Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2013 August 18

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August 18

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Is there a way to search all the articles in a category, e.g http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Telecommunications_standards ? (I wonder how many merit tagging like this or action along those lines.)--Elvey (talk) 01:40, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Check out Help:Searching#Parameters. Looks like it would be incategory: Telecommunications_standards as part of your search terms. Monty₈₄₅ 02:05, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Mistake in the protected article: Anders Celsius

The article is protected, so I can't correct anything. Was the scale invented one year after Celsius' death? "Inverted" would be more proper ;-) 85.193.219.237 (talk) 02:51, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

I've made your requested edit. For future reference, you can always make a request on the article talk page and tag it with {{Edit semi-protected}}, which will add it to a category of pending requests, and someone will look at it eventually. Monty₈₄₅ 03:07, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Thank you :-) 85.193.219.237 (talk) 04:46, 20 August 2013 (UTC)

changes to serena williams page

Last time I checked serena williams page; I read " arguably the greatest female player of all time. Before that was " one of the greatest tennis players of all time". Meanwhile she just won the Rogers open and still winning tournaments- and those lines have been removed. It looks suspicious, could you explain the removal of those lines. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.45.37.32 (talk) 05:02, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Wikipedia is supposed to be written using neutral language and point of view. It's not an encyclopedia's place to determine if she is great or not. RudolfRed (talk) 05:07, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Actually we can, and should, state what others think of her (see Roger Federer for example). I've added that phrase back in, with a couple sources (there were many to pick from). --NeilN ^{talk to me} 05:25, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

@NeilN: Hi, random editor stumbling over this discussion. I'm confused by this. I understand that it's fine to quote experts in the field of tennis as well as other reliable sources, and I don't know that you were referring directly to the following statement from the Federer article, but since you used the Federer article as an example, I'm curious why an unjustified, uncited opinion statement about Federer "being one of the best volleyers in the game today" would be acceptable at Wikipedia? That's not OR? If you can break it down for me, I'd like to understand the nuances. Cyphoidbomb (talk) 05:39, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Hi Cyphoidbomb. I was referring to "Many commentators and former and current players regard Federer as the greatest tennis player of all time," which has a myriad of sources. As for volleying, you're right, it should have a source. There are a couple of other sources that mention his volleying but nothing that outright confirms the sentence you're referring to. We should either find a proper source or remove it. --NeilN ^{talk to me} 05:48, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

A-ha! Thank you. I thought I was completely off. I noticed a similar statement in the lead at Muhammad Ali. "generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the sport's history." I mean, sure, who would ever question that-- but a reference would be nice. :) I appreciate your response, thank you. Cyphoidbomb (talk) 05:55, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

@Cyphoidbomb: The Ali article is a different case. Per WP:LEADCITE, we don't have to cite statements in the opening paragraph if they're cited in the body. The "Legacy" section has enough cites to support "generally considered among the greatest heavyweights". As for Federer, I couldn't find anything after a ten minute search so I've tagged that sentence. --NeilN ^{talk to me} 06:02, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

@NeilN: Ah, good point! Thanks again. Cyphoidbomb (talk) 06:22, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

All a load of rubbish! The greatest tennis player of all time is Esther Vergeer. Unbeaten in 470 matches over 10 years, she faced matchpoint only once and lost only 18 sets during the entire winning streak. Among her wins are 42 Grand Slam titles and her entire career record is 700 wins and 25 losses. Next to Vergeer, Williams, Federer (and anyone else you'd care to mention) are merely wannabes. Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 11:46, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

But can she beat Ali? :-) And, can I say, holy references! --NeilN ^{talk to me} 14:13, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

WP:DEFINING

Please see my post at WP:DEFINING which presents a serious complaint about the creation and attempted use of alleged guidelines that are completely unworkable and defy all common sense. There are too many of these already but this one is the last straw as far as I'm concerned. I'm afraid Wikipedia is losing its way and is being taken over by people with pedantic, bureaucratic mindsets who have no interest whatsoever in providing information or useful search/navigation facilities for the user. Mr Wales needs to be made aware of this if he is not already. We in the cricket project have had more than our fair share of problems with the contentious WP:CFD "process" and we now have a person trying to use this ludicrous "definingness" nonsense, based on a non-existent word, to have some of our categories deleted. Please see the relevant discussion at CfD re English cricketers which itself refers to an ongoing discussion at WT:CRIC. When is some action going to be taken to put a stop to all these pointless, unworkable rules and processes that do do nothing to help the site and alienate good editors? The people who gather at CfD and involve themselves in this rulemaking stupidity are the chief bane of the site. ----Jack | ^{talk page} 11:15, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

I have replied there. Please remember to try and remain civil; most editors are well-meaning, and becoming riled by other users' actions can hinder dispute resolution. Thanks.  drewmunn  talk  12:27, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Sandbox in personal toolbar area.

I cann't seem to get my sandbox in the personal toolbar area. I have checked under Gadgets (under Appearance) the box that says Add a "Sandbox" link to the personal toolbar area.. What do I have to do to get a sandbox? --Christie the puppy lover (talk) 14:08, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

You don't need that gadget to have a sandbox; it just gives you quick access to it. If you have the gadget, you should see a link that says "Sandbox" in the top right corner of any page, between Talk and Preferences. If the gadget isn't working for you, go to Special:MyPage/sandbox. ~HueSatLum 14:15, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Whitworth University article

How can I upload the official logo of Whitworth University as a transparent png file? I have been uploading 3 of them thus far, and they all have the white rectangular background. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jovan92 (talk • contribs) 15:23, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

You could remove the background using an application such as Photoshop, by selecting (with the magic wand tool) the white area, and deleting it through to a transparent background. If you are unsure of how to do this, I can do so for you, and upload the new image.  drewmunn  talk  20:25, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Kalina de Moura's page

Hi there

I was trying to create this page for Kalina de Moura, she is a rising actress American-Brazilian, who is now been searched all over the world. I think I may have totally messed up on how I tried to create a the page... I can try to do a better job with siting references, etc. But my question is; the fact that the career is one year old, will it still qualify her to be in your database? or is it too soon? you can find her:

IMDb

Twitter

Klout

Linkdln

Facebook

her first film was released in Frbruary 14, 2013, called " False Engagement" by Keleche Eke, same director of " Lost in Abroad"2012... please send me some suggestions

thanks

thanks a lot — Preceding unsigned comment added by Smitana03 (talk • contribs) 15:33, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Tidied up your formatting Rojomoke (talk) 17:44, 18 August 2013 (UTC) .

Wikipedia is an encyclopaedia, not a database. As to whether or not a specific actor is notable enough to have an article about them here, the length of their career isn't important - what matters is the amount of significant coverage they have had in independent reliable sources. User-generated content like IMDb doesn't count, nor do Facebook and Twitter and the like. The criteria for establishing actors' notability are set out at WP:NACTOR. - Karenjc 19:17, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

I would also advise you very strongly to read WP:RISING for the rising performer. --Orange Mike | Talk 17:24, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

Teton Valley Article

To Whom It May Concern:

I just read your article on Teton Valley, Idaho, and I think you may have some things confused. In the wildlife section it says: Teton Valley is the home of mammals including the bald eagle, black bears, cougars, wolverines, and grizzly bears. The region hosts the largest herds of elk in North America and is one of the few remaining areas in the lower 48 states where the grizzly bear still roams in significant numbers, and is home to the largest free-ranging herd of bison in the lower 48 states.

First bald eagles are not mammals, second it doesn't host the largest herds of elk, or have the largest free ranging herd of bison. I believe the elk and bison herd information would be better associated with Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the national parks that are in Wyoming and Montana. I grew up in Victor, Idaho and we didn't have bison running around, although we did have elk herds, I don't think they would be considered the largest.

Sheldon Carpenter — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.126.74.118 (talk) 15:54, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Thanks Sheldon, I've removed the unsourced text. If you see a problem with an article, you could try editing it yourself (or asking for help on how to edit). --NeilN ^{talk to me} 16:15, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Fake Jimbo Wales book.

Hello, I am on a business trip in Xian, China. I went to a book shop to find an english language book about Jimbo Wales which is unauthorised. It is entitled Jimbo Wales: The Self Biography about myself and Wikipedia Works. Good day. --Travis Perkinson (talk) 16:01, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

We aren't really the best people to discuss this with. You could question the man himself on his talk page. It's possible he doesn't know of it, and if he doesn't, he may choose to take action. Thanks for your vigilance!  drewmunn  talk  20:23, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Didn't they just have a Wikimania near there? It may have been created to cash in on the event. Mr. Wales may reimburse if you pick up a copy or 12 for him. He may feel they would be cute gifts. Ask him before you buy any though.--Canoe1967 (talk) 05:16, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

Indeed, I would be very amused to know more about this! There are many Wikipedians in China who may be able to help locate it, if we have information such as publisher, etc.--Jimbo Wales (talk) 09:16, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

You could buy a few and put cute signed inscriptions in them for worthy Wikipedians. Citation needed, dubious, copyvio, BLP undue, etc. Does the OP have email on?--Canoe1967 (talk) 09:40, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

Paranoia Doesn't Help

What is UP with the App/Mobile Version of Wikipedia periodically LOSING MY PASSWORD anf then being incapable of allowing me to recover or reset it?

This is apparently akin to the "new user-unfriendly atmosphere" designed to discourage contributors like me having a role here. Pathetic.

I cannot create a page because I'm not using a Desktop device... and I cannot recover/reset my Wikipedia password because I'm using the Android app?

What fascistic bullshit! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.79.182.8 (talk) 18:37, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

There are technical challenges to overcome with creating a mobile app, so having anything at all is a blessing. Take into account that Wikipedia employ a tiny staff, and these have to maintain the databases, websites, press and public relations, all the users, content disputes, and the mobile applications for all the different platforms. Basically, be thankful for what you have, and know that more functionality may become available in the future. Until then, you can still access the full site from your mobile, giving you access to everything you can on a desktop.  drewmunn  talk  20:19, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Reporting a technical issue

Hey all. I'm noticing a new technical problem with how certain articles display. It seems to me it is probably an issue with the CSS for individual articles. To where should I report/ask about fixing this? Thanks! Girona7 (talk) 19:09, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Report it at the Village Pump, WP:VPT RudolfRed (talk) 19:14, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

Will do, thank you. Girona7 (talk) 19:23, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

ref and bio

How and where do I enter a web site I used for reference. ? I have recently started an article about my profressional boxing career and have used www.boxrec.com as my source of information. Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bomber71 (talk • contribs) 20:44, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

See referencing for beginnners and {{webcite}}. However, you are strongly discouraged from writing an article about yourself. Please read the guidance at WP:AUTO RudolfRed (talk) 20:55, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

I think that Rudolph intended to refer to {{cite web}}, rather than {{webcite}}. - David Biddulph (talk) 00:33, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

Indeed. Thanks. RudolfRed (talk) 00:44, 19 August 2013 (UTC)