Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2015 August 2

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August 2

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Peyronies124.180.237.213 (talk) 06:18, 2 August 2015 (UTC) Disease

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FOR WIKIPEDIA QUESTIONS COORDINATOR:

Peyronie’s Disease is caused by the build-up of excess collagen and development of scar tissue within the penis. There is no absolute, medically defined cause for the development of Peyronie’s Disease (PD).

Glucosamine is defined by Wikipedia as: Glucosamine (C6H13NO5) is an amino sugar and a prominent precursor in the biochemical synthesis of glycosylated proteins and lipids. Glucosamine is part of the structure of the polysaccharides chitosan and chitin, which compose the exoskeletons of crustaceans and other arthropods …..

I theorise that this dietary supplement (glucosamine) could be the cause of the development of plaque and thus scar tissue within the soft tissue of the penis, as the causal plaques are caused by the build-up of collagen in the penis and that collagen build up appears to be enhanced by the presence of glucosamine in the system.

QUESTION FOR WIKIPEDIA:

Is there any knowledge, or study, on this subject that may link the regular, dietary supplement ingestion of glucosamine by men to their development of Peyronie’s Disease in their penis?

I have been taking 1500 mg of glucosamine daily for some years now. I have recently developed Peyronie’s Disease. A further conjecture is that if urologists looked carefully at the glucosamine ingestion history of their PD patients they may find a correlation between the onset of PD and glucosamine intake by PD sufferers.

Yours sincerely.

Duncan Dean <--redacted ->

I have removed your phone number - we do not communicate by phone, and you should not post it here. This is the help desk for questions on how to use or edit Wikipedia. it is not a general desk for questions, and we have no 'questions coordinator'. We do have reference desks, but I would advise you not to post your question there as we do not under any circumstances answer questions that require medical diagnosis, or provide medical advice. You should instead see a qualified medical practitioner. AndyTheGrump (talk) 06:26, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
As AndyTheGrump has said, Wikipedia is not qualified to provide medical advice. It's perhaps also worth noting that this help desk is not answered by any type of formal "coordinator", but completely random volunteers. Bilorv(talk)(c)(e) 11:48, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Wikiproject Watchlist

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Is there any tool or why to do this again?--ԱշոտՏՆՂ (talk) 07:32, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I'm going to guess the technical village pump could answer.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 22:22, 6 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

references no. 84 and 85

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The Lupton family page . Please help me - I was sure I did this correctly. references 84 and 85 Lupton family page Thanks so much Mikey — Preceding unsigned comment added by 101.182.217.169 (talk) 11:09, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I think I've fixed the problem for you in these edits. The code for creating a reference with a name is <ref name="example name"> Reference text </ref>. The other problem was caused by the accessdate "August 2nd 2015" – that's not a valid way to write a date. I've changed it to "2 August 2015", to match the other accessdates in the article. Bilorv(talk)(c)(e) 11:16, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Me again with a "link" problem

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I have tried and failed to put a link on the word "grassland" in the section titled "Arthur Lupton and descendants" on the Lupton family page - (underneath the words Yorkshire Post) Please help me. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 101.182.217.169 (talk) 11:41, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Wikilinks have pairs of brackets, so [[grassland]] would give grassland. You probably ought to read Help:Wiki markup. - David Biddulph (talk) 11:46, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Please check ref 95 on the Lupton family page

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I keep getting it incorrect - I feel OK about all the other stuff and thanks for your help - Really appreciated. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 101.182.217.169 (talk) 12:21, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Does the help link in the error message not answer your question?
Bell, Georeg Charles. "Marlborough College Register from 1843 to 1904 Inclusive: With Alphabetical Index". Mocavo UK. Retrieved August 8th - 2015. Norman Darnton Lupton - Mechanical Engineer - Educated Marlborough College and Trinity College, Cambridge {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
Trappist the monk (talk) 12:25, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
And similarly had you read the answer to #references no. 84 and 85 above? - David Biddulph (talk) 13:28, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

should this reference be in a "web page" format?

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please check ref. number 96 on Lupton family page . It is not from a book or newspaper but a type of web page - is it OK? Thanks so much Mike — Preceding unsigned comment added by 101.182.217.169 (talk) 12:36, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

It looks fine to me. Please include an article link, such as Lupton family, with help desk questions in future, It helps mus quickly find the article in question. Thanks. DES (talk) 13:36, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
You should also sign your messages with ~~~~, which lets people know who wrote the comment and when. Bilorv(talk)(c)(e) 13:39, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Installing AFC Script

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I am trying to review Articles for Creation in draft space, but may not have understood the instructions for using the AFC Helper draft script. I set my Preferences to enable the gadget, but when I have selected a draft from the list of pending AFC submissions, I don't see any capability to add the informational boxes making comments or providing a space for the decline. Am I missing something, or is there something missing? Are there more detailed instructions somewhere that I haven't read? Should I take this question back to the Articles for Creation Help Desk (which seems primarily to be for article creators rather than article reviewers)? Robert McClenon (talk) 14:33, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The "More" menu at the top of the screen should contain "Review (AFCH)" at the bottom. If it doesn't, possibly purging or clearing your cache could fix it. Bilorv(talk)(c)(e) 15:43, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
FYI, to get help with reviewing - WT:WikiProject Articles for creation/Reviewer help -- Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 16:10, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
That worked. There is a "Review (AFCH)" tab at the top. Thank you for the link to Reviewer Help. Most of the questions there are questions asking for second or third opinions on specific articles, but I see that general questions can be asked there also. Robert McClenon (talk) 18:00, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I see that that tab is smart enough so that it only appears if the article is in fact an AFC submission, not if it is in article space or talk space. Robert McClenon (talk) 18:01, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

is the subject speaking in an interview an independent reliable source

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I am editing a Wikipedia article Heather Barnett. I have found a YouTube video where an interviewer, presumably speaking from a distance, asks Heather what her art is, and she replies. I would like to state in the Wikipedia article that her art is what she says in the video it is, and I would cite the video. But is this an independent source, after all it is her herself saying what it is, not an outside party. This is the video in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7lddnfz-w. Greg Dahlen (talk) 16:06, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

It's a primary source. Be careful of citing material on Youtube, copyright violations are very common, so check that it was actually uploaded by whoever originally did the interview. -- Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 16:21, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

If I cite a YouTube video, should I include a "Retrieved on" date?

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It seems that if you cite a webpage or website in a Wikipedia article, you should include a "retrieved on" date in the reference. Why is this? Should you also do it on YouTube video citations? Greg Dahlen (talk) 17:40, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Web pages can be changed. the "retrieved on" helps in the "verify" because sometimes pages are archived on sites like the Wayback machine even if the current page doesnt have the content it did when used as a source.
On a related note, YouTub is rarely an acceptable source as most is self published - and the content that isnt is generally illegally posted copyright materials. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 17:56, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

How does an editor create fancy individualized signatures on Wikipedia?

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Oftentimes, I see fancy individualized signatures on Wikipedia. For example, here is one: GregJackP Boomer!. Is there a page on Wikipedia that offers instructions or directions on doing that, if I would like to create one for myself? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 19:28, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

A second question. If I do create an individualized signature, do all of my past ("old") posts retroactively receive the new signature? Or does the new signature only begin when I create it, while leaving the past posts of mine with the "old" signature? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 19:30, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Go to "preferences", and on the first ("user profile") tab, at the bottom is a section titled "signature", and some links providing guidance on its use. Rwessel (talk) 19:48, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Signature are not retroactive. -- GB fan 19:51, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
And no, it won't change already existing signatures. Rwessel (talk) 19:51, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
OK, thanks. I looked at those pages. But, they tell me the reasons, rationales, rules, guidelines, etc., for a special signature. Where can I find out how to create the signature, though? In other words, the correct computer codes and symbols, etc., that will create the colors, fonts, and other individualized changes? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 19:58, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
It's just wikitext: the same code used throughout the site. For instance, if you put '''[[User:Joseph A. Spadaro|Joseph A. Spadaro]]''' in your signature box under Preferences, it will produce Joseph A. Spadaro. Some advanced signatures include will use superscripts (<sup>superscripts</sup>), or different colors and fonts (<span style="color:red;font-family:Times New Roman">different colors and fonts</span>). Look at someone's signature to see how they made it: that text you copied shows you exactly how GregJackP's signature was produced. Bilorv(talk)(c)(e) 20:19, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. But that is exactly what I am asking. I am not familiar with wiki-text (other than the most basic stuff that a general editor would use, such as bold or italics). Where do I find the correct wiki-text that creates color, or different fonts, etc.? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 20:24, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Help:Wiki markup contains a lot of stuff that's irrelevant here (e.g. indenting), but there seems to be a bit of useful stuff in there. List of XML and HTML character entity references could possibly be useful if you want to include some interesting symbols in your signature (e.g. ‡ ♣ Ω). But I think superscripts (and subscripts), colors and fonts are the main bits of fancy styling. Bilorv(talk)(c)(e)
OK, let me just start with the basics. Where can I find the wiki markups to change the color? And the font? I will make do with that for now. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 02:45, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
That was given in the example above. Most basic colors can be called just by their names, red, blue, etc. More exotic colors can be specified by their hex value. See Web colors. So, using the example above, you could do different colors and fonts (<span style="color:#00FF7F;font-family:Times New Roman">different colors and fonts</span>) Dismas|(talk) 04:25, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. I think my question wasn't clear. I see the "code" that needs to be used. I guess I was asking: where is there a list of all the colors available (and their proper names) to be used in the code? And where is there a list of all the fonts available (and their proper names) to be used in the code? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 17:19, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
The color and font code is simply stored in the rendered html page and passed to the user's browser. It's not defined by MediaWiki and it varies what browsers can display, but otherwise they should just display a fallback color like black and a fallback font. See Web colors and Font family (HTML). PrimeHunter (talk) 17:50, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Just a note: the most of markup you're asking about is not a wiki-markup but rather a pure HTML. Search the Web for some easy introdution to HTML formatting and styling. --CiaPan (talk) 06:54, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@Joseph A. Spadaro: There used to be a number of users who ran signature shops, where they'd help you customize your signature. There was a backlash against that, with a number of the pages being nominated for deletion, and most of the people who ran them no longer edit or no longer run their shops. However, if you take a look at some of the remaining shop pages where they've showcased their work you can pick up on some of the bits of code and best practices. See User:NikoSilver/Signature shop, User:Lights/Signature shop, User:Sean gorter/Signature shop, User:Ryan Taylor/signature shop/Designs, and for your reading pleasure Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/Signature Shops. ~ ONUnicorn(Talk|Contribs)problem solving 14:33, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@Joseph A. Spadaro: I urge you not to create a signature that is overly "fancy". Any time I see a sing including any of 1) background colors; 2) more than 2 foreground colors; 3) script fonts; 4) fonts significantly larger or smaller than the surrounding text, or that are fixed in size and will not let the browser settings adjust size; 5) drop shadows; or 6) a sig-name in no way related to the user name, I promptly reduce the credence I give to the editor, unless it s someone I know well and respect. Overly complex sigs are IMO distracting and not helpful. DES (talk) 18:25, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

You may not wish to become an admin, but Wikipedia:Advice for RfA candidates sums up my feelings:-
"Flamboyant signatures are seen by some as ostentation. There are absolutely no rules against custom signatures, but there are guidelines: Readability (it might look fine in your browser and on your computer, but not on others). It should be pronounceable: non-Roman fonts, symbols, and dingbats are discouraged and may not be easily available without multi-strokes from a standard ASCII keyboard or not be available at all from standard QWERTY or AZERTY keyboards without using a 'character insertion' help menu.[7] Fancy signatures are seen by many !voters as a lack of maturity."
- Arjayay (talk) 18:35, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
This is all just opinion though. I will agree that drop shadows can be very annoying, but I think a bit of colour is good. However, (IIRC) we are recommended to avoid anything that requires too much code; anything more than ~3 lines [when viewed in the edit window] is definitely unnecessary clutter. Bilorv(talk)(c)(e) 19:06, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, all. I am not looking for anything particularly fancy or intricate. Probably just color and font. I don't even know how to do those two (very basic) things (yet)! Beyond that (color and font), I am not interested in a lot of bells and whistles. Thanks, all. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 03:46, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Sumter High School Sumter South Carolina

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Not sure when Sumter High School opened on McCrays Mill Road but it was not 71. I graduated in 73 and it was still located on Haynesworth St. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.107.236.229 (talk) 13:46, 2 August 2015

We need a reliable source to change it.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 22:26, 6 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]
It appears the article says the actual building was built in 1983. The article is a mess, though, and some work needs to be done.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 22:29, 6 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Age at death

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There has been previous discussions on the text used in the death date templates. The issue appears to be a UK/US language nuance, so I came up with a solution Template_talk:Death_date_and_age#"Age" versus "aged". Problem is that the discussion is on still backwater page of Wikipedia and I will need a few more people to agree that I am solving the problem, or not! A change will alter over hundred-thousand articles, so I need a bit of a consensus. Not sure where to go from here. How do I get a few more visitors? Periglio (talk) 21:06, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

There is a template called {{Death date and age}} it calculates someone's age given DOB and DOD (bet it does not handle the change from Old Style to New Style dates very well -- but that is another issue). One of the parameters alters the ordering from MON DD, YEAR to DD MON YEAR to cater for the differences between US and UK date formats (see MOS:DATETIES). At the moment which ever date format is used the template use "aged nn". The proposal would change that so that if a US format is used the template will use "age nn" but keep "aged nn" for UK date formates. The questions are is User:Periglio correct that US usage is mostly "age nn", and if it is should this change be implemented. -- PBS (talk) 10:40, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]