Tau Zero

Contents

Don't panic.

Don't panic.

Tau Zero is a mathematical expression derived from the value of the time contraction factor Tau($\tau$), where $\tau ={\sqrt {1-v^{2}/c^{2}}}$ where v is the velocity of a spaceship and c represents the speed of light. At a given velocity, the duration experienced on the non-accelerating Earth may be multiplied by tau to yield the duration experienced aboard a starship. The closer the ship's velocity comes to the speed of light, the closer tau comes to zero, and the longer the time that passes outside the ship for a given duration inside.

As described in Alvin and Heidi Toffler's Future Shock, the accelerating pace of modern technology harnessing Moore's Law to propel us headlong forwards towards the technological singularity conveys a similar subjective impression: More information has been created in the last year than over the previous five thousand years of civilization combined.

Your username

Welcome to Wikipedia. I saw that you edited or created Tau Zero Foundation, and I noticed that your username, "Tau Zero", may not comply with our username policy. Please note that you may not use a username that represents the name of a company, group, organization, product, or website. Examples of usernames that are not allowed include "XYZ Company", "MyWidgetsUSA.com", and "Foobar Museum of Art". However, you are permitted to use a username that contains such a name if it identifies you individually, such as "Sara Smith at XYZ Company", "Mark at WidgetsUSA", or "FoobarFan87".

Please also note that Wikipedia does not allow accounts to be shared by multiple people, and that you may not advocate for or promote any company, group, organization, product, or website, regardless of your username. Please also read our paid editing policy and our conflict of interest guideline. If you are a single individual and are willing to contribute to Wikipedia in an unbiased manner, please request a change of username, by completing this form, choosing a username that complies with our username policy. If you believe that your username does not violate our policy, please leave a note here explaining why. Thank you. Anon126 (notify me of responses! / talk / contribs) 22:28, 6 February 2018 (UTC)

@Anon126: Tau Zero finds many uses as a common mathematical expression in graduate physics, as well as being the title of science fiction novel, a children's book and cartoon. Among others, the term was picked up and incorporated by the Tau Zero Foundation. As such, the foundation holds a derivative name not excluding everyday usage of the term, the expression far predating the company—just as if a company were to name itself EMC², as EMC Corporation does. I'm interested in the physics of the term in application to relativistic velocities more so than the organization that used it as inspiration, but I also noticed that the organization had outgrown the section it was contained in, so I made the move to give it an article all its own. Future edits will not be in any way be centered on or formally connected with the company.

– Tau Zero (talk) 22:39, 6 February 2018 (UTC)

Thanks for clarifying, and thank you for your contributions.

By the way, the notification does not work if you add it in after the fact. If you make a mistake, you need to write a new message with a new signature. Anon126 (notify me of responses! / talk / contribs) 22:51, 6 February 2018 (UTC)

Tau Zero (+@Anon126:) After reading the above.

Question: So Tau Zero are you in anyway associated with Tau Zero Foundation? Many of your recent edits appear to be directly related to this organisation. Be aware, as pointed out by Anon126/R above: "may not advocate for or promote any company, group, organization, product, or website, regardless of your username. Please also read our paid editing policy and our conflict of interest guideline." Tau Zero own response above seemingly avoids that. Also saying: "Future edits will not be in any way be centered on or formally connected with the company." implies the many edits made so far are probably Conflict of Interest. Be aware WP:COIEDIT, and all suspicious edits like this these[1][2][3] all should have be discussed first on the article's Talkpage.

I'd recommend that Tau Zero should make no further edits on any of these related pages. In saying "Future edits will not be in any way be centered on or formally connected with the company.", then any future edits away from the Talkpage may be viewed as Conflict of Interest and will likely be investigated. Thanks. Arianewiki1 (talk) 03:42, 7 February 2018 (UTC)

@Arianewiki1:, Reading now I see and agree as to making no further edits. As I tried to explain above, Tau Zero Foundation owning the Tau Zero name space is akin to the EMC² Corporation owning Special relativity. The term predates the organization, finding use in every graduate physics course (which is where my exposure comes from, and why I chose the term) as well as a science fiction novel, a children's book and a cartoon. I'm a science fiction fan and familiar with all three uses. I have healthy respect for both the book and the company, but there was no pay nor prodding nor communications involved, and no conflict of interest with the two articles. I represent myself, not the novel, not the nonprofit. I chose the term as it represents the slowing of time as the speed of light is approached...something I can relate to the accelerating pace of technology. I made the first edit in the course of moving the article (the organization received a huge NASA grant), then simply felt if I had a role in its creation I should ensure the information was up-to-date and correct. I applied the same principle applied to the article for the novel, then once finished, moved onto other subjects. My edits weren't centered on the foundation, nor on the novel, just updating both in the course of initial review. I was thorough but have no intention of further edits to either of the two; it just so happened as a byproduct combined with the persistence I'd wanted to make sure the information was correct. I have no objection to refraining from any further edits (read: zero) to the aforementioned. Given the appearance of conflict, which I guess I'd underestimated, I'm opening to updating my name to something else too. I'm sorry to cause the confusion.

Again. After reading the above.

Question: So Tau Zero are you in anyway associated with Tau Zero Foundation? (None of the responses of the above either confirm or deny it.) Many of your recent edits appear to be directly related to this organisation. This is contrary to: "My edits weren't centered on the foundation" where looking at [4] says otherwise. Following strictly to policy here, there maybe little choice but to revert all related changes that have been made. Thanks. Arianewiki1 (talk) 09:09, 7 February 2018 (UTC)

@Arianewiki1: Huh? I wasn't avoiding anything. And I never implied conflict of interest - I implied that up until that point in the discussion I hadn't realized the edits were a problem. I thought I made it more than clear above: No association to the book. No association to the company. No association to the math derivation. I've long known about all three. I have no connection to them. If I were, this would be the worst possible choice of user name. As a maths student, I clearly stated my rationale for choosing the the term: "I chose the term as it represents the slowing of time as the speed of light is approached...something I can personally relate to in regards to the accelerating pace of technology." as well as addressing the possibility of any connection: "there was no pay, nor prodding, nor communications, and no conflict of interest with the two articles. I represent myself, not the novel, not the nonprofit."

You do realize you're talking about a handful of edits, and that I'd only joined an hour or so beforehand? I edited 12 pages, creating 5. I made 6 edits to the foundation page out of 37 total edits. Of those 37 total edits, 4 were on my user page and 14 were on my Talk page--which is by far where most of my edits have centered. I stated why I edited the page first off, and I agreed to steer clear of the page from now on. If I'd known how much trouble it would have been, I'd have chosen a different name altogether. Timewave Zero is close enough in meaning, and just as agreeable. Tau Zero (talk) 13:15, 7 February 2018 (UTC)

@Tau Zero: Look, the problem is affiliation. If you just say "No" to "So Tau Zero are you in anyway associated with Tau Zero Foundation?" this user name problem completely disappears. If you say "Yes", then the edits need to be re-validated and are subject to WP:COI. Nothing else. (Here we are all subject to the policy good faith here and WP:Honesty in what is editing. I'm not accusing you of anything, we just need to validate stated policy. Arianewiki1 (talk) 23:22, 7 February 2018 (UTC)

@Arianewiki1: Okay -- I'm not sure what the problem is outside of my previous unintentional substitution of the word 'association,' for 'affiliation,' but to answer your question in the 'Yes' or 'No' terms you've asked for: No. As I stated before: "Tau Zero: No association to the novel. No association to the company. No association to the math derivation. I have no connection."-- Tau Zero (talk) 08:35, 8 February 2018 (UTC)

@Tau Zero:@Anon126: Excellent. :) Say that to undo the block. You'd also totally have my support to keep Tau Zero as a User name. Arianewiki1 (talk) 10:11, 8 February 2018 (UTC)

@Arianewiki1: -- Thanks for clarifying context on the policy, and major big-time thanks for your support to keep my User name. -- @Anon126: -- Do I need to put in a separate unblock request from the above discussion? I have no affiliation with the company or the novel (though I wish I had the smarts to be behind the math formula), and as clarified above, will refrain from any and all further edits to their article space so as not to introduce any confusion. Thanks again -- Tau Zero (talk) 20:05, 8 February 2018 (UTC)

Also: Anon126 -- Is there a difference in meaning between entering Anon126 and Anon126/R? Thanks, Tau Zero (talk) 20:12, 8 February 2018 (UTC)

My username is Anon126. Anon126/R is a user subpage (just as User:Tau Zero/sandbox is a subpage) that explains how to use the notification system. So you should use {{reply to|Anon126}} to mention me (although interestingly enough some people use {{reply to|Anon126/R}} and it seems to work). Anon126 (notify me of responses! / talk / contribs) 20:28, 8 February 2018 (UTC)

@Anon126: Thanks for making the distinction clear. In case you missed it, please see also the question just above the sentence asking about your username, the second half of which was intended for your review. Let me know if there's anything else I should do.

"Tau Zero: Do I need to put in a separate unblock request from the above discussion? I have no affiliation with the company or the novel (though I wish I had the smarts to be behind the math formula), and as clarified above, will refrain from any and all further edits to their article space so as not to introduce any confusion. Thanks again"

Tau Zero (talk) 21:38, 8 February 2018 (UTC)

Sorry about that. To answer your question, yes, you need to make a formal unblock request using the code {{unblock|Your reasoning here}}; you should probably put it at the bottom of the page; this thread is getting cluttered. Anon126 (notify me of responses! / talk / contribs) 21:43, 8 February 2018 (UTC)

___________

@Anon126: Where do I request a new user name? Tau Zero (talk) 05:52, 7 February 2018 (UTC) Cancel that last question, I see now both ways to go about it. Thanks, Tau Zero (talk) 06:01, 7 February 2018 (UTC)

Removing article links

Recent edits on Supernova made here[5] have been reverted by me. Breaking links to other article pages is an unacceptable practice. For examples, when you changed:

• "...but the remnants of two more recent supernovae have also been found." to "...but the remnants of two more recent supernovae have also been found.", the link was broken. A much better edit (which I've added) would just have been: ...but two more recent supernova remnants have also been found."
• "They are also potentially strong galactic sources of gravitational waves." to "They are also potentially strong galactic sources of gravity waves" However, a Gravity wave is different from Gravitational wave, which have different meanings.

Saying "basic grammar" is never an excuse if it changes the context. Several instances of this practice appear on other edits too e.g. [6]

Please avoid doing edits like this in future as it makes editing by other Users difficult, and will be likely be just reverted or deemed vandalism. Please consider reading on editing principles here to ensure you contribution comply with the guidelines, as stated Editing or Manual of Style. Thanks. Arianewiki1 (talk) 02:52, 7 February 2018 (UTC)

@Arianewiki1: Sorry about that, I'll look to the style manual. My reason for removing the link was I was told overlinking is as much a problem as underlinking, and not to link to a word unless it's not common and likely to be misunderstood. In this case I was under impression "remnants" was just that, rather than a technical term. Tau Zero (talk) 06:19, 7 February 2018 (UTC)

February 2018

Welcome to Wikipedia. Because we have a policy against usernames which give the impression that the account represents a group, organization or website, I have blocked this account; please take a moment to create a new account with a username that represents only yourself as an individual and which complies with our username policy or request a change of username. It also appears that your account is intended to be used for the purpose of telling the world about an organization, person or cause that you consider worthwhile. Unfortunately, many good causes are not sufficiently notable for their own Wikipedia article, and all users are discouraged from editing in any area where they have an inherent conflict of interest. You may wish to consider one of these alternative outlets.

If your username does not represent a group, organization or website, you may appeal this username block by adding the text {{unblock|reason=Your reason here ~~~~}} at the bottom of your talk page.

You may simply create a new account, but you may prefer to change your username to one that complies with our username policy, so that your past contributions are associated with your new username. If you would prefer to change your username, you may appeal this username block by adding the text {{unblock-un|new username|reason=Your reason here ~~~~}} at the bottom of your talk page. Please note that you may only request a name that is not already in use, so please check here for a listing of already taken names. Thank you. Orange Mike | Talk 04:28, 7 February 2018 (UTC)

This user's unblock request has been reviewed by an administrator, who accepted the request.

Tau Zero (block log • active blocks • global blocks • contribs • deleted contribs • filter log • creation log • change block settings • unblock • checkuser (log))

---

Request reason:

The term holds multiple uses, with several examples and is not limited to any one entity. I have no affiliation with the similarly named company, the novel, cartoon or children's book adaptations (though I wish I had the smarts to be behind the physics formula). As clarified through the context of extensive discussions above in section "Your username," I will refrain from any and all further edits to the article space of related named entities so as not to introduce any confusion. Thank you for your consideration. -- Tau Zero (talk) 22:13, 8 February 2018 (UTC)

Accept reason:

Explanation is clear and straightforward; see no reason not to assume good faith. Orange Mike | Talk 02:40, 9 February 2018 (UTC) (TZ: I miss the author of Tau Zero [even though he and I clashed constantly about politics], but I supported The Year of the Quiet Sun for that year's Hugo.)

@Orangemike: Thanks for your consideration, and for granting me a second first chance. A poignant tale, Quiet Sun. Do you have favored contemporary author? -- Tau Zero (talk) 03:47, 9 February 2018 (UTC)

Also – is there anything else I need to do in regards to the unblock taking effect? I appear to be still prohibited from making any edits outside of this Talk page. Thanks for clarifying. – Tau Zero (talk) 03:57, 9 February 2018 (UTC)

@Orangemike: Forgive the intrusion, but by appearances, you approved the unblock but forgot to actually do it. So after a request went out on IRC for help I unblocked. Please forgive if I have missed something.Dave (talk) 05:27, 9 February 2018 (UTC)

Dave, thanks. --Orange Mike | Talk 02:17, 10 February 2018 (UTC)

TZ: depending on my mood, Chip Delany or Lois Bujold or Eleanor Arneson or Eric Flint or Pat Murphy or Steve Brust. --Orange Mike | Talk 02:17, 10 February 2018 (UTC)

@Orangemike: Thanks, I'll look up some of their work. Thanks again for your help! – Tau Zero (talk) 15:23, 10 February 2018 (UTC)