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Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2010 July 20

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July 20

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1 billionth user

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I was wikipedia's 1 bilionth user and it said there was a prize i could retrieve....to see if this was real, i refreshed the page and the notification was gone. what do i do now? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.239.57.140 (talk) 01:27, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It wasn't real. Currently 48,347,813 have made a Wikipedia edit or registered an account, of course nowhere near 1 billion. (Since I know there will be someone that says "What about being the 1 billionth hit?", that isn't the case either, since Google alone accounts for 1.67 billion hits per month, about a quarter of Wikipedia's total traffic in the same period.) And I can't imagine a nonprofit such as the Wikimedia Foundation having enough budgetary room to give away a prize that's worth anything. What did you do to arrive at the page where the notification appeared? Xenon54 (talk) 01:34, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Hold on. Wikipedia gets 7 billion hits per month? Hallpriest9 (Talk) 01:39, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict)

First of all, there are not even near 1 billion users on Wikipedia. According to The statistics page in Wikipedia's software, there are only about 12.7 million users on Wikipedia (ATM). Second, you are an IP (anonymous) user, and not a registered user. Third, the page was likely a scam. Where, might I ask, did you see this "prize announcement"? Hmmwhatsthisdo (talk) 01:40, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I think I saw the same thing in the article London. A blocked (not banned, blocked) user made the edit which is confusing, since blocked editors can't edit. Here is the link. The Raptor Let's talk/My mistakes; I mean, er, contributions 01:42, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Mmkay. First, the person was blocked 4 minutes later. Second, it was someone's cruel joke. Hmmwhatsthisdo (talk) 01:57, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
You should know that if you had clicked the link it would have geolocated you and given you a message saying, "A package of Viagra is on it's way to your home. Please enjoy!" Crude, in my opinion. Mr. R00t Talk 02:10, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
That made me laugh a bit. Crude, yet a little funny (yes, I know I have a bad sense of humor) Hmmwhatsthisdo (talk) 03:43, 21 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Problem with staying logged in

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I logged in today and clicked on the link to my watchlist. But instead of taking me to my watchlist a screen came up that said "you must be logged in to view your watchlist." So I clicked the link to log in, and suddenly, without typing in anything, I was logged in again. This happened to me twice today. What's going on? The Raptor Let's talk/My mistakes; I mean, er, contributions 01:38, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Weird, so I'm not the only one having this issue. Does anyone else know why? sonia♫♪ 11:12, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
This has happened to me too. It used to appear very, very frequently but has decreased during the past few months. Kayau Voting IS evil 11:28, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Well, I'm no expert with this kind of thing but maybe there's a problem with the Cookies somewhere. The Cookies are used to remember that you're logged in. I know this is not much of a help, but that's what I suspect the problem's caused by. Chevymontecarlo - alt 11:31, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Hmm. For me, this has happened for the last week or so on my two most frequent computers, only for enwiki and not for any of the other Wikipedias. Also, my watchlist has started taking a horrendous amount of time to load when it does load. Can one have too many pages on a watchlist, and should I clean mine out? Can cookies cause that too? sonia♫♪ 11:34, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Wait a second....you closed my RfA, didn't you? But on a more serious note, you could be right, Sonia. Same goes for my watchlist. In fact, it sometimes takes so long to load, it's faster if I look through the pages I remember putting on my watchlist instead of waiting for it to load. Do you think we should report this to ANI? The Raptor Let's talk/My mistakes; I mean, er, contributions 16:31, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, I believe I did. But I don't gather what it has to do with ANI at all- it'd be a good idea to take it to VPT though. sonia♫♪ 23:24, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Alright I'll take it there. The Raptor Let's talk/My mistakes; I mean, er, contributions 23:27, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

how do i get the instution on how to get started

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i really would like help non getting started —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jimsisk63 (talk • contribs) 02:36, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

If you mean getting started writing an article, read the standard advice below. I'll also leave you a message on your talk page.

A Wizard is available to walk you through these steps. See the Article Wizard.

Thank you.
Before creating an article, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines with which all articles should comply. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.
Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.
If you still think an article is appropriate, see Wikipedia:Your first article. You might also look at Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. An Article Wizard is also available to walk you through creating an article. TNXMan 02:40, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"Congratulations! Wikipedia's one-billionth user. Click to collect your prize!"

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I got this message: "Congratulations! Wikipedia's one-billionth user. Click to collect your prize!" while on this Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil

Is this an exploit? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.213.184.42 (talk) 03:10, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

See above, twice. – ukexpat (talk) 03:20, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

one billionth??

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Congratulations! Wikipedia's one-billionth user. Click to collect your prize! <-----------------got that message on my phone a few minutes ago when I tried to look something up. Couldn't click on anything so I copied it and emailed it to myself and still can't click on it though it's in huge red letters. This some kind of joke or add or something?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Matpoe (talk • contribs) 03:25, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

See the question immediately above yours. Dismas|(talk) 03:29, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Infobox, again...

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How do I add a list in an infobox, as seen at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senator_P._Eugene_Casey_Memorial_Pool

I would like to do this without a template.

Thanks, Ddbruce (talk) 03:25, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Infoboxes are templates. Also, what do you mean by "a list"? Please be more specific. --erachima talk 03:31, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

See how the "Size" caption is centered with a faint line underneath, and all the text under it is centered?

I want to do it without a "infobox swimming pool" template, per se, and add fields myself, etc.


Ddbruce (talk) 03:35, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

One reason for infoboxes is so that the standard information can be displayed in a uniform fashion from article to article. If you go create your own infobox then that uniformity is lost and the encyclopedia loses a polished appearance. It's best to keep the standard infobox for whatever the subject of the article is. Aside from that though, you have a larger issue of showing how this particular pool is notable. If I were you, I'd concentrate on that first. Dismas|(talk) 03:42, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]


Are you saying that a state park run by a particular organization is notable, yet a pool that is a MEMORIAL to a deceased senator, and run by the same organization, is not?

Oh, and if you're concerned about Wikipedia losing that "polished" appearance, I suggest you change the "infobox swimming pool" template. If you didn't realize, I am trying to make my infobox look like YOUR template. NOT my own thing.

Ddbruce (talk) 03:48, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not saying it is or it isn't. What I am saying is that you haven't shown that the pool is notable. And no, I haven't looked up our notability standards for pools, if we indeed have any. At the least, it should pass the general notability guidelines.
I do wish you'd calm down though. There's no point in making this an argument. There is no "your template" or "my template". You're entitled to make just as many changes to the standard swimming pool template as I am. Since you're new here, I would like to make sure to point out that if you do change the current template, it will affect several articles. So by changing something, you may end up breaking the way that those articles are displayed. Dismas|(talk) 04:41, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I wasn't looking to change the current template, I was looking to make mine - without using that particular template - look the same. The reason for not using that template is that I want to put in fields that aren't normally accessible, i.e. "Renovated," "Builder," "Manager," perhaps.

I'm not looking to change other articles, I just like how the "infobox swimming pool" looks, and I do not know how to make mine look like that.

Thanks,

Ddbruce (talk) 13:16, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Take a look at the {{Infobox swimming pool}} template page for assistance. – ukexpat (talk) 15:32, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Is there a place where I can find the source to that template? -Ddbruce (talk) 00:08, 21 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Yes. Go to the template page and hit the "edit" link at the top. It will show you the code that is used. For more assistance in making templates, see Help:Template. Dismas|(talk) 00:18, 21 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Articles are edited by many people and it's best to use the same infoboxes for the same type of subject. The documentation at {{Infobox swimming pool}} says you can have up to 5 user defined fields with label(1-5), data(1-5). That should be enough. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:33, 21 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Honoring Brazilian architect Oscar Neimeyer . This could be in a Rio newspaper ., but nowhere on internet was any space for this .

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This information should go t an appropriate newspaper in Rio . I have a very natural prperty along the Arrow Lakes in B.C. Canada. 3 acres is along Bowman Creek and this will be a nature conserve with only paths to walk on and enjoy beautiful nature . On part of it I want to make some signs honoring significant people whom the world knows for their contribution to moter earth . In this case Oscar Niemeyer has designed the most beautiful buildings in many places . As he is 102 years old , and still designing , I want to put this plaque with his picture at a beautiful, scenic spot overlooking the Arrow Lake . There will be some others honored there as well. For instance . Frank Lloyd Wright will also be honored there . There will be others honored and known far and wide throughout the world ..

Could you please send a copy of this to the very great , Oscar Niemeye

Thank yoy, Jack Oswald —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.77.220.60 (talk) 04:47, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 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 upper right 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. Someguy1221 (talk) 06:46, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

enwiki-20100130-pages-articles.xml.bz2

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Hi all, I downloaded a file (enwiki-20100130-pages-articles.xml.bz2)thinking that it has all the articles of Wikipedia (whole encyclopedia). I have expanded it using a compression utility but dont known from which application to open that mega file of 24.8 GB. Plz help! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 113.193.110.186 (talk) 09:11, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You're not likely to find it useful to view that XML file as one document. The only way you're going to be able to make sense of it is by installing the MediaWiki software yourself and then following the instructions here to import the file. At that point you'll basically have your own local copy of Wikipedia. Chris Cunningham (not at work) - talk 10:47, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Article disappeared - help! New article appeared published but days later cannot find it and re-directing to another article.

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Hi! I recently tried to create my first article, on Desktops as a Service, which was sufficiently different to Desktop Virtualiation to have its own entry (it had previously redirected there).

It wasn't perfect, but it was a starting point written by some expert IT implementers, to get the definition and online conversation started.

Days later - it has disappeared and again redirects to Dekstop Virtualisation. DaaS is not the same as DVI and is in fact a sub-set of it.

I cannot even find the original article. What happened and what can I do / change to have the article loaded? Would love some help and advice to get going again.

Thank you! natasja —Preceding unsigned comment added by Moltentech (talk • contribs) 12:05, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Look at the history page for Desktop as a service. You will see that another editor recreated the redirect. Please discuss this issue with that editor. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) talk 12:11, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Wikipedia is an inappropriate venue if you want "get the definition and online conversation started". Dougweller (talk) 15:07, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Can someone help me upload my article?

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Hi, a few days back I uploaded an article on Wikipedia by the name of Pritish Nandy Communications. There were some issues and another editor, karenjc, userfied the article for me and shifted it to my userspace saying that since the article was notable and verifiable, there was no point in deleting it. Karenjc even made some changes to the article in my userspace and was in touch with me for a couple of days but now, I have been trying to contact her and there has been no response from her or any other editor for almost 5 days now. The article still lies in my userspace without it going live and I don't know what to do next. Please help! Shishir58 (talk) 12:20, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I will move it into article space for you now. --Cameron Scott (talk) 12:33, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Except for the fact that I can't as a page exists already with that name and an Admin needs to do it - anyone? --Cameron Scott (talk) 12:36, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Done by Fuhghettaboutit. Xenon54 (talk) 13:19, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
(e/c) Moved. You've put a lot of work into this; good job! Some constructive criticism. The article has far too much list material. You should attempt to convert to prose—instead of listing every movies, every book every television special, detail significant items in naturally text with context provided. Please also note that naked links as sources (while 1,000 x better than no sources!) really should be reformed to list the title of the entry, an author if relevant, the publisher and an accessdate. Using webcitation.org to archive URLs of links that may go away is also a good idea in my view. In any event, here's how I would (and have) reformat your first citation in the history section as an example:

<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/News-Interviews/Pritishall-over-again/articleshow/5976606.cms|title=Pritish...all over again!|last=Manuel|first=Mark|publisher=Times of India|date=May 27, 2010|accessdate=July 20, 2010}}</ref>

This particular source might work better with the template {{cite news}}, but since it appears many of the citations are web based, I wanted to use cite web because it will be more suitable example for other citations throughout the article. Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 13:22, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Dear Cameron, first off, thank you! Finally someone's helped! Appreciate the compliment too, put in a lot of time researching every claim that I've made. I have some questions. Evidently, I'm very confused about the re-formating of the citations. I'll talk to you further on the article's talk page. Look forward to your support. Shishir58 (talk) 14:48, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Dear Fuhghettaboutit, thank you too. Karenjc did say that she would clean up all the re-directs. Up until now there was no article on the company, Pritish Nandy Communications. Just one on Pritish Nandy, an individual. Talk further on the article's talkpage.Shishir58 (talk) 14:48, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

2x silly questions

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  1. What is secure.wikimedia.org for and why do editors link there for diffd
  2. What does it mean by 'Sorry! We could not process your edit due to a loss of session data. Please try again. If it still does not work, try logging out and logging back in' and how to avoid it

Thanks. Kayau Voting IS evil 12:39, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

1. For people that are (or think they are) at risk of eavesdropping, either by others on a WiFi connection, an overzealous ISP, their government, or just because they're paranoid. People link there because they use it, of course; they aren't going to take the effort to convert the links to normal unsecure links because you still end up at the same diff.
2. Most of the time, I find that appears because I've spent a long time on the edit window without pressing "preview" or "save". The way to avoid it, I guess, would be to do regular previews. I'll leave a more thorough answer to someone who actually knows what they're talking about. Xenon54 (talk) 12:53, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
1. See also Wikipedia:Secure server.
2. If it happens then try your browser back button and if your edit is still in the edit window then click save again. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:07, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Posting Information to Wikipedia

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I am interested in having information on an individual added to Wikipedia. How would I go about doing this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.128.224.6 (talk) 13:19, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Before you do anything else, is the individual notable by Wikipedia's definition? In order to be notable, the individual must have significant coverage (i.e., a full story in a newspaper about him, not just a mention of his name) in several reliable sources. These sources then must be cited by the article to verify information about the subject. If the individual is indeed notable, and you are not related to him, then please register an account and read Your first article. Xenon54 (talk) 13:24, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Also, make sure that you are not directly related to the subject, as this may constitute a conflict of interest. Hmmwhatsthisdo (talk) 03:41, 21 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Update my account

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Hi.! I just get a message who told me to update my account-and ask for password and everything-does this realy come from you-it have your logo and everything on.??? Brian M Sørensen. <blanked> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 118.172.85.94 (talk) 14:46, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

If you are editing from an IP, you have no username or password to update. If you are using an account, you can ignore these emails. They will not affect your ability to log in. TNXMan 15:01, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Articles created by user Wiki tool

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Due to the creators toolserver account being expired, my usual wikitool that shows a list of articles created by a specified user is not working anymore. Could someone please provide me with a link to a similar tool? --Saddhiyama (talk) 14:56, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Does this link work for you? TNXMan 14:59, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Excellent. Link bookmarked! Thanks. --Saddhiyama (talk) 15:04, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Then something needs editing to replace the old one with the one that works, right? Dougweller (talk) 16:09, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Saddhiyama, where did you access the old link? TNXMan 16:16, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It was a different tool than the one you linked. I used http://toolserver.org/~byrial/artcreated.php before. --Saddhiyama (talk) 18:45, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Need help changing a heading

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July 20, 2010- Need help changing a heading Several months ago, the Morris K. Udall Foundation was renamed by Congress to the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation. I have changed the content of the entry but cannot seem to change the header. Help! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.56.108.239 (talk • contribs) 15:25, 20 July 2010

I moved it to the new name ~~ GB fan ~~ talk 15:36, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Vermont Grassroots Party

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I was the founder/chair of the Vermont Grassroots Party(VGP) and I just read an article about the VGP in Wikipedia with false information. There was never a Jason Scuglick in the VGP and he was never a candidate for the political party I founded/chaired. Everything else in your article about us is pretty much accurate. I'd appreciate it if you would delete this Jason Scuglick who had nothing to do with the VGP. Sincerely, Denny Lane —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.142.42.101 (talk) 15:31, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Shortlived vandalism, already taken care of. --Orange Mike | Talk 17:13, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

group=notes, named ref?

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  • Is there a way to change {{#tag:ref|content here|group=notes}} into a named ref? I tried {{#tag:ref name="ThisName"|content here|group=notes}}, but it didn't work... I'm working on en:User:Ling.Nut/Sandbox, and have both "Notes" and "Footnotes"; the "Notes" contain longer passages of text. I want to be able to used named refs to point to them more than once... if that's clear... Tks• Ling.Nut 15:40, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
You've almost got it. The 'name=' in 'ref name=' is an attribute, and has to be passed as a parameter in {{#tag:}}. The correct syntax is: {{#tag:ref|content here|name="thisname"|group=notes}}. Intelligentsock 15:53, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I love you. • Ling.Nut 16:02, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Any MiszaBot gurus about?

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  Resolved
 – [Thanks!]. – OhioStandard (talk) 17:25, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Can anyone tell me what will happen when MiszaBot runs out of space (hits an article-talk-pages' maxarchivesize parameter) in its current subpage and finds that the next-numbered subpage already exists and has text in it? I ask because such a situation will be coming up before very long with regard to Talk:Medical_cannabis. A user created Archive_3 manually for the article's talk page late last year, and I'm concerned that its existence could cause the bot to fail. Thanks,  – OhioStandard (talk) 16:10, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I believe it will simply add to the page until that archive is full as well. I don't think the pre-existing page will cause the bot to fail. TNXMan 16:19, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, Tnxman. I saw from here that it basically tries to edit a redlink. If that redlink ... um, points to a file that already exists, no problem? Or am I confused about how that would work?  – OhioStandard (talk) 16:26, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The vast majority of the work the bot does is archiving text to an existing page – it doesn't create a new archive every time, so when it starts archiving to Talk:Medical cannabis/Archive 3 it will just be doing what it usually does. The redlink on the HowTo page is just an example link which happens to be red. It says nothing about how the bot works, which I would assume (with no actual knowledge of its code) is along the lines of IF page exists: append; ELSE: create; AJCham 16:40, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict) The reason I believe it won't be a problem in your case is because there are no issues when the bot archives to a page it created (it can edit a blue link and doesn't have to start a new archive each time). I don't think it matters if another user already created the archive first or the bot creates it. I hope this explanation makes sense, but please let me know if there are questions. TNXMan 16:42, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks again, Tnxman, and you too AJCham. Couldn't be more clear, both of you. I appreciate it! Cheers,  – OhioStandard (talk) 17:25, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

download file?

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When I attempt to look up "ACLU", wikipedia wants to download a file. I suspect this is an error. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.165.50.18 (talk) 16:44, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia will not attempt to download a file. I suspect you found material from Wikipedia at one or another mirror site, some of which have been known to mirror our content for reasons of their own. --Orange Mike | Talk 17:11, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Social Networking Icons

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I am looking for a image of all the social media networking icons. They are all on one page. Does anyone have the location of this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.8.109.161 (talk) 18:27, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Where do you see these icons grouped together? I don't see them at Social network service or Social network. TNXMan 18:40, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
They don't have one. They're looking for one. Rock drum Ba-dumCrash (Review me) 18:43, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Commons has a category for Social network icons. TFOWR 18:46, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

locating stats

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what do i click on to see a baseball players personal stats like height and weight? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.35.141.77 (talk) 20:04, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

How can I get a new browser window to open when clicking on a link?

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I'm trying to add a link on a wiki page. The link works fine but I would like it to open a new browser when clicking on that link. Is there a way to do this?

Thanks! Ziggysdaydream (talk) 20:15, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There's nothing in the Manual of Style about making links open in a new browser which leads me to assume that it is impossible, as if it were I'm almost certain there would be a manual of style guideline forbidding it. AJCham 20:19, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I thought maybe you could force it with HTML, e.g. <a href="http://" target="_blank">article</a> and disguise it as a plain link with a span class maybe, but I researched the issue and apparently they turned this ability off on purpose. I'm with AJCham on that I don't think it's a good idea to do this at all. Most people nowadays are quite sophisticated about operating their browsers and do not want this forced on them. You can set most browsers to automatically open links in new windows or new tabs and, depending on the browser, you can right click or shift click to get the choice of new tab or new window at any time.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:13, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
In HTML, you would do it with something like:
<a href="http://example.com" target="_blank">Example</a>
But, the MediaWiki software only parses certain HTML tags, which does not include <a>...</a>; see Help:HTML in wikitext. Bottom line: you can't do it. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) talk 23:13, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I, for one, am quite happy that this isn't done. I like to determine what is opened in a new window/tab and what isn't. I hate it when sites try to force new windows/tabs upon me. Dismas|(talk) 00:31, 21 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Right click the link, then select "open in new window" or "open in new tab" (works on Firefox). Mjroots (talk) 11:24, 21 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I don't think it's a good idea to try to force this type of behavior anyway. Depending on user's browser configuration, it may not be obvious that a new window or tab has opened (i.e., "I clicked the link, why didn't the screen change?"). Seems like a standard user/browser preference issue. But I obviously don't know the context of your particular situation to be able to speculate on whether it's a good idea or not for this link. OTOH, it also contradicts that Wikipedia itself has an explicit control for how users want this to work "Open external links in a new tab/window" in the User interface gadgets pane of the preferences. If a user specifically chooses "no" there and a Wikipedia page acts as if "yes", that's a poor user experience. DMacks (talk) 09:38, 22 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Piracy promoting articles

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Why does wikipedia allow for users to post articles that detail and promote illegal ROMs, Emulators, and various other piracy devices? I am very concerned that Wikipedia is not doing its part to delete all piracy promoting articles and links that lead to sites that offer piracy materials. All articles that discuss ROMs and the above listed must be removed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.67.252.109 (talk) 20:18, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia allows for articles detailing these things because it is not censored. It does not, however, allow articles to promote anything, legal or otherwise. AJCham 20:21, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
PS, if there is an article that you feel violates our rules against advertising, please feel free to correct the problem (leaving a helpful edit summary) or bring it to editors' attention by making a note on the article's talk page. AJCham 20:28, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

First off, we do not advertize anything. If you see an article which seems promotional in tone, whatever the subject, please notify the appropriate venues (here being about as good a place as any) or tag it as {{db-g11}}, the speedy deletion tag for ad pages. Secondly, we do not censor information about illegal actions or subjects, and this is as true for piracy-related material as it is for our article on cocaine. --erachima talk 20:43, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I reverted a lot of your edits because you removed content about emulators etc. Just because they are illegal or disputed does not mean we will censor their inclusion. I reverted all of the removal because it was a complete blanking of emulator stuff following what appears to be your POV - I advise you seek consensus on their removal or be more specific on what is removed. (am leaving a talk page note also) --Errant Tmorton166(Talk) 21:06, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

incorrect paragraphs in info on Bogalusa, LA--none of this is correct nor even sensible-Bogalusa Chamber

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Here’s the passage on the website:

On May 27 2009, a biologically engineered virus, known as VR212, was leaked due to a ruptured valve tank that was in transit to Temple Inland Inc. which took over Galylord Chemical Corporation after 1995 chemical spill. The virus was exposed to citizens of Bogalusa in a matter of days. The CDC received reports of what could only be described as "Zombies." Local police forces were overwhelmed by the infected, and in five days 94% of the population transformed into flesh eating "Zombies." Symptoms include broken blood vessels in the eyes and a permanent state of rage in which the infected individual seeks out others in an attempt to "feed." The city was immediately placed in quarantine and remains so to this day. News coverage of the event was eradicated so as not to alarm the nation.

A little over a year later, there has been no found cure for the virus. Research teams thought they were close to finding a solution with a Chinese tea known as Kombucha. They began testing it on "Indie Zombies," those found wearing skinny jeans. After injecting the "Zombies" with the tea they seemed to 'detoxify' and show signs of renewed health. However, this progress came to a halt thanks to washed up, ginger actress Lindsey Lohan. Lohan, who was on probation for drug and alcohol charges, set off her SCRAM bracelet after consuming too many Kombucha teas. This drew attention to the fact that Kombucha has a relatively high level of alcohol, due to the fermentation process, and the tea was pulled from all store shelves. On Tuesday, July 20, 2010, Lohan began serving a 90 day jail sentence, not because of violating her probation like the entertainment news shows and sites had suggested, but for ruining the chance of survival for an entire city. When asked for a statement regarding the matter, Lohan responded by saying she did Bogalusa a service and "the only thing worse than a Zombie, is a drunk Zombie, I would know." —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bogalusachamber (talk • contribs) 20:24, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Vandalism, reverted. – ukexpat (talk) 20:42, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Two points:
  • The vandal should learn about Uncyclopedia, which is a whole wiki dedicated to joke articles.
  • The username: Bogalusachamber may violate Wikipedia's WP:ORGNAME policy. User names are to represent distinct individuals rather than groups of individuals, although users do not need to reveal their real names.
--Teratornis (talk) 21:10, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Undone edit

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Did i do the right decision to revert the most recent edit on Tinie Tempah's page?Gobbleswoggler (talk) 20:27, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like it, yeah. Section blanking is a pretty common method of vandalism and also an easy way to innocently screw up an edit, so reverting it on sight will only rarely end up being the wrong decision. --erachima talk 20:46, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Can someone do my homework for me?

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I can't be bothered and it's too hard. Will pay via paypal. It's an English paper, 6 pages, MLA, on the topic of constipation: when you can't poop properly. Needs to be done by Wednesday at 2 P.M. EST. Thanks, Charles. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.138.255.225 (talk) 21:51, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, Wikipedia doesn't do homework. We'll help you if you get stuck though. TNXMan 22:19, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

No. Do your own homework. RadManCF ☢ open frequency 22:29, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The only thing we can tell you to do is look at articles relating to the subject. You'll have to take it from there. Sorry, but that's the way it works around here. The Raptor Let's talk/My mistakes; I mean, er, contributions 22:37, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

no do your own home work hope you top your form

YOURS billy jp

—Preceding unsigned comment added by Billyjoepie (talk • contribs) 01:45, 22 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

User page messed up, but I can't figure it out

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  Resolved

My user page is now messed up with my main text somehow getting shoved into the sidebar. There must be a template that has gone bad because the problem shows in history too. Can anyone help me figure out what is going on?--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 23:06, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

My first thought is that you've forgotten to close a table somewhere. Intelligentsock 23:11, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
It turns out {{Boxboxbottom}} was originally a redirect to {{User box bottom}}, which has recently been moved to {{Userboxbottom}}, creating a double redirect that the bot could not fix, as {{Boxboxbottom}} is protected. This caused {{Boxboxbottom}}, when transcluded, to produce only a link. Intelligentsock 23:18, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The double redirect has been fixed. –xenotalk 23:19, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
But I just fixed it... after your post:-)--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:28, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 23:30, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
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