WikiProject Agriculture

• Traffic report: Shanah Tovah

• Featured content: Brothers at War

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 19:25, 4 October 2014 (UTC)

Books and Bytes - Issue 8

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 8, August-September2014
by The Interior (talk · contribs), Ocaasi (talk · contribs), Sadads (talk · contribs)

• TWL now a Wikimedia Foundation program, moves on from grant status
• Four new donations, including large DeGruyter parntership, pilot with Elsevier
• New TWL coordinators, Wikimania news, new library platform discussions, Wiki Loves Libraries update, and more
• Spotlight: "Traveling Through History" - an editor talks about his experiences with a TWL newspaper archive, Newspapers.com

Read the full newsletter

MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 04:51, 7 October 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 08 October 2014

• In the media: Opposition research firm blocked; Australian bushfires

• Featured content: From a wordless novel to a coat of arms via New York City

• Traffic report: Panic and denial

• Technology report: HHVM is the greatest thing since sliced bread

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:42, 11 October 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 15 October 2014

• Op-ed: Ships—sexist or sexy?

• In the media: College player falsely linked to sports scandal by Wikipedia; the Nobel Prizes

• Arbitration report: One case closed and two opened

• Featured content: Bells ring out at the Temple of the Dragon at Peace

• Technology report: Attempting to parse wikitext

• Traffic report: Now introducing ... mobile data

• WikiProject report: Signpost reaches the Midwest

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 05:48, 17 October 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 22 October 2014

• Featured content: Admiral on deck: a modern Ada Lovelace

• Op-ed: Hong Kong's Umbrella Revolution—a wiki-protest

• In the media: The story of Wikipedia; Wikipedia reanimated and republished; New UK government social media rules; death of Italian Wikipedia administrator

• Traffic report: Death, War, Pestilence... Movies and TV

• WikiProject report: De-orphanning articles—a huge task but with a huge team of volunteers to help

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 08:21, 24 October 2014 (UTC)

The Signpost: 29 October 2014

• Featured content: Go West, young man

• In the media: Wikipedia a trusted source on Ebola; Wikipedia study labeled government waste; football biography goes viral

• Maps tagathon: Find 10,000 digitised maps this weekend

• Traffic report: Ebola, Ultron, and Creepy Articles

• Recent research: Informed consent and privacy; newsmaking on Wikipedia; Wikipedia and organizational theories

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• MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 16:30, 31 October 2014 (UTC)

New Wikipedia Library Accounts Now Available (November 2014)

Hello Wikimedians!

The TWL OWL says sign up today :)

The Wikipedia Library is announcing signups today for, free, full-access accounts to published research as part of our Publisher Donation Program. You can sign up for:

• DeGruyter: 1000 new accounts for English and German-language research. Sign up on one of two language Wikipedias:
  • English signup
  • Deutsch signup
• Fold3: 100 new accounts for American history and military archives
• Scotland's People: 100 new accounts for Scottish genealogy database
• British Newspaper Archive: expanded by 100+ accounts for British newspapers
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It's rather late for Hallowe'en, but here's some pie for you

	Welcome back!
	It's good to see you back HalfGig! Illegitimi non carborundum! Sminthopsis84 (talk) 16:06, 8 November 2014 (UTC)

Thank you! PUMPKINS are GREAT eating anytime! HalfGig talk 16:07, 8 November 2014 (UTC)

Cucurbita

So, now that you're back, are you ready to jump in again to try to push Cucurbita through to FA? Sminthopsis84 (talk) 01:29, 9 November 2014 (UTC)

I guess so. I see you asked Corrine about it. If there's a team we can put together, sure; but I was not going to do so as myself as I am sure I could not do it alone. I'll think about others we could ask for help. One thing, I want YOU, good friend Sminthopsis84, to have the official credit for it as you deserve the honor. My goal all along has been to get Cucurbita to the best status possible. I am not overly concerned about getting a shiny sticker by my name for it. If you and Corrine are on the train with me, I'm help all I can. I'm also want to get the botanist Whitaker, the cucurbita expert, his own article. He deserves that. HalfGig talk 01:45, 9 November 2014 (UTC)

Well, shiny stickers are something that I try to avoid, because I like to think of wikipedia as an anonymous effort. I wonder if there is a way to opt out of any sticker applying that might be in the offing. The way that you were driven out of wikipedia just when you were thinking of trying for FA status for Cucurbita was what made me want to try for that now that you are back. Whitaker sounds like a very interesting person, who must have made a huge difference to understanding the Cucurbitaceae by focussing on their breeding behaviour. Did you see that there is a parthenocarpic summer squash cultivar named after him? I wasn't immediately able to see seeds of it for sale, otherwise it could be an amusing long-term project to grow them out and photograph the fruit for commons.wikimedia.org. Sminthopsis84 (talk) 14:39, 9 November 2014 (UTC)

No I hadn't found that. Now I see this. Is that the one? HalfGig talk 15:26, 9 November 2014 (UTC)

Yes. Perhaps the parthenocarpy hadn't been the main aim of the breeding program, but a lucky feature. Sminthopsis84 (talk) 18:28, 9 November 2014 (UTC)

User:Zigzig20s/Petit Gulf cotton

I replied on the WP talkpage. Feel free to expand it if you can with Jstor. The Stanford PDF can't be cited without permission apparently.Zigzig20s (talk) 04:31, 9 November 2014 (UTC)

I'm trying to get full JSTOR access. I'm not sure what will come of that nor if I will succeed. I'll see what I can do. HalfGig talk 12:14, 9 November 2014 (UTC)

FYI, I have moved it to a proper article, as a stub. If you are able to help in its expansion, that would be great! Please reply on my talkpage if interested. Thank you.Zigzig20s (talk) 16:42, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

I suppose ideally a picture would be good, but that will be hard. (Does this breed even exist any more?) But generally speaking, I would like to see the page expanded. Apparently, this breed of cotton was very significant in the Antebellum South (and still relevant, as the 2010 country song shows). But actually, there is something specific I could ask--are you able to find biographies of Rush Nutt (especially birth and death dates) as well as more info about the Laurel Hill Plantation please? I also improved his son Haller Nutt's page a while back--on that page, you will see several red links for former plantations which would require more references to get created as well. What is your main interest though--the Antebellum South, or plants?Zigzig20s (talk) 17:14, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

I found two PDFs you would like. Email me and I'll send them to you. Also find "Lost Mansions of Mississippi, Volume II" by Mary Miller, Sep 2010. HalfGig talk 17:23, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

How do I e-mail you? I forget--did we "meet" on the WP Plant or Mississippi talkpage btw?Zigzig20s (talk) 17:28, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

We "wiki-met" on the WP:Plant talk page. You have to turn on your email options. If you go to someone's user page and they have email turned on, you see "e-mail this user" on the left nav bar. You don't have it. Go to your Preferences link, User Profile, scroll to the bottom and set up your email. HalfGig talk 17:34, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

Would you be able to add a filled-in infobox for this plant? OK--is there a way to e-mail you without turning that on? In other words, could I e-mail you first rather you e-mailing me? Wikipedia should have a way to upload documents without users e-mailing each other btw.Zigzig20s (talk) 17:49, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

You can email me first but you have to turn on your email within wiki. The only other way is for you to post your email on a wiki page which I highly recommend you NOT do. Those are the only ways I know. HalfGig talk 17:55, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

Teahouse talkback: you've got messages!

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DYK Lwandle Plate

Dear HalfGig, I've updated the Lawndle Plate Origin section to contain the citation you've requested. Let me know if there's anything more you need. Mmorr42 (talk) 21:56, 15 November 2014 (UTC)

Template:Did you know nominations/Lwandle Plate

Please see note on your DYK review. Yoninah (talk) 01:26, 16 November 2014 (UTC)

A puppy for you!

Congratulations on your pending changes reviewer status, and here's a pumpkin-coloured puppy to keep you company! Puppies enjoy pending changes, or changing pendants, or anything of a similar nature.

Sminthopsis84 (talk) 21:57, 16 November 2014 (UTC)

ROFL. Thanks! HalfGig talk 22:01, 16 November 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for transmutation. I LOVE PUPPIES! HalfGig talk 00:51, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

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Cleome

It seems a very nice little article. I'm not a specialist on single species articles, but I'd guess it's in with a good chance: it isn't at all obvious what if anything ought to be added to it, at least. All the best, Chiswick Chap (talk) 07:27, 19 November 2014 (UTC)

Festive Cucurbita, pumpkin fest...

Hi again, we both came across Keene Pumpkin Fest; and there's Jack-o'-lantern too. Perhaps Cucurbita needs a section on festivals? They are a bit heavy on pumpkins but we've pretty much had the squash/pumpkin discussion already... and people definitely celebrate enormous champion marrows too. Even a marrow song, hmm. And I know just the image for the section! All the best, Chiswick Chap (talk) 09:02, 20 November 2014 (UTC)

Good idea. I'll work on this over the next several days. If you want to start it, feel free. Perhaps call the section something like "Cultural aspects". There's Pumpkin chunking too. HalfGig talk 11:09, 20 November 2014 (UTC)

There was also User:PumpkinSky, who should love all this ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:50, 20 November 2014 (UTC)

Great start. We should expand to include more countries. I know they have some sort of Pumpkin Fest in Australia, Germany too. I'll be back to this only a little more today. I can spend more time on it over the weekend. HalfGig talk 17:19, 20 November 2014 (UTC)

Good luck! I see you added Canada, that will need a ref. We probably don't need much more on pumpkins (other than refs to prove other nations do 'em); more on other squashes would be better. Gourds are a likely bet, I suspect. Chiswick Chap (talk) 18:45, 20 November 2014 (UTC)

Pretty much agree but I think we do need some countries that where English and its various dialects are not the dominant language. Otherwise someone will complain it doesn't have a world-view or something along that line. HalfGig talk 19:10, 20 November 2014 (UTC)

We sure do. I guess that won't be pumpkin fests at all. Squashes are very important as food in Latin America: we already have a Moche ceramic above: maybe we should move the bit on art to the new culture section. Chiswick Chap (talk) 20:54, 20 November 2014 (UTC)

I'd leave the moche there are it is an example of ancient art which is talked about there, different from modern festivals and such. HalfGig talk 22:05, 20 November 2014 (UTC)

Did you know

Hello! Your submission of Bruce D. Smith 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) underneath your nomination's entry and respond there as soon as possible. Thank you for contributing to Did You Know! Philafrenzy (talk) 23:40, 25 November 2014 (UTC)

DYK for Thomas W. Whitaker

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Precious

Cucurbita
Thank you for quality articles such as Cucurbita and their people, for serving delicious colours gracing the Main page on Thanksgiving, - you are an awesome Wikipedian!

--Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:21, 29 November 2014 (UTC)

Wow. Thank you very much Gerda Arendt. This exceptionally kind of you. I like working with plants. HalfGig talk 13:14, 29 November 2014 (UTC)

I like to eat them ;) - look --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:20, 29 November 2014 (UTC)

Not liking pumpkin is incomprehensible. Too bad that user is not active much. HalfGig talk 22:33, 29 November 2014 (UTC)

Yes. He took the picture of the sapphire, did you know? He is active as a admin on the commons. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:42, 30 November 2014 (UTC)

A year ago, you were recipient no. 1047 of Precious, a prize of QAI! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 00:32, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

Two years ago, you were recipient no. 1047 ... --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:08, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

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DYK for Bruce D. Smith

 — Crisco 1492 (talk) 06:14, 2 December 2014 (UTC)

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DYK for Julia Wilmotte Henshaw

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Hey !!!

Thanks for letting me know !!! I think it must have been done accidentally. It happens. Will go and fix it now.OrangesRyellow (talk) 13:55, 14 December 2014 (UTC)

Fixed now. Thanks again.OrangesRyellow (talk) 14:06, 14 December 2014 (UTC)

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Template:Did you know nominations/Madonna of the Book (Botticelli)

I really would like to see this run on December 24 or 25. Tempus fugit. I am in no position to do anything further. Any effort to move this along would be appreciated. And if you could make it happen, you would have my undying gratitude. Happy holidays. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 03:50, 21 December 2014 (UTC)

Sure. I approved ALT4 and see Wikipedia_talk:Did_you_know#Request_for_Christmas. HalfGig talk 04:40, 21 December 2014 (UTC)

Template:Did you know nominations/Dorothea Pertz

thanks for promoting it. We did a big chunk of the DYK process in less than 24 hours from the article's creation. Should that say "as a fellow" instead of the plural that's there now. I personally wouldn't care, but there are nitpickers at DYK. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 04:27, 21 December 2014 (UTC)

Newport Tower

HI - I've reverted most of your edits, explaining with edit summaries and in one case on the talk page. There is a lot of nonsense out there and it's hard to sort it out at times. Eg Plowden, who had nothing to do with Rhode Island. Dougweller (talk) 10:29, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

OK. We'll go with the better sources. Yes, it is hard to sort out. I don't think Arnold built it and I don't think it was a windmill. For one thing, the window positioning is very odd. Other than that, I'm not sure what it is or when it was built. This is why I tried to word things as "maybe, or So-and-So said...". The late 1700s painting by Stuart shows that the roof had been gone for a long time. So the tower just based on that alone was built probably 100+ years earlier. My personal guess is was built prior to 1635 or so. It's just a question of how early and by whom. I'll poke in JSTOR to see if I can find something. HalfGig talk 12:33, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

I've looked pretty hard. It does very much resemble the Chesterton windmill[1]. Dougweller (talk) 14:16, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

The problem I'm having is that for every claim it seems there's someone claiming the first claim is bunk. Sigh. Does the Chesteron mill have a stone or wood top? It's windows seem to be more standard that Newport's. HalfGig talk 14:20, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

^Thanks for your work on the article. The roof is wooden.[2]. Dougweller (talk) 16:28, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

Best wishes for a happy holiday season

		Happy Holiday Cheer
		Season's Greetings! This message celebrates the holiday season, promotes WikiLove, and hopefully makes your day a little better. Spread the seasonal good cheer by wishing another user an Awesome Holiday and a Happy New Year, whether it be someone with whom you had disagreements in the past, a good friend, or just some random person. Share the good feelings! Joys! Dougweller (talk) 10:44, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

To you and all. HalfGig talk 12:37, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

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MedRS

It looks as if we'd better find an alternative source of supply of suitable med. evidence, or its absence. Since we actually believe it's the latter, the sort of claim we discussed earlier ('suggestive evidence from animal experiments') is perfectly justifiable, but we ought to have in addition a more general 'but more robust evidence is (2014) still lacking', for which we need some kind of justification, if not a citation! Chiswick Chap (talk) 09:26, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Yes. @Zad68: is a great guy and has been helpful but he seems caught up in real life and the frivolous aspects of wiki seem to have ensnared him, which I'm sure he would prefer to not have been entrapped by. Yes, I'd like to work together on this. I don't understand the medical stuff very well and I understand MEDRS even less. I'll gladly do what I can but could you take the lead on this? Feel free to change anything I add to the article. If you know someone else that has the time and knowledge to help, that'd be great too. Let's press forward together. I'm sure @Sminthopsis84: will help too. HalfGig talk 13:31, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Not sure any of us can really do the required thing, which is to trawl the medical databases and return a definite "nothing there", I guess via some kind of search, repeated on each such database. I'm happy to help where I can but I have neither the access nor the expertise. Chiswick Chap (talk) 14:05, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

That's the problem. We someone who does. How about we start by doing what we can? Then maybe we post at MEDRS for help again or maybe Zad68 will have time to help by then. HalfGig talk 14:18, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

We have already done what we can, and it may well be enough to get us through. It would however be wise to ask immediately at MEDRS for the specific just-in-case action I just mentioned, or perhaps one or two likely medics (Doc James?) personally, I think. The article is in good shape; I'd be inclined give the medics a week or two and then go to FAC. Chiswick Chap (talk) 14:35, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

OK. Since I asked before can you ask this time? HalfGig talk 14:42, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

OK. Chiswick Chap (talk) 14:43, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

New image

It's not a bad image, but not really necessary - just the sort of thing FAC reviewers jump on. And the caption is nearly identical to that of the lead image - just the sort of thing ... that makes an image look superfluous. FWIW I think the lead image more colourful. If you feel you want to keep it, I suggest you update the caption with the kinds of squash/pumpkin shown so there is a defensible case for it; but we already have images of different species, so take care it doesn't appear redundant to those. All the best, Chiswick Chap (talk) 14:00, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

I'm mixed on which of those should be lead. The current one is more colorful but the original one has larger fruits which are easier to see and is an FP. Either one is okay with me. I'll update the caption. HalfGig talk 14:08, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

Mm, if I want to say something at FAC I'd rather pick my own words, please. Chiswick Chap (talk) 13:59, 1 January 2015 (UTC)

Oh, sorry. No problem. I was just trying to close the issue. I've changed it to be just a note to look at your talk page. If you want you can totally cut out that sentence. HalfGig talk 14:14, 1 January 2015 (UTC)

Not to worry. I'll keep half an eye on the FAC; most probably, I'll try to deal with the 'human' stuff. Chiswick Chap (talk) 14:30, 1 January 2015 (UTC)

Cucurbita

Hi HalfGig, it's great to see you editing again! The article has certainly come a long way. Looking really good. I'll have a read-through in a bit. Happy New Year! :-) mgiganteus1 (talk) 15:42, 1 January 2015 (UTC)

Thank you and Happy New Year to you too! HalfGig talk 15:55, 1 January 2015 (UTC)

Hello, HalfGig. I've made a few more edits to improve sentence flow and paragraph cohesion. I will continue reading to the end of the article later this afternoon. CorinneSD (talk) 20:41, 6 January 2015 (UTC)

That's great! CorinneSD, Your copyediting is superb. We very much appreciate it. HalfGig talk 22:42, 7 January 2015 (UTC)

I'd say all the co-ord's requirements have been met now; perhaps we can simply say this to him, or perhaps we ask Cwmhiraeth if she's now happy to support? Chiswick Chap (talk) 15:44, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

I already said that to Ian Rose two days ago, see his talk page. He said he'd look in 1-2 days and it's been 2 days. Cwmhiraeth supported as part of her regular review but hasn't commented on the source/paraphrase review. Since I pinged Ian it might be best if you ping Cwmhiraeth if you feel it's warranted. I guess it wouldn't hurt anything. HalfGig talk 16:38, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

Ok, I'll try that. We could also ping Nikkimaria if need be. Fingers crossed. Chiswick Chap (talk) 16:43, 26 February 2015 (UTC)

She says she's already marked support (higher up the FAC). Guess we could note that on her recent comments if that would help. Chiswick Chap (talk) 10:05, 27 February 2015 (UTC)

Mmm, I think we've done all we can. I could ping Ian but am not sure that would be wise just yet; I think we've made our feelings fairly clear. Maybe I should wait a couple of days. Chiswick Chap (talk) 14:40, 27 February 2015 (UTC)

Agreed. While he didn't keep his word on "1-2 days", he's only made a couple edits in the last few days. Graham and Laser don't seem to do much at all at FAC. HalfGig talk 14:49, 27 February 2015 (UTC)

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Karolina

Might I suggest using the Karolina Olsson article for the Top DYK. It is a really interesting case that I think will attract many views.--BabbaQ (talk) 20:22, 18 January 2015 (UTC)

It's interesting but the photo is rather poor, so I put in the quirky slot, the last one, which is the second-most desired slot. HalfGig talk 20:24, 18 January 2015 (UTC)

I agree there. And thank you :)--BabbaQ (talk) 20:26, 18 January 2015 (UTC)

I do not know if you can do anything about what I am going to ask but could you take a look at Template:Did you know/Queue/2. And the article Carolina Neuraths hook and article. I find it to be a "DYK top" article that is being wasted in the mid of the DYK slots. And if there is anything that can be done. if it is I say thank you and please try to do what you can. If not then I just have to accept it. Cheers.--BabbaQ (talk) 20:30, 18 January 2015 (UTC)

I have to respectfully disagree on that one. HalfGig talk 20:33, 18 January 2015 (UTC)

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DYK for Shortia galacifolia

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The Signpost: 04 February 2015

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DYK for Wilhelm Nikolaus Suksdorf

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DYK for Suksdorfia violacea

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The Signpost: 11 February 2015

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The Signpost: 18 February 2015

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The Signpost: 25 February 2015

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At last, fruit of your labours

	Delicious pumpkin award
	Congratulations HalfGig! Bringing Cucurbita to FA would, I think, never have happened without your determination, although a lot of people helped to bring your vision to fruition. Sminthopsis84 (talk) 02:21, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

Why thank you so much! Not just for the award, but for all your superb help along the way. I certainly did not do it alone. I started Aug 26, 2013, so it took 1 year, 6 months, and 2 days. I THINK this is first non-monotypic genus-level article to make it to FA. It's a good wiki day for us! HalfGig talk 02:26, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

Congratulations! When do you want that to appear on the Main page. The PumpkinSky project at your service ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:10, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

Oh. thank you very much! Pumpkins on the main page is an appealing thought. Well, there's Canadian and American Thanksgiving. Then because of "The Great Pumpkin" from Peanuts, there's Halloween. I lean to one of the Thanksgiving dates, I think. Any other suggestions? HalfGig talk 12:17, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

I would also lean toward thanksgiving, - as not scary ;) - will ask. If not they could go any other day in the fall, right? (Hint, hint: views will be limited on Thanksgiving.) You may have seen that I listed it as "any date" in the project planning. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:49, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

No, I hadn't noticed that. I'll have to think on this. HalfGig talk 12:53, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

A couple months ago I discovered "sfn" referencing. I did a couple articles in "sfn" and changed Asa Gray, which I'm still working on, to "sfn". I prefer it because it's easier to read the article when you're editing it. I'll probably change Cucurbita to sfn one day. HalfGig talk 12:57, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

Agree, learned it from PumpkinSky (look!) when we worked on Kafka, my second FA. - references were improved in my first, Messiah (Handel), but not to the liking of its main authors, unfortunately, --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:14, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

I first saw "sfn" usage when I was reading the Botany article. HalfGig talk 13:17, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

Precious again, your (biological) fruit and (social) vegetable, important source of human food which play several roles in human culture

--Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:48, 31 October 2015 (UTC)

Congratulations!

	The Natural History Shield for Service to Wikipedia
	That pumpkin was a long time a-ripenin'! Prizewinner, though! Chiswick Chap (talk) 12:40, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

Oh my, thank you very much. I truly appreciate this! HalfGig talk 12:44, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

I'd like to add my congratulations, HalfGig. You worked very hard on this for a long time. Great work, and I look forward to seeing it on the main page. CorinneSD (talk) 16:08, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

Thank you. And thank YOU as your copy editing was key to a successful FA. HalfGig talk 17:00, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

March 2015

Hello, I'm DAJF. I noticed that you made an edit concerning content related to a living (or recently deceased) person on Dave Spector, but you didn’t support your changes with a citation to a reliable source, so I removed it. Wikipedia has a strict policy concerning how we write about living people, so please help us keep such articles accurate. If you think I made a mistake, or if you have any questions, you can leave me a message on my talk page. Thank you. DAJF (talk) 23:32, 1 March 2015 (UTC)

Oh. I don't do much living person stuff. Mostly plants and long dead botanists. HalfGig talk 23:49, 1 March 2015 (UTC)

Books and Bytes - Issue 10

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 10, January-February 2015
by The Interior (talk · contribs), Ocaasi (talk · contribs), Sadads (talk · contribs)

• New donations - ProjectMUSE, Dynamed, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, and Women Writers Online
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• TWL moves into the new Community Engagement department at the WMF, quarterly review

Read the full newsletter

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DYK for Thomas Minott Peters

— Coffee // have a cup // beans // 10:27, 5 March 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 04 March 2015

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Cucurbita

Hello, HalfGig - Please put Cucurbita back on your watchlist. The discussion has continued at Talk:Cucurbita#Alternative medicine section. I was upset that you and Sminthopsis84 were so upset that you removed the article from your watchlist and Sminthopsis84 has retired from Wikipedia, so I posted a comment, and there have been additional comments. I hope you will continue to voice your opinions, perhaps overlooking the way AC went about making his edits. Then you will have had a hand in every part of the article. CorinneSD (talk) 16:27, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 11 March 2015

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• Cucurbita looks excellent in the Signpost, thank you for what did for it! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:50, 12 March 2015 (UTC)
  • Thank you very much. HalfGig talk 20:53, 12 March 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 18 March 2015

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The Signpost – Volume 11, Issue 12 – 25 March 2015

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The Signpost, 1 April 2015

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The Signpost: 01 April 2015

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Cucurbita 2

HalfGig, I just saw your comment on the talk page of Cucurbita to Hzh. I don't know what caused you to call Hzh's referencing format "atrocious" and criticize his/her writing style (I didn't even know it was Hzh who had worked on the folk remedies section), but I just want you to know that at this point in the discussion, which is now a while ago, Hzh was responding to my request for help because Adam's comments had so upset you and Sminthopsis84 that you had both left the article (and Smithopsis84 had left WP) in disgust. I knew s/he knew Chinese and Japanese and could possibly find pertinent sources, and Hzh responded to my request for help quite promptly and generously. Of course I can't judge the sources or material, but it is clear that s/he was trying to be helpful. Also, I'm not sure, but it is possible that Hzh is not a native speaker of English, and, if so, that would explain any lapses in grammar or writing style. I'd be glad to work with Hzh or anyone else to help improve the prose of that section. CorinneSD (talk) 03:03, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

(See User talk:Hzh#Cucurbita.) CorinneSD (talk) 03:05, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

Look at all the fixes I did to the atrocious referencing those guys did. It's obvious. Those guys only cared about getting their personal agenda across, they didn't give a crap about reference formatting and grammar. They made this mess they can clean it up. HalfGig talk 22:06, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

Why don't you "be bold", take the bull by the horns, take charge, and do it yourself, instead of accepting their mediocre work and resenting it? I'm encouraging you to be assertive. CorinneSD (talk) 01:31, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

Because I'm a lousy copyeditor and they should clean up their own arrogance-inspired crappy work. HalfGig talk 01:59, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

But you know the content and can check sources and I can fix the structure of the sentences, verb tenses, and punctuation. Don't you think we could do it if we work together, using my comments that you saw as a starting point? If you're not sure about something, we can ask Sminth, Hafs, or someone else. CorinneSD (talk) 02:50, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

I think it would be good at this point if the nomination as a featured article could be withdrawn. After it was nominated it was censored by someone who pulled rank (and that perception of rank might, I think, be due to the insidious presence of WP:editcountitis throughout wikipedia) but FA nominations are supposed to include a criterion of completeness, which the last-minute censoring undermined. I have no interest in ever touching the article again, and can certainly understand if HalfGig feels similarly (though HalfGig has done considerable work already to try to clean it up). Just saying ... Sminthopsis84 (talk) 17:56, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

Since it is already promoted to FA, you just can't withdraw it. It could be listed at WP:FAR. Another option would be to tell the people who did this to fix their own mess. Another option would be to ask at WT:Plants for help. HalfGig talk 21:13, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

What discourages me from listing it at WP:FAR is that to do so would require reading the reams of discussion, and my tiny brain would fry. Sminthopsis84 (talk) 13:19, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 08 April 2015

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A new reference tool

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The Signpost: 15 April 2015

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The Signpost: 22 April 2015

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The Signpost: 29 April 2015

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Books and Bytes - Issue 11

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 11, March-April 2015
by The Interior (talk · contribs), Ocaasi (talk · contribs), Sadads (talk · contribs), Nikkimaria (talk · contribs)

• New donations - MIT Press Journals, Sage Stats, Hein Online and more
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MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 23:23, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

How are you?

I haven't seen any edits from you lately. I hope you are well. Please come back to WP. I hope we can work together on another article soon. Best regards, CorinneSD (talk) 23:25, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 06 May 2015

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The Signpost: 13 May 2015

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The Signpost: 20 May 2015

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The Signpost: 27 May 2015

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The Wikipedia Library needs you!

The Wikipedia Library

Call for Volunteers

The Wikipedia Library is expanding, and we need your help! With only a couple of hours per week, you can make a big difference in helping editors get access to reliable sources and other resources. Sign up for one of the following roles:

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Books and Bytes - Issue 12

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 12, May-June 2015
by The Interior (talk · contribs), Ocaasi (talk · contribs), Sadads (talk · contribs), Nikkimaria (talk · contribs)

• New donations - Taylor & Francis, Science, and three new French-language resources
• Expansion into new languages, including French, Finnish, Turkish, and Farsi
• Spotlight: New partners for the Visiting Scholar program
• American Library Association Annual meeting in San Francisco

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The Interior 15:23, 16 July 2015 (UTC)

This week's article for improvement (week 33, 2015)

Berries for sale at a farmers' market Hello, HalfGig. The following is WikiProject Today's articles for improvement's weekly selection: Berry Please be bold and help to improve this article! Previous selections: Farmhouse • Igloo Get involved with the TAFI project. You can: Nominate an article • Review nominations Posted by: Bananasoldier (talk) 04:20, 10 August 2015 (UTC) on behalf of WikiProject TAFI •

Wikipedia:Today's featured article/September 19, 2015

Pinging User:Sminthopsis84 and User:Chiswick Chap. A summary of a Featured Article you guys nominated at WP:FAC will appear on the Main Page soon. It mostly follows the lead section; how does it look? - Dank (push to talk) 12:27, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

Looks good to me. Chiswick Chap (talk) 12:30, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

Made a small change to downplay the importance of beverages. Looks good to me. Sminthopsis84 (talk) 16:39, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

User:Dank, the blurb is fine, but the article should appear on Canadian (Oct) or American (Nov) Thanksgiving, not some random date. What can be done about that? HalfGig talk 18:43, 13 September 2015 (UTC)

I thought so too, and am not the only one, see? But consider that on the holidays fewer people will look than on this average Saturday, --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:55, 13 September 2015 (UTC)

I'm sorry, I don't handle scheduling. See the post at WT:TFAR#Cucurbita TFA date. - Dank (push to talk) 18:57, 13 September 2015 (UTC)

Mind boggling. HalfGig talk 11:35, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

Pinging User:Chiswick Chap. What do you both think of Halloween, with a different image, which would then have to be in the article? Discussion at Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/requests#Cucurbita TFA date. Sminthopsis84 (talk) 19:27, 15 September 2015 (UTC)

It's certainly a highly defensible date, so it should be fine, but who knows. Since Halloween is already in the article, we should just add a suitably demonic pumpkin image down there. Chiswick Chap (talk) 20:27, 15 September 2015 (UTC)

Agree, I'll join in on the discussion there. HalfGig talk 14:05, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

Thanksgiving

Shout for joy

Happy next pumpkin ocasion;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:14, 26 November 2015 (UTC)

Books and Bytes - Issue 13

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 13, August-September 2015
by The Interior (talk · contribs), Ocaasi (talk · contribs), Sadads (talk · contribs), Nikkimaria (talk · contribs)

• New donations - EBSCO, IMF, more newspaper archives, and Arabic resources
• Expansion into new languages, including Viet and Catalan
• Spotlight: Elsevier partnership garners controversy, dialogue
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The Interior via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 16:30, 1 October 2015 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!

Hi,
You appear to be eligible to vote in the current Arbitration Committee election. The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to enact binding solutions for disputes between editors, primarily related to serious behavioural issues that the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the ability to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail. If you wish to participate, you are welcome to review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. For the Election committee, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 17:02, 24 November 2015 (UTC)

Books and Bytes - Issue 14

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 14, October-November 2015
by The Interior (talk · contribs), Ocaasi (talk · contribs), Sadads (talk · contribs), Nikkimaria (talk · contribs)

• New donations - Gale, Brill, plus Finnish and Farsi resources
• Open Access Week recap, and DOIs, Wikipedia, and scholarly citations
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The Interior, via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 19:12, 10 December 2015 (UTC)

Books & Bytes - Issue 15

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 15, December-January 2016
by The Interior (talk · contribs), Ocaasi (talk · contribs), Sadads (talk · contribs), Nikkimaria (talk · contribs), UY Scuti (talk · contribs)

• New donations - Ships, medical resources, plus Arabic and Farsi resources
• #1lib1ref campaign summary and highlights
• New branches and coordinators

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The Interior via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 19:20, 19 February 2016 (UTC)

Books & Bytes - Issue 16

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 16, February-March 2016
by The Interior (talk · contribs), UY Scuti (talk · contribs)

• New donations - science, humanities, and video resources
• Using hashtags in edit summaries - a great way to track a project
• A new cite archive template, a new coordinator, plus conference and Visiting Scholar updates
• Metrics for the Wikipedia Library's last three months

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The Interior via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 15:17, 14 April 2016 (UTC)

Books & Bytes - Issue 17

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 17, April-May 2016
by The Interior, Ocaasi, UY Scuti, Sadads, and Nikkimaria

• New donations this month - a German-language legal resource
• Wikipedia referals to academic citations - news from CrossRef and WikiCite2016
• New library stats, WikiCon news, a bot to reveal Open Access versions of citations, and more!

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The Interior via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 02:36, 16 June 2016 (UTC)

Books & Bytes - Issue 18

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 18, June–July 2016
by The Interior (talk · contribs), Ocaasi, Samwalton9, UY Scuti, and Sadads

• New donations - Edinburgh University Press, American Psychological Association, Nomos (a German-language database), and more!
• Spotlight: GLAM and Wikidata
• TWL attends and presents at International Federation of Library Associations conference, meets with Association of Research Libraries
• OCLC wins grant to train librarians on Wikimedia contribution

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The Interior via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 23:25, 31 August 2016 (UTC)

Books and Bytes - Issue 19

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 19, September–October 2016
by Nikkimaria, Sadads and UY Scuti

• New and expanded donations - Foreign Affairs, Open Edition, and many more
• New Library Card Platform and Conference news
• Spotlight: Fixing one million broken links

Read the full newsletter

19:07, 1 November 2016 (UTC)

ArbCom Elections 2016: Voting now open!

Hello, HalfGig. Voting in the 2016 Arbitration Committee elections is open from Monday, 00:00, 21 November through Sunday, 23:59, 4 December to all unblocked users who have registered an account before Wednesday, 00:00, 28 October 2016 and have made at least 150 mainspace edits before Sunday, 00:00, 1 November 2016.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

If you wish to participate in the 2016 election, please review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 22:08, 21 November 2016 (UTC)

Happy Thanksgiving

Danke

Variedades de calabaza
Happy Thanksgiving with a variety of pumpkins in the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid

I thought of you when I took the pic --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:59, 24 November 2016 (UTC)

Books and Bytes - Issue 20

The Wikipedia Library

Books & Bytes
Issue 20, November-December 2016
by Nikkimaria (talk · contribs), Ocaasi (talk · contribs), UY Scuti (talk · contribs), Samwalton9 (talk · contribs)

• Partner resource expansions
• New search tool for finding TWL resources
• #1lib1ref 2017
• Wikidata Visiting Scholar

Read the full newsletter

MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:00, 18 January 2017 (UTC)