Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 November 19

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November 19

trying to open wikipedia files

When i try to open a wikipeia entry I'm getting a crazy redirect saying the following:

MIME Type: application/x-gzip-compressed

Description: UnKnown

Windows does not recognize this MIME type.

What gives? How to resolve?

Thanks

00:50, 19 November 2009 (UTC)70.53.67.99 (talk)

There is a problem in the communication between your browser and Wikipedia. Which browser is it? Another browser may work. Some users report errors when they follow a link from a Google search results page to Wikipedia, but not in other situations. If that is the case then you can manually copy the url from Google's page to the browser address bar instead of clicking the link. PrimeHunter (talk) 03:17, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Also, check your preferences and make sure the box that says "use external editor" is unchecked. TNXMan 13:56, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

I've tried to search the text of the error message at Google:[1]. This is a problem with Internet Explorer. Try using Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome or any other browser. --Q0k (talk) 04:52, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

How to publish an article

How do I publish my piece?- it sounds like the most obvious question on earth, but I can't seem to find the information anywhere... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Macneice (talk • contribs) 06:22, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

You might find help at Wikipedia:Your first article. If that doesn't help, could you be a little more specific about where you're stuck? Someguy1221 (talk) 07:01, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Is User:Macneice/Ted Noffs perhaps the piece you want to publish? —teb728 t c 11:16, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

I took at look at the draft at User:Macneice/Ted Noffs and made some formatting and layout changes. Couple of points, you need some more reliable sources to support notability. Also some of the language is a little flowery and unencyclopedic. – ukexpat (talk) 16:05, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

My IP was block by Wikipedia

Hello,

When I try to edit my page, I got an error message which mean that my IP address was block. As a result, I can not edit my page in Wikipedia.

Please advice how can I get my IP un-block by Wikipedia.

Thanks & Regards, Borin —Preceding unsigned comment added by 119.15.90.130 (talk) 09:29, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Hi Borin. As you could post from this IP, I'm assuming that this is not the one that you are referring to! What is the IP that you are referring to (your current one has no block on it). -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 09:41, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Also, that page are you referring to? -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 09:42, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Hi Phantom, I post this question by using other IP address. Could you check this range of IP: 202.79.27.X which I can not edit or post any article in wikipedia at all.

Thanks a lot for your kind response.

Regards, Borin

Royal Oak

What species of Oak is the Royal Oak KelticIrishDruid (talk) 13:39, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Science 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 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. --Mysdaao ^talk 13:53, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

• The article Royal Oak does not say! I suggest that you might want to ask this at the Research Desk - their job is to answer almost any question imaginable! Our job, alas, is only to answer questions about how to use Wikipedia, rather than answering knowledge questions. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 13:56, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

My guess would be the English oak, Quercus robur. – ukexpat (talk) 16:50, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

That would be my guess too. Incidently, there's also an entry at WikiSpecies -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 17:14, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Publishing an article

Hello

I tried to publish an article under the username ‘xmascupcommittee’ and called ‘xmas cup belfast’ about a competition played annually between friends, but it has been withdrawn. I am unfamiliar with the setting up of a page but read carefully all the steps for setting up an article. Can you please advise me on how to get my article published?

Please find the link below which did for a short while view my article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas_Cup_Belfast

Any assistance in this matetr would be greatly appreciated!

194.168.231.2 (talk) 14:35, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Hi there. The article was deleted because it didn't include an indication of why the tournament is important or significant - in other words, of why it was something that should appear in an encyclopedia. Take a look at our notability criteria - the rules that determine whether a subject merits a Wikipedia article - and our guide on writing your first article for tips on how to fulfill them. And let us know if you have any more questions. Gonzonoir (talk) 14:41, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Somebody has uploaded a profile about me but i want to edit the information

As a search i typed famous people from liverpool and my name is there under A as my name is Marc Alexander. When i clicked on the link, all the info is about a different Marc Alexander, how can i edit this info so it is about myself.

Regards,

Marc Alexander —Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.168.47.46 (talk) 14:52, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

If you happen to be a famous person from Liverpool (Though, ), then we would have to differentiate between you and the other Marc Alexander. No need to remove one notable person to add another, when we can have both. You may wish to have a look at WP:AUTOBIO, though, since you'd be writing about yourself, which is not usually a good idea. UltraExactZZ ^Said ~ Did 15:27, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

It might also be an idea to read the general notability guidelines and the guidelines on notability criteria for people.

I am puzzled by one thing: none of the Marc Alexanders that we have articles about are from Liverpool! Marc Alexander is a former New Zealand politician who was born in Japan. He spent some time in Australia, America and France, but most of his life he's been in NZ. Mark Alexander (painter) is English, but has no connection with Liverpool, Mark Alexander (politician) is American with no Liverpool connection and Mark Alexander (politician) is also American with no Liverpool connection, while Marc R. Alexander was born in Japan and has lived in the US and Hawaii. However, whatever Marc Alexander you are thinking of, none of these are you!

I am thinking that perhaps you saw another website and thought that it was Wikipedia? -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 19:01, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Possibly the question is about the Marc Alexander who appeared in List of bands from Merseyside#A before this edit which removed him. (I found that list by following the link from Liverpool#Notable people.) If the questioner searched with Google, the name may still appear on that page in Google's cached copy. This instance of the name seems to have been merely an entry in a list with no separate article about that particular person here yet. The question is somewhat unclear to experienced Wikipedia editors because we don't use the word "profile" to describe this type of list entry, and the questioner did not specify where he searched. Google search (and other search engine) results can differ from Wikipedia search results because Wikipedia search reflects the current state of Wikipedia, whereas Google uses a snapshot of Wikipedia that is on average a few days or weeks old, and Wikipedia is constantly changing. --Teratornis (talk) 19:26, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Miscellaneous

Question 1.

I would just like to know how Wikipedia goes about updating their information and how fast does it happen when something has changed especially when the information/file falls in a miscellaneous type of category. For instance if there was a person eighty eight years ago who in a given time, could read words printed upside down and read them wrong way round at the same time while the piece of papar was stuck to an object (like a turntable) and rotating. How do you guys get that information or how do you get to know about it?

Question 2.

How do you go about checking factual information before publishing it on the website?

Tahnk you, NirocFX —Preceding unsigned comment added by NirocFX (talk • contribs) 14:55, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

I have honestly no idea what you're talking about in your first question, but your second question, we really don't check stuff before it is published (yet).--Unionhawk ^{Talk E-mail Review} 15:10, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

I'm not totally sure about what most of your first question is about, either, but I'll try answering the first part: how Wikipedia goes about updating their information and how fast does it happen when something has changed: information in articles is updated by an editor, who notices that an article is missing something and adds it from their own knowledge (and sources), or who thinks that something isn't quite right with an article, looks up the information, and then updates the article (again, using reliable sources). Once an editor has click on "save page", the new version of the article is available instantly.

With regard to the second question - when editors add information to an article, they are expected to be able to cite reliable sources which are independent of the subject. Sometimes, an editor will find a statement in an article, and look up suitable references. Any facts which are unreferenced (and for which suitable references cannot be found) can be removed from the article.

I hope that this has answered the questions. If not, feel free to ask them again, explaining exactly what you mean. Regards, -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 18:52, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

And one thing that PhantomSteve's answer may not have made quite clear: an 'editor' of Wikipedia isn't someone special: they're you, or me, or PhantomSteve, or anybody else who chooses to contribute. --ColinFine (talk) 00:49, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

Discusion of page content

Hi, I'm a newby but have followed help instructions and hit a dead end.

The page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusun all looks great to me but I thought to add that in Indonesian (partly derived from Malay) means "village or small town".

I couldn't see an appropriate place to insert this fact without spoiling the flow/look of the page.

Thought I'd open it as a discussion topic with original contributors for advice/comment but I can't see how to do this (even following help instructions).

It's part of Malaysian Portal, does this make a difference?

Any help appreciated.

--philandher 16:12, 19 November 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Philandher (talk • contribs)

The best place to discuss improving an article is on the article's talk page. The talk page for Dusun is Talk:Dusun. Because the article is within the scope of WikiProject Malaysia, you may also bring it up at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Malaysia to get more feedback. --Mysdaao ^talk 16:18, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

What is my issue w/ this coord statement?

Resolved

I have used coord many times, but am having difficulty with this one for some reason:

{{coord|43|24|34.17|N|2|04|42.33|E|type:landmark|region:FR|display=inline,title}} {{coord|43|24|34.17|N|2|04|42.33|E|type:landmark|region:FR|display=inline,title}}

I have read Template:Coord and considerable testing has shown that I can use type or region, but can't get them to work together. thanks GloverEpp (talk) 18:30, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

You need to use "type:landmark_region:xx":

{{coord|43|24|34.17|N|2|04|42.33|E|type:landmark_region:FR|display=inline,title}} {{coord|43|24|34.17|N|2|04|42.33|E|type:landmark_region:FR|display=inline,title}}

Hope this helps, -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 18:43, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

I found what I needed when I reread Template:Coord for the umpteenth time. Optional parameters are separated by an underline. GloverEpp (talk) 18:57, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

How to Format internal link to Category?

Hi, I would like to add a link on my user page to a category that I go to frequently (because i enjoy adding missing coordinates to articles). The list of articles needing coordinates is at [Category:Articles needing coordinates]

and so far I am getting there by searching for it, but I am sure that there must be a way to format that on my user page to jump right to it. How is it done? or where should I look? thanks! --Mdukas (talk) 18:46, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Thus. Algebraist 18:49, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

cool! thanks for the succinct answer! --Mdukas (talk) 18:51, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

For the non-succinct answer, see Help:Category#Putting pages in categories and read down to the last sentence in that section. You should read the help page because there are other features of categories you will need to know about at some point in your Wikipedia editing. Categories are one of the trickier features of Wikipedia, so it's best to read the friendly manual rather than try to figure them out indirectly bit by bit. --Teratornis (talk) 19:15, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Probes

whts the ranje of probes used normally........... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kamran ndt (talk • contribs) 18:56, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our roughly three million articles, and thought that we were directly affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is a help desk for asking questions related to using the encyclopedia. Thus, we have no inside track on the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the left hand side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. TNXMan 18:58, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

dates

is there an exact rule on what date should be used for something released worldwide? should it be GMT as it is the universal time code? i ask this, as on the 'system software' pages for consoles there is zero consistency, and, although all releases are simulataneous, no dates match. some people have used the US release, some have used the UK or elsewhere (which makes it technically a day later). I personally think as Wikipedia standardises itself as UTC then that should be the date used. Is there an article that explains all? Thanks chocobogamer mine 20:21, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Probably best explained here. But in short, no, there really isn't a single universal standard that applies to everything, but there are guidelines for a number of things. --Bfigura ^(talk) 20:29, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

I would say it depends on the facts of the situation. For example, if it is a tangible item sold in a box, like a video game, the seller might dictate that it must not be sold until 00:00 local time for the store that is selling it. (Or the seller might have some other rule). If it is sold on the web and made available throughout the world, Universal Time might be most appropriate. If the manufacturer refers to it as the item released on a particular date, I would go with that date, even if it can't be discerned which time zone is intended. --Jc3s5h (talk) 21:18, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Empty deletion discussion

Resolved

 – Q0k (talk) 04:55, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

I've just found this deletion nomination for an article that doesn't appear to have existed. The original text was deleted by the nominee who apparently didn't understand deletion policy. What's the procedure for dealing with this type of page? Can I put it up for deletion at MFD? TheRetroGuy (talk) 20:25, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Deleted as uncontroversial maintenance. TNXMan 21:06, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Thanks. TheRetroGuy (talk) 21:10, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Father of the House

Something is wrong with the formating of this page. The table of German altepresidents is showing up at the bottom of the page by the external links instead of in the German section. 75.41.110.200 (talk) 20:56, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Fixed, the table wasn't closed correctly as the table end syntax has to be on it's own line. Nanonic (talk) 21:17, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Thanks. I tried that but then it merged two tables into one. Turns out I was using -| instead of |- 75.41.110.200 (talk) 21:35, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

blocked myself...

On the dutch Wikipedia, I tried to make my account unusable by adding the following css rule to monobook.css

* {display:none;}

. And also I added a javascript that redirects to Google as soon as you log in. This is highly effective and I can't log in anymore. However, I regret that I did this, because now I'd like to log in again.

Is there a way to bypass both the monobook.css and the monobook.js e.g. through parameters in the url? 212.123.186.64 (talk) 21:20, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Try using the url http://nl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Speciaal:Voorkeuren&useskin=modern (Special:Preferences in dutch) and change your default skin to modern or another that isn't monobook temporarily. If that works you can then edit your monobook.js and .css files. This will work if Wikipedia recognises you're still logged in. Nanonic (talk) 21:41, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Oh and you can use http://nl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:YOURUSERNAME/monobook.css&action=edit&useskin=modern and http://nl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:YOURUSERNAME/monobook.js&action=edit&useskin=modern if you want to do it the quick way. Nanonic (talk) 21:49, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Wow, thank you! It works 212.123.186.64 (talk) 21:54, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Want to make sure I get this right.

Hey there! I am trying to add on to a biography of a living person and I wanted to know if I can use his website and/or blog as a source. It is a ll factual and does not having any self promotion in it. Please let me know what the restrictions are for this. Thanks so much! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.147.169.26 (talk) 20:56, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Self-published sources should never be used in articles about living persons.

Blogs are never considered to be reliable, simply because anyone can set-up a blog and write anything they want. The same goes for YouTube videos, other wikis, etc. The information presented in a reliable source must be verifiable; that is, the information must be corroborated by other sources, or the source must have a well-known reputation for accuracy and fact-checking (a good example is a major newspaper). Xenon54 / talk / 21:35, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Actually, your link on Self-published sources mentions circumstances which may apply in this case and allow the source, but we cannot say without knowing the details. See also Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons#Using the subject as a self-published source. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:57, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

Religions

What does each religion believe to make them different? IE: Baptist vs Christianity vs Muslim vs Catholicism? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hisbride44 (talk • contribs) 21:23, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Have you tried the Humanities section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. Please note, however, that they will not do your homework. TNXMan 21:28, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

• You might find what you are looking for in the articles Comparative religion or Religious belief. If you cannot find the answer there, you can try asking your question at Wikipedia's Reference Desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about any question in the universe (except about how to use Wikipedia, which is what this help desk is for). I hope this helps. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 00:48, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

One way to answer this question would be to ask devotees of each of those religions what they think is wrong with the others. For example, you could ask your local Imam if he believes Baptists are going to hell, and if so, why. You could ask the Baptists if they think the Catholics are correct to pray to Mary, and if not, why not. This can get more interesting if you can gather representatives from all those religions together to have a big argument. Historically these types of disagreements have occasionally led to religious war, so you might want to observe from a safe distance. --Teratornis (talk) 05:35, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

"Man is the only animal with the True Religion - hundreds of them!" --Mark Twain ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:39, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

And more all the time. --Teratornis (talk) 18:25, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

Uploading a video

If I find a video on youtube can i screen capture it and upload it here?

and if not, can i upload it if i uploaded the video on youtube? BlueJaysFan32 (talk) 23:35, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

• The short answer: No.

The longer answer: No. Most of the ones which might be wanted in articles are copyrighted (they are from TV shows, films, etc), so we couldn't host them. The ones which are not necessarily copyrighted, we wouldn't use in articles anyway - those uploaded by people of their personal videos (family picnics and stuff).

However, it is permissible to link to a relevant YouTube video in the External links of a relevant article, by using the YouTube template. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 00:55, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

Just a caution: you still can't use that template to link to copyright infringing material, so please do be careful. -- Bfigura ^(talk) 01:31, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

Nonsense. There is nothing wrong with linking to copyrighted material. What would be wrong would be linking to a site that you believe is violating the rights of the copyright holder. --Jc3s5h (talk) 01:48, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

Yup, quite right. That's what I get for quickly parsing the template. -- Bfigura ^(talk) 03:51, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

Just a note; people's personal videos on YouTube are also copyrighted, so to take stills from them would be no less an infringement than any other video you might take a still of. AJCham 05:01, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

• Yes! Yes! You can download Youtube video in Mozilla Firefox with add-ons:
  • "Fast YouTube Download",
  • "MP4 YouTube Downloader", and
  • others. But think a lot about copyright issues (video author and owner). --Q0k (talk) 04:21, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

Unless I misread it, the question wasn't about how to download YouTube videos - it was about using them on Wikipedia (either in their entirety, or screen captures). However, thank you for your useful links - they will no doubt be useful to a lot of people, for use outside of their Wikipedia life! -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 10:00, 22 November 2009 (UTC)