User talk:WillowW/Archive3

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Enzyme

Wow, you have such a cool user page: I'm jealous!

Anyway. I tried to deal with your comments on the FA nomination. If you feel I haven't resolved them all, or that I misunderstood some of your suggestions please let me know on the nomination page. Thank you again for your time and trouble. TimVickers 20:49, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your other helpful comments. They have improved the article immensely. I hope I'm close to achiveving consensus on the nomination talk page, fingers crossed! TimVickers 17:15, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

This month's WP:MCB Article Improvement Drive article

– ClockworkSoul 22:56, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia:WikiProject Molecular and Cellular Biology/Organization

If you have some time, would you mind taking a look at what I've done there? I won't be offended if you decide to rewrite large chunks of the text. – ClockworkSoul 12:55, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

Wow, I'm honored that you ask; I'll be glad to look it over. Did you make those tables by hand, or do you have some clever bot that does it for you? If we wanted to add new categories such as "Structural biology" or "Cellular structure", how would we do it? Thanks for all your work, Willow 16:29, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

Sorry it took me so long to respond... I'm afraid I missed the response. I wrote a little Java application that creates all of those tables (I certainly wouldn't make them by hand!). If you want to create a new category, just go ahead and make it: my program will automagically update itself accordingly. Cheers! – ClockworkSoul 04:00, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

FA nomination Enzyme inhibitor

Hi there. I was very impressed with the thorough but friendly review you produced of Enzyme during that page's FA process and was wondering if you might consider having a look at this new nomination. Thank you. TimVickers 20:31, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, Tim — you handled the Enzyme FA bid wonderfully, and I'll try to make a contribution here. It's really nice of you to include me in such a group of smart and nice editors; the MCB seems to be coalescing into a fun community! Unfortunately, I've been swamped all day at work (I'm still there), but I'll try to get to the article tonight. Willow 23:14, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Hi Willow, thanks for the edits and the suggestion. I'm afraid I fear responsibility and probably would not tbe the best co-ordinator since I have a very poor memory. Thanks again for your contributions! TimVickers 16:03, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

Hi again, thanks for your efforts. Enzyme inhibitor is now a FA. TimVickers 14:36, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

Molecular and Cellular Biology WikiProject Votes

The Molecular and Cellular Biology WikiProject has recently opened two surveys that will help to decide the direction of the project. First, nominations are currently being accepted for the position of coordinator of the project. Second, votes and additional suggestions for the official title of that position are also being taken. As a member of the project, we hope that you'll drop by and voice your opinion. – ClockworkSoul 03:57, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Gee wizz

I'm not normally in the habit of telling people that I admire them, for fear of sounding insincere, however in your case I almost feel obligated. The sheer magnitude and variety of your knowledge is an inspiration! I consider myself to be read to an above average level, but scrolling down your user page has given me reason to aim higher. Thank you! ShaiM 12:25, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

I'm glad that you can't see how hard I'm blushing! Your words are beautiful and I take them sincerely; you can't imagine how happy it makes me to feel that I inspired someone like yourself. In my case, though, there's really no magic; I just have a long memory for conversations (hence, the languages) and a circle of friends who love to "talk shop". After my smart, kind friends explain something patiently to me over and over again, something is bound to stick. ;) It also helps that I care about them and what they're doing. :) Willow 16:41, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

In regards your interests, especially those pertaining to beauty in science, I thought you might appreciate this: http://aimediaserver.com/studiodaily/videoplayer/?src=harvard/harvard.swf&width=640&height=520 (nb. large flash file, and about 3 minutes long). It's a demo of a CG film done for Harvard showing some of the workings of the cell, it shows (simplified,) some cytoskeletal genesis, vesicular transport, kinesin function, and transcription. Most people after they see it have the urge to complain "if only they'd just also shown ATP hydrolysis in kinesin function", "only just also shown the dynamic nature of cytoskeletal growth/dissembly" or only just... Anyway, I thought it was something you might enjoy and admire (although I find that, (in the spirit of the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's famouse phrase,) beauty is in the details).ShaiM 14:43, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

Hi, Shai, I just saw the video and — wow! There are some amazingly beautiful shots; whoever animated it has an eye for drama. Today has been a day for bad, bad news; but your link reminded me what a wonderful world we live in, if but briefly. Thank you Willow 22:58, 6 October 2006 (UTC)

Sure thing

I've been following the article's progress a little, and am happy to see this one going for FA status. Unfortunately I'm a slow reviewer and about to sign off for the day now, but I've put it on my to do for tomorrow. — Laura Scudder ☎ 03:45, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Enzyme kinetics

Thank you for your input on this article Willow, if you have any more comments or suggestions, it is up for FA candidacy and the discussion page is here. Thank you again. TimVickers 20:42, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Hi Willow. You may not have noticed, but I had used the equilibrium assumption to first derive the MM equation. This is usually more intuitive for beginners as this relates the binding of substrate directly to Km. The steady-state approximation was dealt with later. Would it be OK for me to move the steady-state derivation you have formatted so nicely to a later part of the article? TimVickers 19:34, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

Hi, Tim, you should know by now that I trust you completely, and you can do whatever you like with what I added. You have a much better vision of how all the pieces fit together. I do definitely see the sense of introducing Km as a quasi-dissociation constant, although I had been thinking of going for brevity by skipping straight to the steady-state approximation. The article reads pretty well now, don't you think? You can be proud of your work; biochemistry students will bless you for generations. ;)

I really hope you won't be embarrassed or mad at me, but I held you up as a model Wikipedian over at Wikipedia:WikiProject Physics, mainly to show them what's possible with focused concentration and to inspire them to greater things.

Hey, guess what — Photon got made into a Featured Article! Thanks for all your help on that; your edits and insights were excellent. Willow 15:54, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

You are too kind, but I'm very flattered. Thank you very much for all your help. TimVickers 23:18, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

No problem!

I acutally didn't edit the article untill after it was promoted! :) I do think that the new infobox is schnazzy though. The laser pic I just snatched from the laser article. Thanks for the suggestion too!! -Ravedave ^{(help name my baby)} 17:00, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

This month's WP:MCB Article Improvement Drive article

– ClockworkSoul 21:11, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

Total re-write of the main Physics page is in progess

You might like to join us at Physics/wip where a total re-write of the main Physics page is in progess. At present we're discussing the lead paragraphs for the new version, and how Physics should be defined. I've posted here because you are on the Physics Project participant list. --MichaelMaggs 08:04, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

Featured Photon!

Congratulations on getting Photon featured! It's not easy to do for any article, but for a highly technical subject, with some conflict in its history, is truly an accomplishment. You and your collaborators deserve many kudos for that! Reading over it now, I see a truly fine piece of work, and I'm glad to know my essay may have helped in some small way.

As far as protection goes, please see User:Raul654/protection, where Raul lays out his reasons why featured articles should not be protected. It is painful to watch an article you've worked hard on be vandalized, and it's frustrating if you can't watch over it constantly yourself, but rest assured that many people add featured articles to their watchlists for the day it's on the main page, even if they're not otherwise interested in the subject. Between those who already watch it and those who will add it, and the ever-vigilant bots who watch for blanking and bad words, any graffiti will be reverted in seconds. On the other hand, many featured articles gain many improvements during their day in the sun, and a great many new editors get their start by dipping their toe in experimenting with whatever's on the main page. I agree with Raul that the benefits outweigh the inconvenience, and that a dynamic article that is responsive to users (both good and bad) does a better job of illustrating "what Wikipedia is all about" than a pristine and untouchable piece of scholarship, no matter how good. And remember that everything can be undone -- even if nothing good came out of being unprotected and attacked all day, after twenty-four hours it would be exactly back where it started, with no greater harm done.

Hope that helps to calm your fears; I will add the article to my own watchlist today to help do my part. Good luck to you! — Catherine\^talk 16:51, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

I agree completely. The day as FA improved Enzyme significantly. So the hassle and repetitive poop jokes were worth it! TimVickers 03:38, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

Please don't worry about this Willow, I know it is stressful to have "your" work (I feel very possessive about some articles!) exposed to casual vandals, however the vast majority of readers pass unnoticed on the logs so don't take the actions of a small minority as representative of the majority. A good approach is to inspect the article a few times in the day, or just once at the end of the day. The minor silly stuff will have been efficiently removed and you can decide which serious edits you wish to keep. TimVickers 15:07, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, Tim and everyone else who wrote so kindly to work me down from my fretful panic. I do feel like my serene, happy-go-lucky self again, both because I recognize the good that comes of it all for Wikipedia and also because I see that Enzyme did really well for its time in the sun. It's a wonderful alchemy that converts scatology into enlightenment. ;) I probably won't have access to a computer on Saturday, but I somehow know that all will be well.

Oh, btw, thanks for the additions to Photon, Tim; they really improve the lead! I hope you don't mind, but I might have to tweak a few things, esp. the momentum thing. It's unfortunately not tautological that energy and momentum have to agree; at least it didn't seem so to Einstein, who proposed the energy quantization in 1905 and the possibility of momentum quantization in 1909 and 1917. If you assume that light is particulate and that the 4-vector representation of its energy and momentum holds then, yes, it follows; but that line of reasoning might not be obvious to our readers. Willow 15:25, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

One more vote for the coordinator of the Molecular and Cellular Biology Wikiproject

Since two of the three editors nominated for Coordinator of the MCB Wikiproject declined their nominations, one more vote has been posted: should the remaining nominee, ClockworkSoul, be named as the coordinator, or should nominations be reopened? Every opinion counts, so please vote! – ClockworkSoul 17:55, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks!!

That's two exclamation points for double coolness. Thanks for your beautiful award; it brightened up an otherwise tiring day. It means a lot that my contributions mean something ;)

Oh, and - very nice new figures on alpha helix! I can't believe I never noticed the problem with the old one (my five eyes failed me!), even after reverting someone's change of the bonding patterns. Opabinia regalis 02:34, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Thank you, O, for a whole series of beautiful edits! The award was long overdue, so I tried to make it extra-special. When I read your edits, I sometimes feel like I'm trying on a warm, comfortable bathrobe — made of light. :) It fits perfectly and all is good in the world. And the occasional tart edit summaries make me laugh!

I was also mortified about not detecting the mistaken old Figure on alpha helix all these months. I tend to be really conservative about touching other editors' Figures, since I know that they usually spend a lot of time on them, and I just assumed that it was correct. Thank goodness for picky physicists! ;) Willow 14:48, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Ooh, a bathrobe made of photons? Now that sounds nice.... Yes, I also avoid messing with other people's figures, both to avoid stepping on toes and to avoid making them worse. (The figures, that is, not the toes.) Looks like I should start paying more attention. (The text too - I don't know how long I missed the DNA repair article claiming that oxidative phosphorylation was a type of DNA damage.) Opabinia regalis 07:06, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

Molecular and Cellular Biology Wikiproject Newsletter

The project main page has gotten a facelift!
When people visit the project, the very first thing that they see tends to be the project's main page, and with this in mind, the main page has been completely overhauled. To enhance readability the various "goals" sections have been merged, and a detailed "how you can help" section has been added. To increase accessibility for more established members, the links to any resources that were in the main body text have been moved onto the navigation bar on the right. Finally, the whole page has been nicely laid out and given a nice attractive look.
New project feature: peer review
I'm proud to announce the addition of out newest feature: peer review! The MCB peer review feature aims serve as a stepping stone to improve articles to featured article status by allowing editors to request the opinions of other members about articles that they might not otherwise see or contribute to.
Project progress
The article worklist
We’ve had quite a bit of progress on the worklist article in the past month. Not only has the list itself nearly doubled in size from 143 to 365 entries, but an amazing three articles have been advanced to FA status, thanks in great part to the efforts of our very own TimVickers! Remember, the state of the worklist is the closest thing we have to quantifying the progress of the project, so if you get the chance, please take a look at the list, pick a favorite article, and improve it!
Collaboration of the Month
Last month's Collaboration of the Month, cell nucleus, was a terrific success! In one month, the article went from a dismal stub to an A-class article. Many thanks to all of the collaborators who contributed, especially ShaiM, who took on the greatest part of the burden. This month's Collaboration of the Month, adenosine triphosphate, isn't getting nearly the attention of its predecessor, so if you can, please lend a hand!
Finally...
The project has a new coordinator, ClockworkSoul! The role - my role - of coordinator will be to harmonize the project's common efforts, in part by organizing the various tasks required to make the project run as smoothly and completely as possible. Many thanks to those who supported me and those participated in the selection process.
ClockworkSoul, project coordinator 18:16, 21 October 2006 (UTC)
If you wish to opt out of having the newsletter posted on your talk page in the future, you may add yourself to the opt out list Newsletter concept and layout blatantly "borrowed" from the Esperanza newsletter.

Influenza FAC

Hi Willow, hope you're doing well. I've nominated this page as a FAC. Comments and suggestions are welcome on the review page. Thank you. TimVickers 16:29, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

You're wonderful, too kind, but wonderful. TimVickers 16:13, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Your kindness made my day! :) I really enjoy the community here at Wikipedia, which helps me to unfold my wings, to be more myself. In real life, I'm kind of shy, "as fearful of notice and praise as other women are of neglect." But here, the praise of people I admire makes me feel radiant.

Kindness is cool, no? A wellspring of delight for everyone around, one of the very best virtues.

You're the genūs apis (bee's knees), too! I always look forward to reading your next article, and find myself wondering, "What will Tim tackle next?"

In praise of praise loops, Willow 18:01, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

This month's winner is proteasome!

– ClockworkSoul 22:26, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

Cyclol

Hi there. I did read it, but was a bit stumped by being unable to find anything about it on Medline. I searched for some structures to add to the "Redemption of the cyclol reaction" section but came up blank there as well. Sorry. TimVickers 22:42, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Not to worry — thanks for looking at it! It is a pretty obscure topic, I guess. If anything occurs to you to help make the presentation more clear or more vivid, please let me know! See you around :) Willow 23:07, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

note

You forgot to sign your rfa vote. pschemp | talk 04:28, 9 November 2006 (UTC) — Oops, how embarrassing! OK, fixed that. Willow

Oops, that's what I came here to post, thinking it might've been one of those 'no timestamps till it's been accepted' things. At any rate, thank you so much for the kind words, it's nice to know that these things are appreciated. Don't think the timing is weird here, but if you ever want to post an RfA, I'd be happy to nominate you - even beyond your amazingly large body of knowledge, no exaggeration, you're one of the most consistently nice and level-headed and good-conflict-resolution-skills-possessing people I've ever run into on the internet. Opabinia regalis 04:45, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Sorry to wikistalk but this was the top of my watchlist, I too would support. -Ravedave ^{(help name my baby)} 05:17, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for your warm support and kind words, which bring me smiles now and sweet dreams tonight, I suspect. :) It's also really tempting to work side-by-side with you in the higher world of Wikipedia; but...

...after much brooding, my intuition is that I'm not cut out to be an admin, tempermentally. Some of the reasons are hard to explain, but I'm hopeful that you'll understand. A simple reason is that I'm not reliable :( I'm fond of people, even the obstreperous ones, but I don't seem to do well in organizations. I also know that I don't have your gift for the details of adminship; I'm a little daunted by learning all the powers, policies and protocols. More importantly, I'm really affected by strife; I sometimes felt real grief working on Photon. Since being an admin would likely bring me into more (edit)war-zones, it would take a heavy toll on me, no matter how much good I might do. Finally, I sense that the power and I would never rest comfortably together. A different kind of strength comes more naturally to me; I'm much better at being a small, gentle person than a big one. Affectionately, Willow 08:12, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Higher world, hmmm... sometimes more like wading through mud. (Hey, I'm from muddy waters, it's natural :) It's clear from the quality of your work that you're invested in it. I'd say you're already quite good at being a big, gentle person, which just may be the best of both worlds, but if you ever decide you want to speak softly and carry a big stick, let me know. Opabinia regalis 04:02, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Nice template!

Hey, thanks for creating that userpage template! And here I was thinking it already existed and I just couldn't find it.... hope you don't mind, I added it to the list of userspace templates. Opabinia regalis 02:12, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

Hi, O, it was really my pleasure; I was feeling in high spirits today after my first template; check out the Cyclol FAC and then look for a new purple userbox on my userpage. I hope the others will view it with as much good-natured humor as I put into writing it. :D

I had looked a few days ago to see whether there was such a userpage template as you wanted; I couldn't find one, either, but maybe it's out there. You should feel free to make variants of it, too; I wasn't sure if you wanted all the formal stuff at the bottom, but I left it there, just in case. Hi to kitty and all, Willow 02:30, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

I keep clogging up the history on your talk page, but I like and agree with your purple userbox. Well, maybe not Jewel ;) But most philosophy of science has always struck me as a lot of hand-wringing over things that have absolutely no practical consequence. I'd rather just be a pragmatist and be done with it. Opabinia regalis 05:58, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

thanks!

Stopping by to say thanks again for your exceptionally kind comments on my RfA (I said I wasn't going to spam people's talk pages, but I was honestly surprised at the amount of support I received, and hey, no good deed goes unpunished... :) I promise not to get too bogged down in adminnish tasks - nobody can stand too much bureaucracy at once. Opabinia regalis 03:20, 17 November 2006 (UTC)

Take a look at homology modeling?

I created homology modeling a while ago and have been intermittently editing it since, but I'm the only contributor at the moment and I think it needs more eyes. (Five just isn't enough.) It's not as complete as it could be, but before I go much further, I'd like some thoughts on its accessibility, and (somewhat conversely) whether the model production methods are too vaguely described. Its peer review request is here. Thanks! Opabinia regalis 05:58, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

Hi, O, I'll be glad to help out! I won't have much time today — I have family visiting, and we're preparing for Thanksgiving and putting the garden to bed for the winter — but I'll try to dash off a few things before they wake up, with more to follow. Please be patient with my lack of wiki-links and citations; I'll try to get to the library during the week. I also have to stop listening to Jewel and reply to the philosophy-of-the-scientific-method objections, which were sincere and no doubt will improve the article; I can't even claim to be a pragmatist if I don't overcome myself and get it done.  :( On the other hand, I'm delighted with the flexibility of the "user prefers" and "user would rather" templates, which I foresee will bring me many joys unworthy of a professional encyclopedian. ;) Willow 09:45, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

Oops, the other mice are stirring; gotta go! Hoping that this helped, Willow 11:56, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, that's great! I reorganized a bit and added refs to the Janus papers. You're starting early for the holidays - I'll be traveling on Wednesday, along with damn near half the US population, or so it always seems... Opabinia regalis 05:30, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

Oh, and thanks for reverting vandalism on my talk page. Poor bored kids. Opabinia regalis 00:53, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Nice user page!

Some nice images and thoughts there! I'm just dropping by as you were mentioned at this discussion, and I thought you might want to add yourself as an example on the policy page! Though actaully, you don't use the template you created, so maybe you aren't an example. Hmm. I'm confused now. Are you a real willow? :-) Carcharoth 02:13, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Hi, Carcharoth, thanks for your nice note! Probably no one is completely happy with their own name but, personally, I like the associations of Willow: yielding and pliant, gentle strength, close to pity and sorrow. After making the template for Opabinia regalis, I thought about using it myself but — it just didn't look right. Perhaps someday I'll make a version that looks beautiful to my own eyes. Besides, there's little chance of confusion; trees can't knit. ;)

I also have fond memories of the Silmarillion. But Carcharoth is a pretty daunting name, and I likewise hope that it's metaphorical. Perhaps you're terrifying in attacking vandalism and rampage ragingly over fancruft and commercial links? ;) Willow 10:25, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

The Sweater Curse

Just a shout out to say that I love that there is an entry about the sweater curse. Amystevens 21:28, 25 November 2006 (UTC) Amy Stevens

Hi, Amy, thanks for your great note! :D Poor sweater curse has not had many fans — I think you're the first — but I also love her dearly. I still have to fix her up, though; if you happen to know of any good references, I'd appreciate it! Other suggestions for knitting articles are also welcome. :) Willow 11:59, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

FA nomination for Bacteria

Hi Willow, hope you are doing well. I've nominated this page for FA. Your comments or corrections on its nomination page would be very welcome. TimVickers 17:29, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Wow, I am amazed as ever with the breadth of knowledge in the Willow Collective. From quantum mechanics to the taxonomy of the Chloroflexi. Are you guys an entire university editing from one account? :) TimVickers 00:46, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Blush _{Hey, it worked! I've never done colors before ;)}

You're really sweet; now it's my turn to be flattered by you, Mr. FAntastic. You're doing wonderful things yourself; words can't express how much I delight in the cornucopia of articles that is spilling from your keyboard. I'm nowhere near as productive and I gravitate instead towards the small and charming and overlooked nooks of knowledge, so we kind of complement one another.

Not a university, but perhaps a society of mind living in a poor crazy girl's head. ;) I like people a lot _{although I'm rather shy} and their beautiful words and ideas stick with me for a long time. It's kind of like photographic memory of the ears. ;) My favorite recurring dream is purely aural: listening in the dark to a symphony of thousands of other people's voices all speaking at once and me understanding all of them. Sometimes I have a beautiful idea of my own, so I have the best of both worlds: listener and musician. :) Willow 01:30, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the feedback, I've dealt with all your points on my user page. You must knit me a sweater sometime. ;) TimVickers 14:55, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

(sweet but dim heroine steps gingerly onto thin ice) I'd be happy to knit you a sweater, although you'll have to forgive me if it takes a while and if its design doesn't quite turn out right. It'd only be small repayment for the pleasure of your articles and your beautiful use of the word "grace" — but a well-meant repayment nonetheless. Tell me your favorite color (or color combination) and I'll do the rest. Willow 18:55, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

You dare to defy the sweater curse? This might be a bad idea, Willow, I would hate to lose you. TimVickers 21:45, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

(sly grin) I might know a path out of that labyrinth, one that is guaranteed to invoke only the most minor version of the Curse. If you trust your luck and my good will, send me your favorite color(s). Ta for now, Willow 23:08, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

P.S. More seriously, can I just register my surprise and happiness at your nice messages? I'm unfortunately apt to imagine that people don't like me or think slightly of me; praise from people I admire is a perfect antidote and leaves me glowing. I hope that, if I do ever disappoint you, you'll forgive me and consider me in the softer light of my better qualities.

RGB 54:48:119 (dark purple) would be wonderful. Thank you. TimVickers 16:55, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

An editor has made some major changes to this article, could you please return to the FAC and provide some feedback on whether or not these are an improvement? TimVickers 21:31, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

Thank you. Your suggestion of talking things over with Azaroonus is an excellent one. I don't want to irritate him, but I think I will have to revert the last few changes, as they simply are not an improvement. TimVickers 22:54, 2 December 2006 (UTC)