Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2008 April 20

Help desk
< April 19	<< Mar | April | May >>	April 21 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current Help Desk pages.

April 20

Is there any way....

To click a button on here and be taken to a completely random article?? Like a lucky dip???—Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.77.250.99 (talk • contribs)

Special:Random will give you a random article each time you click it. « Gonzo fan2007 (talk ♦ contribs) 01:09, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Wow that's really cool - thanks - not sure what use it really has though - lol.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.77.250.99 (talk • contribs)

Haha yeah a lot of people will use it to learn random new facts, or find random pages to copy-edit or add to. « Gonzo fan2007 (talk ♦ contribs) 01:17, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

"Random article" in the navigation box to the left is a link to Special:Random. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:37, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Please sign your post by typing four tildes (~~~~) or clicking the signature button above the edit box (as shown to the left ←). Do NOT sign in articles....... Dendodge.Talk^Help 20:07, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

It'd be nice if we could also choose which namespace to randomize, because I'd like to see some pages in the Wikipedia namespace that I have never seen before :) Gary King (talk) 21:02, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

I use Random all the time to just look at articles to see what can be cleaned up or unvandalized from time to time.  :) Corvus cornix_talk 21:19, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Disputing content

I have spent more time than I intended to looking for this answer. If I read an article and wish to dispute the accuracy, how do I go about that. So far I see only one choice, that being to edit the article.

It seems to me though that would be unacceptable since I have no way of actually verifying my claim in a mere edit. My verification would usually be a preponderance of articles by other reputable sources found elsewhere. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Truth Always Wins (talk • contribs)

You can add a note on the article's talk page. However, it would be a good start to have sources ready to back up your claims. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 01:31, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

The best course of action depends on the circumstances. Do you have something specific in mind? Maybe we can do something about it. Some links which may or may not be useful in a given situation: Wikipedia:Verifiability, Wikipedia:Be bold, Wikipedia:Resolving Disputes/Templates, Wikipedia:Dispute resolution, Wikipedia:Talk page. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:48, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Please sign your post by typing four tildes (~~~~) or clicking the signature button above the edit box (as shown to the left ←). Do NOT sign in articles....... Dendodge.Talk^Help 20:07, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Four years I have suffered a stroke.

It has been easier for me to use word functions on the internet. Would you have this for Windows XP? It is much easier for to hear the words pronced on the internet then to read it. Thank you for your help!

• Email address removed. Ten Pound Hammer and his otters • ^{(Broken clamshells•Otter chirps)} 02:15, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

I am sorry to hear of your problem, and I am happy to hear that text-based internet interactions are a useful alternative for you.

You have asked your question at the Wikipedia Help desk. This is a purely text-based page that is devoted to help for questions about using the english Wikipedia. Nevertheless, I think we should interpret your question broadly, as follows:

• If a user of the English Wikipedia needs spoken output rather than text output, then what should that user do? Please respond assuming that the user is using XP. Responses for other user environments are also appreciated.

-Arch dude (talk) 05:00, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

-- I use a Mac, so I can only answer in general about XP, but what you need is a screen reader. A google search for "windows xp screen reader" turned this Microsoft article up as the first link: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/accessibility/expert/crawford_03may27.mspx and also had many other relevant links. Mac OS X includes - and has from the first version - the ability to have the machine speak selected text; to use it, select the text you want read, then go to the application's menu (the one to the right of the Apple menu), then "Services", then "Speech", then "Start Speaking Text". Also, Mac OS X can speak text that you point to with the mouse, to turn this on either type command-F5 or turn on VoiceOver from the Universal Access system preference.

The long way would be to copy+paste into Microsoft Sam. WP:RD/C might help a bit more. ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 07:59, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Check out Comparison of screen readers— JAWS (screen reader) seems to be quite popular. --— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 10:24, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Please sign your post by typing four tildes (~~~~) or clicking the signature button above the edit box (as shown to the left ←). Do NOT sign in articles....... Dendodge.Talk^Help 19:25, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

I know that both Firefox and Opera have downloadable screen readers. Samuell Lift me up or put me down 14:52, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

coffee mug

I broke my friends honeymoon Insperation coffee mug.How can I get another one. It was Navy Blue.

I'd recommend going to Wal-Mart. This is Wikipedia, an encyclopedia, which doesn't sell coffee mugs. Sorry. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 02:21, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Try google. [1] did not get an immediate hit, so you will need to try different search parameters.The help desk is not exactly the right place for this, but you are a Wikipedian ins need, so I responded. I would guess that the Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous might be a better place to ask. -Arch dude (talk) 02:51, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

I don't think the Reference Desk needs questions such as this. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 03:32, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

If you kept the pieces of the broken mug, you could super glue them back together. The mug would not be suitable for beverage use, but your friend could still use it as a pen and pencil holder. --Teratornis (talk) 03:49, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Wikipedia:Reference desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. You could always try searching Wikipedia for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. Be careful how you word it though. ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 15:23, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Please sign your post by typing four tildes (~~~~) or clicking the signature button above the edit box (as shown to the left ←). Do NOT sign in articles. ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 19:25, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Help desk/Instructions

Moved to: Wikipedia talk:Help desk#Wikipedia:Help desk/Instructions - meta-discussion about the design of the Help desk belongs on its talk page. --Teratornis (talk) 06:06, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Huggle

Hi, I've been trying to get Huggle to work, but so far, I've had no luck at all. I created the .css page as instructed, User:Useight/huggle.css, but I don't know what to do next. Can someone let me know what I'm supposed to do to use Huggle? Useight (talk) 03:38, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

As per the instructions on Wikipedia:Huggle, email User:Huggle (a.k.a User:Gurch) using Special:Emailuser/Huggle, requesting Huggle. You will then receive the .exe for huggle back as an attachment. Calvin 1998 ^(t-c) 03:43, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Okay, I guess I'll have to wait for the e-mail. Thanks. Useight (talk) 03:45, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

I added [[:Category:Wikipedians who use Huggle|{{PAGENAME}}]] to your userpage. Did you make sure you've downloaded the most recent .7.4 version? And checked the second option to use Special:Recentchanges (more reliable than IRC), and given your firewall an exception for it, since it needs one? MBisanz ^talk 03:47, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

I hope you don't mind that I added nowiki tags to show the code you added to Useight's user page. The code was rendering as "Help desk" here and that was potentially confusing for someone to read (maybe someone like me). --Teratornis (talk) 05:40, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Yea, that would be me messing up the code somewhere. Thanks. MBisanz ^talk 23:56, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Similar Username

Resolved

I have found an account with the name Dendog. I am sure you can see that it is similar to my name, Dendodge, how do I deal with similar usernames? WP:UAA, WP:RFCN or {{uw-username}}? ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 08:34, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Well the account appears to have been created on July 30, 2006, and has not made any edits at this point, so I would say watchlist it if you want, and if that user ever does any edits you may be concerned. But given the history, or lack thereof on that account I would just ignore it unless it does become an issue. -Optigan13 (talk) 08:45, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Especially considering that user actually registered before you did. -Optigan13 (talk) 08:46, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Oh, I just presumed that the lack of contribs, user page and talk page meant the user was new. OK, thanks. ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 09:00, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Disabling the ability to wikilink to a page?

Got a problem. A bunch of us are combing through style guidelines for conflicts and stupid stuff (shocking, I know :) Here's one: 1700s etc links to a page that doesn't mean "1700s", it refers to the first decade of the 1700s. For people that know this, it isn't a problem; but since "1700s" never means "the first decade of the 1700s" outside Wikipedia, every user who hasn't been specifically told gets it "wrong" (as "wrong" is defined on Wikipedia). We discussed this yesterday at WT:MOSNUM.

We could delete the page and use titles that mean what they say, or it might work if anyone trying to link to 1700s gets some kind of notice (a nightly bot might work) that Wikipedia has a special meaning for the term, and did they mean the century or the first decade, or it might work if there's an overridable template that disallows linking to that page. Got a solution? - Dan Dank55 (talk) 12:11, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

I don't think there is a generally accepted term for the first decade of the 18th century. Thus, 1700s is probably the least worst, becuase it fits into the scheme we have for decades (1690s, 1700s, 1710s, etc.). I guess we could have every "century decade" (1500s, 1600s, 1700s, 1800s, etc.) become a disambiguation page between, e.g. 1700s (decade) (which would serve the current role of 1700s) and 18th century (which would remain unchanged). I'm not sure whether this is a reasonable solution. However, disabling linking really isn't going to work. Superm401 - Talk 12:26, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

There are plenty of accepted phrases, they just aren't 5 characters or less. "The first decade of the 1700s", "1700–1709", etc work fine. I agree that a disambiguation page would be ideal; I really don't know what people were thinking not making it a disambiguation page in the first place, since every dictionary and every hit from a Google search says that "1700s" means 1700–1799. I'll see what I can do at WT:DAB. - Dan Dank55 (talk) 13:49, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Legality of vandalism

I am a dangerous ^(joke) combination of curious and bored today, and found myself wondering what the legal status of vandalism on Wikis is. That's both where the servers are hosted and anywhere where the user might actually be vandalising. Is it technically a crime? Is anything else iritating done by IPs etc technically criminal? Not that there's much notice the police would pay, but curiosity got the better of me. Blood Red Sandman ^{(Talk) (Contribs)} 14:10, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Well technically vandalism is legal because Wikipedia allows everyone to edit. If Wikipedia didn't let everyone edit and they some how hacked into the database it would then be illegal. Alexfusco⁵ 14:28, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Note that Wikipedia does not give legal opinions and help desk editors are not official representatives of the Wikimedia Foundation. I don't know whether there are circumstances (for example for block-evading users making continued extreme vandalism) where the foundation might consider legal action. And the subject of a vandalism edit might take legal action independently of the Wikimedia Foundation. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:53, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

We cannot offer legal advice. Please see the legal disclaimer. Contact your lawyer. ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 14:57, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

If any vandalism on Wikipedia had led to significant legal action, presumably someone would have written about it in the Signpost, which you can search with {{Google custom}}: Search Wikipedia Signpost. The closest event I am aware of was the Seigenthaler incident. (My awareness would be a very incomplete measure of what you are asking about.) --Teratornis (talk) 15:11, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

And the same applies for racism/personal attacks? Blood Red Sandman ^{(Talk) (Contribs)} 19:12, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

That would be shakier. As I said before, we cannot give legal advice but if it caused distress or damage, somebody could sue....... Dendodge.Talk^Help 19:15, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Email.

So, how do I get a wikipedia email address? Having that would be awesome. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.31.40.192 (talk)

Wikipedia is not an email service and does not offer a Wikipedia email address. If you have an account then you can mail with other registered users who have set an email address for their account, but it must be an existing email address independent of Wikipedia. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:33, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

It's possible that if you devote yourself to being appointed to the board of the Wikimedia Foundation or becoming their developer, or otherwise ingratiate yourself into the inner circle you can get them to set you up with an email account. Or, you can try other routes such as taking over the world, and then ordering that it be done or else. Be creative.--68.237.236.181 (talk) 16:13, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Nah, I'm pretty sure Jimbo Wales uses Gmail, and he's the Wikipedia Godking/All-encompassing dictator! ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 17:02, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Jimbo uses a Wikia email, his userpage says so. Calvin 1998 ^(t-c) 17:19, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Please sign your post by typing four tildes (~~~~) or clicking the signature button above the edit box (as shown to the left ←). Do NOT sign in articles....... Dendodge.Talk^Help 19:24, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

It'd probably not be a good idea to hand out @wikipedia.org email addresses because if people misuse them, then Wikipedia's reputation could be in jeopardy, whether or not the two issues are related. Gary King (talk) 19:27, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Nonsense situation

Resolved

Please visit Help:Page_name. At the top is a green box detailing the history of China or something equally irrelevant. If possible, please ascertain why and correct the situation. ----Seans Potato Business 16:18, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

The header template was vandalized. --— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 16:37, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Taking a quick look, I found another redirected header that had been repeatedly vandalized since April 2006. --— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 17:16, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

World Market Center Las Vegas entry

Small Text Please note the listing for World Market Center Las Vegas, only shows it to be listed as World Market Center.

Because of an agreement reached with a similar-named corporation (Cost Plus World Market Center), our company's name must be identified as "World Market Center Las Vegas." (see press release: http://lasvegasmarket.com/wmc/press_room/press_releases-main-news/april-17-2008-cost-plus-w.shtml)

Can this change be made?

If any further information is needed, please contact my office:

--Amaiden (talk) 16:27, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

 Done ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 16:50, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

In the future, you can rename an article yourself by moving it with the "move" tab that appears at the top of each article after your account is four days old. See Help:Moving a page for more information. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 16:55, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Deleting a page

I don't know how delete a page, and i can't find anything that tells me how. – 「ＪＵＭＰＧＵＲＵ」@^{Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia} 17:28, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

You can't, as you're not an administrator. However, Wikipedia:DELETE outlines the various reasons for deletion and the various ways you can tag a page for further attention. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 17:31, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Incidentally, what page are you looking at? Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 17:32, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

If it's one you created and does not have any useful content, you could apply a WP:CSD tag to it. Gary King (talk) 19:25, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Signatures in templates

Resolved

If I put 4 tildes in a template, whose signature will be shown on pages onto which the template is transcluded - mine or that of the transcluder? ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 17:49, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Depends on how you do it. Your intention, I assume, is to get the transcluder's signature to show, in which case you'll want to use this code: ~<includeonly>~~</includeonly>~ That will force the signature to only appear when the template is used. Note, however, that the template will probably need to be substituted (subst:) all the time if you use this. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 17:53, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Question: Thanks, that's my intention but I need it to transclude. The template's {{HD}}, which is for use on this page and has pretty long code when it's subst:ed. If it's not possible it's fine. (I've included an example here but the others are the ones I need the sig for. ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 17:58, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

I'd suggest not having it include the sig, then, as people often want to leave additional comments after the standard message (i.e. "If that doesn't help, try here instead," etc.) Including the sig automatically would cause some awkwardness. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 18:04, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Hmm, OK, thanks! ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 18:19, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Table

Resolved

 – Issue resolved. Gary King (talk) 20:46, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Can someone table the information for the 2008 state winners in National Geographic Bee. I tried twice, but my computer failed both times. It took a long time to do, and it got frustrating. I'm asking if someone else can do it. Just use similar tables like the previous year's winners. Thanks, Spencer^T♦C 18:00, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

 Doing... I'm on it...! EJF (talk) 18:28, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

I was about to do it, but I see that EJF (talk · contribs) already has it covered. I had some fancy regular expressions all written up, already, too! :) (I hope you didn't do it all by hand...!) Gary King (talk) 19:20, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

 Done Gary: I'm afraid I did... :( EJF (talk) 19:21, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Unfortunately it wasn't a Canadian Geographic Bee, since then only 10 provinces would have to be done, as opposed to 50 states :) Gary King (talk) 19:23, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Thanks...it frustrated me when I kept screwing up. Mind you, there's 55 states represented in the bee...because of Puerto Rico, DC, Virgin Islands, Pacific Territories, and Department of Denfense Schools. Spencer^T♦C 19:58, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Those are mostly American territories, but certainly not states. (Sorry, I had to say it! :p) Gary King (talk) 20:45, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Well since we're being picky, Canada's 3 territories are sufficiently populated so that there is rarely an event involving all 10 provinces that would not include some or all of the territories as well. (Canada's 3rd territory, Nunavut is less than 10 years old, FYI.) --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 00:16, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

images

I am trying to upload an image - an album cover to be precise - but the language used in the Wikepedia help area is not helpful and after spending the last half an hour trying to make my way through the whole process I have to resort to the HELP area!!! So can anyone guide me through the procedure - please do it in the most non-technical way. Perhaps as if you are teaching a person who knows none of the jargon. Sorry for being so stupid! Or is it me being stupid?

Click the 'upload file' link in the toolbox to the left. Select a source and find the right file from your PC. Fill in the details and you're done! ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 19:17, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

See WP:FUR to find a relevant 'fair use rationale'. ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 19:17, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Hello Colm, I am afraid you cannot yet upload an image because your account is not yet 4 days old. By Thursday evening (5.42pm GMT) you will be able to upload an image, following Dendodge's above instructions. Happy editing! EJF (talk) 19:20, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Feel free to notify someone and ask them to upload the image for you, though, if the image is already available somewhere online. Gary King (talk) 19:21, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Please sign your post by typing four tildes (~~~~) or clicking the signature button above the edit box (as shown to the left ←). Do NOT sign in articles....... Dendodge.Talk^Help 19:23, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Thanks! I'll have a go at it in a couple of days. Colm

Put a user's contributions on the watchlist?

Is it possible to put someone's contributions on my watchlist? If so, how do I do that? Gary King (talk) 19:32, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Don't believe so. Sorry. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 19:35, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Alright, thanks, I figured as much. I've just been curious after seeing a few people saying that they would put a user's contributions on their watchlist, but I guess they put the user on their watchlist then check their watchlist every once in a while for pages in the user namespace. Gary King (talk) 19:36, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Actually, there's a script for this purpose. The script is located at User:Tra/userwatchlist.js. With this script installed, the edits of users whose user page is on your watchlist is displayed in a watchlist-like format at User:Tra/User watchlist. Pyrospirit (talk · contribs) 19:40, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Interesting. I'll check it out, although I'd rather not want to add user pages to my watchlist because I'd rather not want to be flooded with another user's messages on my watchlist. Gary King (talk) 19:43, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

WSMR map

I recently moved this to Commons but i want to preserve the history. It has not done this on Commons but i am worried now that i have moved the image, it is going to be deleted here (the history goes byebye). With all the different versions, it now looks strange on Commons in the history area but does not show the older versions. A thing to note is that i moved the image to Commons under a different name.

The image(s) i am referring to is\are Image:WSMR route trial pic.png (here on Wikipedia) and Image:WSMR trial route map.png (Commons version). What do i do? Simply south (talk) 19:55, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Remove the {{NowCommons}} template from the Wikipedia version and then it won't be deleted. Gary King (talk) 20:03, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Should i still make a note on the Wikipedia version that the same image exists on Commons and about the above in less words? Simply south (talk) 20:11, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Might be an idea. Yeah, why not? ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 20:17, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

So much worry over nothing i suppose. How does it looks (Wikipedia version)? Simply south (talk) 20:30, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Looks fine. ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 20:36, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Request for comment

I placed a RFC tag on this page Talk:False document, in the last section.

The RFC bot found this tag and created an entry here: Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Art, architecture, literature and media.

But the entry is not correctly arranged. I'm guessing I goofed. Can someone tell me what I did wrong?

Thanks, Wanderer57 (talk) 20:22, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

 Done You emboldened the section title, deleting the ''' and ''' fixed it. ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 20:34, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Thank you. The problem was fixed but it came back. It seems as if the bot reversed your edit as soon as it returned to the page.  ?? Wanderer57 (talk) 20:56, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

 Done (again) If the bot reverts it again, I'll complain to its operator. ...... Dendodge.Talk^Help 21:02, 20 April 2008 (UTC)