Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2013 August 17

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.

August 17

Baba Rampuri article

The Baba Rampuri article is being used as part of a fraud and blackmail scheme. There are factually incorrect statements, references to fraud websites, and defaming material. This goes against the conditions of use of Wkipedia, and certainly against the spirit and intentions of wikipedia. It also cause harm to me personally to be so misrepresented. I'd be happy to discuss this with someone who may correct this injustice.

Best regards,

Baba Rampuri — Preceding unsigned comment added by BabaRampuri (talk • contribs) 05:30, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Post your comments to the article talk page. If the comments are libelous, you may post to WP:BLPN. Robert McClenon (talk) 00:10, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Multiple Pages on Subject at obscure level

United States presidential election in New Mexico, 1964 is just an example of not one, but many pages that seem to have been created recently by a user. It seems inappropriate for an article for Presidential Election in XXXX state for XXXX year election. All this information can be found on the Presidential Election for XXXX year page. It seems like creating articles just to create them, there's nothing being added that wouldn't be found on the main election page. I ask here because with so many of them created within such a short period of time and being a fairly new user I'm just not sure where to post this to. If there's some new consensus that this is how US Presidential Elections should be handled please let me know. Caffeyw (talk) 05:42, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

If you feel they don't meet the criteria for notability, feel free to list them for deletion. You can give full reasoning for each article, and if nobody objects, they'll be deleted.  drewmunn  talk  17:26, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

No, while it may not have any unique information at this point, there state US Pres election pages certainly do contain them for later elections. See United_States_presidential_election_in_New_Mexico,_2008 for example. If they are expanded so that the 1964 pages have the same sort of state specific information as the 2008 do, I would welcome them.Naraht (talk) 03:24, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

svg file

I found an updated Logo on the German page of a club. Now I'm edditing the english page of this club and I'm not sure if I can use the same .svg file and how to upload it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ayham333 (talk • contribs) 06:41, 17 August 2013‎ (UTC)

You should at least specify the page that you are editing. Ruslik_Zero 17:32, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

To browse main page of particular date in past.

I want to see the Main page of WIKIPEDIA dated 5th July 2013.How can I do this? In general how can I open Main page of Wikipedia of any date in past since this feature started? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 112.79.40.26 (talk) 09:23, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 July 5 has 5 July's; you can find any main page by going to Wikipedia:Main Page history/DATE in YYYY Month DD form. ~HueSatLum 17:19, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Just like any other page, the Main Page has a Revision history tab at the top. You can select the version from any date from there. Rojomoke (talk) 17:17, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

The Main Page revision history isn't much help, Rojomoke. - David Biddulph (talk) 17:24, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Clicking on the Revision History tab takes me to here, which gives access to the entire history.. Your link seems to be the result of two separate temporary redirects. Rojomoke (talk) 18:55, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

The Main Page isn't updated every day; it transcludes individual templates for FA, DYK, ITN, etc., so using the revision history doesn't give the desired result. ~HueSatLum 19:37, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

WikiArcheology

OK, this one is going to take a real WikiArcheologist...

Recently, at Wikipedia talk:Flow, the following argument was made:

"Of course when you poll a group of Wikipedians right now about how they want to deal with [X], they will say they want [Y]. That's how they currently deal with those things – just like if you'd asked Wikipedians in 2001 how they want to create internal links in Wikipedia, they would have said 'CamelCase!'"

My question is this; was there any real opposition to Wikipedia replacing CamelCase with square brackets? Is that discussion in our history, or was this before we have reliable records? --Guy Macon (talk) 09:33, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

As far as I can find, the earliest archived discussion on linking is at the MOS, and it is from 2005 (by which time brackets were already in use). This is not to say it doesn't still exist, but I can't find it anywhere that I think it may be. It's always worth asking an older Wikipedian, as they may remember it. If you still have no luck, try the staff themselves.  drewmunn  talk  17:04, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

I spent a couple of hours searching and didn't find anything either. This has my curiosity up; I think it would be fascinating to see how those early decisions were made and how well the predictions that happen during any policy discussion have held up. Has anyone else found anything? --Guy Macon (talk) 20:41, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

The earliest revision of Help:link says it was copied from M (meta), and the earliest version of M:Help:Link is from 2004, at which time internal links were already made by brackets. I think maybe User:Patrick, who created that page and is one of the earliest users, might very well be able to shed light (with Echo in place, he should now be informed of this discussion if he logs on, but note that he hasn't made any edits since last month).--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 21:11, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Yes, Echo works fine. I use Wikipedia since 2002, when CamelCase was already abolished. See Wikipedia:CamelCase and Wikipedia. - Patrick (talk) 23:04, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

You may want to get input from Manning Bartlett or BenKovitz. Manning's been around forever (I think he wrote the original version of MediaWiki) and is still active. Ben's account is somewhat newer, but he's been involved since the get-go (see our Ben Kovitz redirect), and while he's not super-active, he's still around somewhat and is active enough that he was at a meetup that I attended in June. Nyttend (talk) 03:16, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

I wasn't involved when double brackets were invented, but I do remember one fact about this. Larry Sanger expressed dislike of CamelCase at the taco-stand conversation because they led to clunky neologisms like MrAristotle. Your best source of info about this is probably Larry Sanger. (Let me know if you need help contacting him.) —Ben Kovitz (talk) 20:35, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Howdy all. Yes, I WAS there when we still had CamelCase. Everyone hated it and we were universally delighted when we got rid of it. @Nyttend - I didn't write the original version (or any version) of MediaWiki, that was Magnus Manske. (FWIW My biggest contribution was the Wikiproject concept.) But getting rid of Camel Case was one of the most requested features. (Automatic talk pages was the other - we had to create them manually). Manning (talk) 21:10, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Edit - On reflection, the following might just be the inane ramblings of a fuddled memory. One more thing to clear up - there were ALWAYS double square brackets for links, even during the UseModWiki/CamelCase era. Plus you always could pipe to alternate text. CamelCase was needed because the database couldn't handle spaces in a page name. So for Abraham Lincoln you needed to write [[AbrahamLincoln|Abraham Lincoln]]. Which is why we all hated it. Manning (talk) 21:20, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

I never knew that. I knew that the software automatically linked any word with two or more capitals (thus the debate over whether we have an article on AustraliA, AUstralia, etc.), so I just assumed that FreeLinks with brackets were first enabled as the CamelCase auto-linking was being phased out. I didn't know that it was even possible to have what we now call a piped link. And thanks for the correction vs. Magnus; I tend to get the two of you confused, unfortunately. Nyttend (talk) 02:09, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

And now that you say that, I'm beginning to seriously doubt what I wrote above. Maybe we actually didn't have the double bracket links at the beginning... heck, it was a long time ago, and I'm an old fart now. But as to the main point of the discussion - yes, we all hated CamelCase and getting rid of it was universally popular. I'm 100% certain of that :) Manning (talk) 05:09, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

User_talk:Magnus_Manske#CamelCase_and_UseModWiki - this sheds a bit more light on things. Manning (talk) 09:28, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

Can't convert to global user account

So I'm trying to convert my account to a global user account. In my preferences, I click on "Manage your global user account", I put in my password, and it brings up the error:

The home wiki for this account (listed below) has a different password to the one you entered. Please enter the password for the home wiki.

Under that it says:

Home wiki

The password and email address set at this wiki will be used for your unified account.

ja.wikipedia.org (home wiki)

I've never been on Japanese Wikipedia. Looking at the account with the same name as me there, it was created after me the last edit was a few years ago (my account has more recent activity). What should I do? DK (talk) 14:36, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

The other account may be able to be deleted, but it may be quicker for you to change your username instead.  drewmunn  talk  16:57, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

The right to a global account isn't based on age but number of edits. The Japanese account currently has around 20 more edits than you. If you make around 20 further edits then you should get the right. All edits at en.wikipedia.org count. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:56, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Note to self: make more typos. Every edit counts, including fixing your own errors... (smile) --Guy Macon (talk) 20:46, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for the help guys, I'll get right on it. Starting with this. DK (talk) 23:24, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

water

Assuming that 16" pipe weighs 90 pound per foot empty. Estimate the weight of a 20 foot length of pipe filled with water ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.235.237.129 (talk) 16:51, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

You want the reference desk, this page is for questions about using Wikipedia.  drewmunn  talk  16:55, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia. Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misinterpretation, but it is our aim here not to do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn nearly as much as doing it yourself. Please attempt to solve the problem or answer the question yourself first. If you need help with a specific part of your homework, feel free to tell us where you are stuck and ask for help. If you need help grasping the concept of a problem, by all means let us know. - David Biddulph (talk) 16:57, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

And depending on the level of precision that your teacher is looking for, you may need more information. Dismas|^(talk) 10:28, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Biograph page

Hello,

I am and author and creating a biography in the Sandbox. I have not even started on my literary works yet, so am not ready to put the file into Wikipedia.

I have many professional papers etc., and when I added a URL link [and I did follow the proper format] I couldn't get the links to work. Is it because they are in the Sandbox? I would get an error re-credential (N^$% logon box. Can URLs be added in the Sandbox article.

1. 2. Can images be uploaded to the Sandbox article? I must be missing something. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Laura Joyce Moriarty (talk • contribs) 17:46, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

I suggest that before you proceed any further, you read the Wikipedia notability guidelines - in particular WP:AUTHOR. I see nothing in your article so far to indicate that you would meet the guidelines, and unless you do, a biography on you would not be accepted. Note that we need evidence from third party published reliable sources to indicate the level of notability required. Were you to meet the guidelines, the article would in any case need substantial rewriting - it reads more like a resume than an encyclopaedia biography. I would also recommend reading Wikipedia:Autobiography - we strongly discourage autobiographical articles, and generally advise that if people are of sufficient notability to merit a Wikipedia article, it is best left to others to write. AndyTheGrump (talk) 17:55, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Dear Mr. Grump, My understanding of the sandbox was that it was "play/practice" area and I read nothing about sandbox files that had to remain permanent and uploaded. I was also of the understanding that the sandbox areas were not accessible to anyone outside of my account. My intention was to prepare something for when I die. I have already had a biography written by a professional in a university and it is fine except for the fact it is filled with minutia errors.

So my intend was to create a sandbox so the details are available for my children/next biographer to work with and that I approve of when I'm dead, and if at that time there is a need to create a biography, they don't have to look up and organize data or learn Wikipeadia formats. I have NO intention of posting/uploading my biography while I am alive. I didn't know it was a requirement to send sandbox files as live files. I assumed it would take me a couple of years considering I have very little time to devote to this, to organize pics I like etc.

You have mistaken my question for "how to" and/or "can it be done" as one of being accepted into Wikipeadia by your adjudication. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.188.171.228 (talk) 13:59, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Wikipedia is an online encyclopaedia. It is not a free webhosting service. We do not provide private workspace - and nor is there any guarantee that material in a sandbox will remain undeleted. I suggest that you copy your biography to a secure place. AndyTheGrump (talk) 14:11, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

The question of "how to" and "can it be done" is inseparable from the question about being accepted into Wikipedia, as Andy's answers show. BTW, you're not actually working in the Sandbox, which is a public test area frequently overwritten, but in a user sandbox, which is a place mainly for working on content intended for publication. Your user sandbox content is visible to everyone (I can see it) and subject to all the usual rules governing inclusion and deletion. Any pictures you add to it will likewise be public, because they must first be uploaded under a suitable licence permitting public reuse, which may not be what you want to do with your pictures. I concur with Andy's appraisal of your sandbox content and his advice to copy it elsewhere if you want to keep it. If it sits there for a while it may well be deleted as a WP:STALEDRAFT, even if it is not nominated for deletion on other grounds. Preparing something "for when you die" is not really feasible at Wikipedia, where death does not confer notability and where the subject of an article has no right of approval over the content. - Karenjc 15:11, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Thank you. I did not realize the content in the account was publicly accessible. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.188.171.228 (talk) 18:00, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

What happened to HotCats?

It appears to be turned off on all the language versions that I use, even though I have it check-marked under the Gadgets. I've attempted to turn it off and back on, but it still doesn't work! Can someone fix the HotCats issue? --Sanya3 (talk) 19:58, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Have you tried WP:VPT?— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 21:27, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

eric owens

by his own words - just last wednesday - i heard eric (as did 35 others) credit the great steven smith with being his most important teacher...yet you mention him nowhere in your list of the great bass-baritone's teachers. what's up with this??????? can you rectify this lacuna?????? thanks, chris walling. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.166.154.35 (talk) 21:14, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

"I heard..." is not a verifiable source, so no, we can't do that unless you find a published reliable source that contains the same claim/information. Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 21:23, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Monthly pageview stats

There use to be a way to get monthly pageviews within a year by changing the YYYYMM part of the URL to just YYYY. Is there a way to get monthly pageviews for an entire year anymore.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/WP:FOUR/WP:CHICAGO/WP:WAWARD) 22:51, 17 August 2013 (UTC)