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there are three links for the word "Earth" in the featured article.--K.C. Tang 13:27, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

All fixed. --PS2pcGAMER (talk) 13:39, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

minor error at DYK

Can the extra space after ...that Moritz Daniel Oppenheim and before the first comma there be removed, please ? -- 199.71.174.100 15:46, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

The extra space has been removed. Thanks for pointing these things up.-- PFHLai 17:30, 9 April 2006 (UTC)
Thanks for fixing so quickly. -- 199.71.174.100 17:58, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

What, do you just sit there all day looking for errors like that, why dont you get off your..... What an exciting life you must have —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 195.93.21.105 (talk • contribs) .

On the other hand, it doesnt sound half as mucn exciting as criticising somebody's quick reaction of nearly a week ago. Wow. The Minister of War (Peace) 14:29, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

Picture

Shouldn't the news of the ferry disaster in Djibouti state that the flag pictured is that of Djibouti? Ixistant 19:02, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

Ah, but where will they bury the survivors? :) --maru (talk) contribs 19:06, 9 April 2006 (UTC)
Pictures on the main page often have nothing to do with the text that is next to them. The flag next to the ferry disaster item could easily be that of New Zealand or even Ellesmere Island. There should be a note (like "flag pictured") after the name of an entity whose flag is used on the main page. --Cam 18:25, 9 April 2006 (UTC)
Ahem. Gratutious plug. --Monotonehell 04:24, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

Search Box Location

Why is the Wikipedia Search Box in the middle of the page? Everyone looks at the top of the page to search. They don't have more than two seconds to waste looking for the search box and then they leave. Trust me. I've been to Wikipedia lots of times but still forget where the search box is. Few corporations, and no major search engine that I know of allow this kind of foolishness that causes people to go elsewhere to find answers. Wikipedia is a search tool!!

Can someone please get an Internet marketing expert to give some advice to Wikipedia?

I do like the Wikipedia globe...

Marty

In the middle? When I look at the main page, logged in or out, I see it in the top left. Perhaps it is a browser problem? --maru (talk) contribs 04:12, 10 April 2006 (UTC)
I think he is wondering why the search box isn't in the top banner with the welcome to Wikipedia message. And the answer is that it was decided to leave out the second userbox in the straw poll for the Main Page's redesign. Jedi6-(need help?) 04:25, 10 April 2006 (UTC)


Yes, maru, the search box is almost exactly in the middle. The search box is under the navigation menu, which is under the Wikipedia globe and logo. Incidentally, my browser is Mozilla Firefox with tabs (which has no problems, thank u), and my monitor is 17 inches. Google knows what they are doing, and puts the search bar well inside the top 1/3rd of the page. I could name many others, but Google definitely knows best. Does Wikipedia want more people to use it as a research tool, or what? This may sound silly, but I'm not sure I understand the main purpose. Also, the font seems way too small. Look at the font for the word "search." That's almost the only thing I come here for. Someone else might come here to look at the news, but what the h* is that, "Current Events"? Why don't they just call it "Latest Headlines" or "World News"? There's some good info there, but "Current Events" is so boring it sounds like a class I had to take in school! Also, what's this about a straw poll? Why can't some decisions be left to people with actual expertise in Internet marketing and web page design? The community contributes to the encyclopedia itself, and that's more than enough for a community to handle.

I don't mean to sound too harsh, but I just don't think the answer for everything is to take a poll. Some things just have right or wrong answers, like in science. Putting the search bar where it's hard to find is simply a bad idea, in my opinion. Maybe it's just me, but I look at the top of the page, then the top right, then the bottom of the page, in that order. The left frame is normally for navigation, not for searching. However, I'm no expert, this is just based on my experience. Almost by definition, no "straw poll" is the expert either.

Since you use Firefox, you might want to consider downloading the Wikipedia Search add-on here. That way, you know, it's always at the top of your page.
Furthermore, calm down just a little. It's not like the search bar is in the next room, it's just not quite where you'd expect it. In less time than it would take to find some other page, you can EASILY locate the search bar. I agree with you, it's not in the best place, but you found it, right? Anyone with an attention span longer than that of a goldfish is likely to spot it, as well.
Not to be rude, but how about you come and join us for a little while BEFORE you start putting down the way things are done. You're right, straw polls aren't the most efficient way of deciding things. They are, however, the best way to do things when you're dealing with a community prone to backlash. The powers that be are still getting feedback on the Main Page -- that's what this page is for -- but, odds are, there won't be any drastic changes without input from the community. Otherwise, all hell will break loose. (Which gets messy....)
Honestly, I fail to see how "World News" is in any way more interesting than "Current Events". And "Latest Headlines" sounds like a sketch on the Tonight Show.
Check this out. And, perhaps, this. They may help you determine what it is we're all doing here.
-- MusicMaker5376 05:36, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

Please come give input at Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals)/Archive P#Highlight search box to help us make it easier to find. thanks :-) -Quiddity 06:24, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for your reply. However, what makes you assume I haven't been contributing to Wikipedia? I do contribute every time I see an article that I think contains an error or a significant omission. I also created one entry myself. I don't have to log in every time or to prove anything to you because that is irrelevant to the issue at hand.

My understanding is that Wikipedia's primary purpose is to be an encyclopedia, as complete and accurate as possible, and to fulfill that by encouraging community participation. I don't think either goal is served very well by this page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page).
I think www.wikipedia.org has a better presentation, but it's just a re-direct page to pages in specific languages.
"World News" is, fyi, a whole lot more specific and more interesting than "Current Events," which completely leaves open the question of what and whose current events? Basic rule is, if you don't know, you don't click.
My proposal would be that Wikipedia hire (or more likely, solicit free help from) one or more expert consultants to give advice on home page redesign. This would only be advice. The outcome of their advice (presumably more than one proposal) would be voted on by the community. If the community finally decided to keep the home page as it is, it would be free to do so.
As for the "politics" of Wikipedia, no, I'm really not familiar with that and probably would rather not be. I believe in my ideas but don't want my inbox flooded either. Wikipedia is something I care about to the extent that I personally use it and want to see accurate and complete entries, and (need I say) a practical design for the home page.
Thank you for your attention and to anyone who believes in helping to promote a better Wikipedia home page.

Marty

I only saw two edits when I looked at the contributions for your IP. That's what made me think that you didn't come here frequently, but perhaps you have several different IPs from which you check the page.
But, seriously, get the add-on for Firefox. It's very helpful.
Haha. Everyone on Wikipedia is an "expert consultant"; didn't you know that? I don't blame you for keeping your head out of the politics.
And "World News" implies news germane to the planet Earth, and, therefore, would not include such tidbits as the guysers on Titan. "Current Events" implies inclusion of all events that are current (and notable).
-- MusicMaker5376 19:32, 10 April 2006 (UTC)
Does your perceived need for this firefox addon illustrate deficiencies in the frontpage? --Monotonehell 06:53, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
Not at all. I just think its easier to get on Wikipedia by typing something in the Firefox search box than taking the extra step of coming to the page first. It's always there, and I almost always circumvent the main page by using it. -- MusicMaker5376 18:43, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

Re: the comments about "experts" - I am almost certain that any "expert" worth his salt would tell you that you need to survey usage first, and that could be difficult here. Also, tailoring a webpage to a wide range of users is an inherently complex business. You could tailor a webpage to a specific set of users (and that is what most "experts" do), but it seems that Wikipedia wants to draw in a wide range of users. Finally, I do agree that some decisions are best handled by as few people as possible, rather than by committee. Actually, the final comment should be that for every "expert" who says one thing, you will find another "expert" who says another thing. Carcharoth 11:04, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Spelling

In the Peking Plan Did You Know item, "begining" should be spelled "beginning". Art LaPella 04:53, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

For April 15, 2006, on the main page, the caption about Chan accusing Sudan, it says "...severes diplomatic ties...", should it not be "...severs diplomatic ties...". 12:20, 15 April, 2006

Fixed. --HappyCamper 16:25, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

Peruvian National Election

The first round of the Peruvian national election, 2006, was held yesterday (I would have put it up then but server was down). The results are expected to come by tonight. I think it should be on the main page news section.--Jersey Devil 09:08, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

Discussion on this has already started on Wikipedia:In the news section on the Main Page/Candidates. We are still waiting for the results to be released, and for relevant wikiarticles to get updated first. Stay tuned. -- PFHLai 18:25, 10 April 2006 (UTC)
Ditto for Italian general election, 2006. -- PFHLai 20:25, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

About downtime periods

I might be missing something obvious but when Wikipedia goes down I can never find anything about it after it returns, at least not on the site itself. Considering Wikipedia's size and potential for growth I can't imagine downtime won't keep occurring. I really think we need a visible link somewhere at the top of the main page that links to a page telling everyone how the servers are doing and/or have been doing recently. It can be frustrating when you have no idea what's going wrong - if it's just you, your area/country or everyone - and then suddenly it's back as if nothing ever happened.

One suggestion is to have a link status under the top bar that links to a status page. Maybe the status details could be added to Special:Statistics? - Drrngrvy 13:56, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

This info is generally disclosed on the Wikitech mailing list and Wikipedia:Village pump (technical). --CBDunkerson 14:48, 10 April 2006 (UTC)
Thanks for those links CBDunkerson. Even though I'm interested in the technical side of it, I know that most Wiki'ans aren't at all interested in the reasons. What I was suggesting was more of a very basic list with a jist like:
  • 'Wikipedia went down @<time> for <duration> | reason: Routing problem at server farm in PA';
  • support a very short front page blurb (like above) in these situations. It could reduce wiki-anxiety for many users who don't feel the need to get into technical specifics. Phr 06:32, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
if the reason for the outing was complicated, then don't bother explaining - just link to Wikipedia:Village pump (technical). The point is that anyone who is unsure what's going on can't easily find out, even though downtime is so obvious (and so, I think, deserves some recognition/explanation) - Drrngrvy 15:28, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

I agree with the above comments. A (more visible) status link is needed. Not everyone is aware of the mailing list or the village pump. And from the sound of it, loads of people flooded onto the IRC channels, so that isn't really suitable either. Carcharoth 10:47, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Also, the specific link to the Village pump discussion is: Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)#Downtime. Carcharoth 10:51, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

The elitist population of wikipedia has tormented us who want to start contributing to this website

Immediately, I started an article to contribute to this international project, thinking that this would be of use. Of course, it wasn't, to those elitists who roam among us. I thought of a guy who is fairly popular around where I live, and decided to start an article upon him. Immediately, it was nominated for a "speedy deletion". I read up on it, and was accused of being in "cahoots" with the subject of the article.

I've never met the guy, but I know of him, and I find these accusations slanderous. Wikipedia will not survive with the power tripping of it's members. Harah.

I'll bet you people are pissed about my quotes. Too bad for you, I'm not stopping.

Edit: Somebody took it upon themselves to delete what I had to say. Elitism indeed.

Powerking 15:11, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

  • Unfortunately, we can't start an article on every single person alive. However, if the subject really was notable, please tell me who he/she was so I can give my own opinion. --RabidMonkeysEatGrass 15:14, 10 April 2006 (UTC)
  • What article are you talking about? I'm just a normal user but I think that even if you are 'in cahoots' with the subject, as long as what you put in the article is entirely neutral then it shouldn't be considered for AfD. - Drrngrvy 15:16, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

People like you give me confidence in believing in this site. I thank you for your open mind.

But yes, he is notable, but not notable worldwide. I've seen articles of less notability, and they haven't been touched. This article though, I can't find in the deletion logs. It has been wiped from existance. Jamal Kelly is the name. 192.103.144.8 15:18, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

The article was at Jamal Kelly. It was tagged for deletion as {{nn-bio}} by Bobak and deleted by Stifle. Admins can view the content that was removed here. --GraemeL (talk) 15:23, 10 April 2006 (UTC)
Pity us plebs (hehe, only kidding) can't read that page. I'm just curious as to why: any links that aren't just Wikipedia:Administrators, please? nvm - Drrngrvy 15:37, 10 April 2006 (UTC)
I've responded to the users talk page Oskar 15:31, 10 April 2006 (UTC)
Personally, I think that it didn't quite fit into the CSD A7 bracket as it did make an assertion of notability, having released CDs. However, with 10 hits, it had a snowball's chance in hell of being kept at AfD so it should've been {{prod}}'d. By the way, you write quite well so please keep it up, just with more notable subjects next time :). --Celestianpower háblame 15:39, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

This discussion has nothing to do with the MainPage. To discuss if we are running out of notable people to write about (sigh...), please go to Wikipedia:Village pump. -- PFHLai 18:29, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

Fanny Blankers-Koen

In the following sentence in the Featured Article section of the main page, I think the word "where" should be replaced with "when": At that time, she was already a mother of two, which was unheard of at a time where when female athletes were still frowned upon by many. - Gobeirne 01:05, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Any chance the main page could be done again? The repetition of "At that time ... at a time" doesn't exactly seem encyclopedic, imo. - Drrngrvy 14:58, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

On this day... not today!

Fast of the First Born is not today (April 11th) as claimed on the main page, but tomorrow like it says in the article 132.70.219.241 05:48, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Someone changed the date in the article a few hours ago. [1] Hmmm... Does the fast begin at sunset on Apr.11th ? Is the date on Passover wrong, too ? Need someone familiar with Jewish customs to check / confirm. Can anyone help ? Anyway, I've hidden the link to Fast of the firstborn for now. -- PFHLai 07:33, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
The fast begins on April 12th at sunrise. Passover begins at sunset between April 12/13 132.70.219.241 20:22, 11 April 2006 (UTC)


Italian election

I think the situation is a little more complicated, it's more like the center-right party won the upper chamber (like the Senate), the center-left party won the lower chamber, but things are contested, there's still some uncounted votes (expected to go left), and there's maybe some small chance of a crazy recount drama like the US has had a few times. Can someone suggest an accurate and concise edit for the ITN blurb? Phr 06:35, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Prodi claimed victory, anyway [2]. That's what's on ITN right now. Good enough for now, I hope. -- PFHLai 07:35, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
Yes, the current wording is good. Thanks. Phr 02:56, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

A suggestion fro banning trolls from editing

I have a suggestion to make:

You know how trolls vandalise anything, well i say if they vandalise the same article/page twice or more, there banned from editing. Why, its no mistake, because they delete an entire page on purpose.I suggest they get banned from editing permentaly, especially depending on the vandals targets like: religeon,People, other wikipediansm etc. If the vandal wants to be forgiven, then they must either write a email to an admin, or other important wikipedians. This will reduce the number of trolls and vandalised articles. If however, they delete on accident, which would be unusual, then they need a good reason for doing so.

who aggres with me. Says either support or object?

note: I added this in the wikipedia:trolls article, but i feal people will answer it here more quickly.

Pece Kocovski 11:36, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

I hate vandals, too, but shouldn't this be posted at the Village pump instead of here ? --PFHLai 11:42, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
Hundreds of vandals are blocked every day. Usually after a few warnings and not permanently 'banned' unless it is a sustained problem. See Special:Log/block for a detailed list of recent blocks. --CBDunkerson 11:47, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
If you visited Wikipedia:Trolls or Wikipedia:Vandalism you know that there is already a policy of warnings, blocks, and bans. I suggest you read those pages more carefully; in any case a discussion of changing those policies belongs on those pages and not the Main Page. People who are actively involved in those policies are more likely to read about it there than here. Ultimately even a banning policy can only be partially successful because many people are hit-and-run vandals, people who briefly discover they can put the word P3N!5 on a page and then lose interest quickly when their vandalism is reverted. You can't ban someone before they show up and if they're gone before you ban, you've wasted time and energy (which is of course one goal of the vandals). --Dhartung | Talk 18:39, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

ALT TAG

Hovering over the "Did You Know" picture just shows "ALT TAG". Can a real description be given please? Bazza 12:40, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

How do i hide the main page header on a wiki?

I see that on the main page, it doesn't actually show that the page is called "main page" unless you look at the url. I looked at the source code and couldn't find anything that was suppressing the name. Is this something that can be done in the admin section. I am using a version of media wiki and i want to hide the title on the main page. Any help would be appreciated. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 64.9.62.131 (talk • contribs) 14:44, 11 April 2006 (UTC).

It's done through javascript insertion of CSS into the HTML source of the main page. An if statement in MediaWiki:Monobook.js that's true if you're looking at the main page and its not a diff includes this line:
document.write('<style type="text/css">/*<![CDATA[*/ #siteSub, #contentSub, h1.firstHeading { display: none !important; } /*]]>*/</style>');
Larry Sanger 07:20, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Fair Use Image on Main Page

The picture for the featured article is under fair use and therefore should not be on the Main Page. joturner 16:51, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Actually, fair use images may be permitted, depending on the circumstance. We just avoid them most of the time because it is usually impossible to fulfill the criteria under the law (see fair use). The image is unsourced, though, so I replaced it with a free one. Johnleemk | Talk 17:46, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
To clarify, free images are preferred on the main page, especially in most cases where a fair use image can be replaced by an alternate free image. For example, when New England Patriots was the featured article for 3 April, the main page had a free image of the team posing at the White House instead of the team's logo. Of course, there are certain ones (more recently Katie Holmes on 5 April) in which we were forced to add a fair use image because we currently do not have a free image. Zzyzx11 (Talk) 03:42, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

Header Layout Adjustment

I propose that we center the header text that introduces Wikipedia, like this:

Welcome to Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
6,908,144 articles in English


Especially on larger monitors, there is far too much white space after the intro text when it is left justified (as it is currently). Centering that table makes it much more aesthetically appealing, I think. Note: my CSS change was just to add "margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;"—this works for me in Firefox, but I don't know if it will work for all browsers.

— Fotinakis(talk) 18:41, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Well that may well look better on larger screen monitors, but on my 12-inch screen, it looks a little bit stupid. There's lots of white space in front of the logo, and nothing after it, creating an odd, messy effect. Since I imagine the majority of average surfers have only average-sized screens, it's probably best if we keep it as it is for now. Nuge | talk 19:21, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
It looks like that's what's on the front page right now. It seems ok on my 12.1" 1024x768 laptop screen, including in smaller windows. Phr 21:01, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
Phr, what browser and OS are you using? — Fotinakis(talk) 01:09, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
Firefox under Fedora Core 3. Phr 02:57, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

ITN "proposed reform of immigration laws"

Could "reform" please be replaced with a less POV term. Phr 21:01, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

POV ? What do you have in mind ? I see no POV problem in "reform". -- PFHLai 21:36, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
"Reform" means to make something better [3]. The news item refers to a million people in the streets protesting that (from their POV) the proposed changes make things worse. Thus, the term is not neutral. Phr 00:31, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
I know we need to be NPOV when writing articles, but when writing something about another person's (or group of persons') POV, do we need to be neutral? --flatluigi(talk/contrib) 00:41, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
Of course the ITN blurb should be NPOV, just like articles. "Reform" is not described in the blurb as being anybody's POV—it's just stated as a fact. That means in the current phrasing, ITN is taking a side in an issue which is politically highly contentious. Could someone just change "reform of" to "changes to"? Phr 02:39, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
I always thought "reform" means to "get a new form", always drastic changes, but not necessarily better. I've revised ITN, anyway. Hope everyone is happy. -- PFHLai 05:39, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
Thanks, it's much better now. I don't even have that much of an opinion of the underlying issue, but the term "reform" was really bugging me (it felt like propaganda in that context). Yes, "reform" normally does mean a positive change (see the dicdef that I linked above). Phr 05:46, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
Oops, it now says "a proposed changes", which is a grammatical error. It should say either "a proposed change" or "proposed changes". Can someone please fix? Thanks. Phr 05:53, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
Oooops... My bad ... I've fixed it now. -- PFHLai 06:37, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
Thanks again :). Phr 06:45, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

consider rephrase

"Geisha were very common in the 18th and 19th centuries" -- so, have they become more sophisticated since? dab (ᛏ) 22:01, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Question

I'm not good in English, but isn't that a typo in "after haveing set or tied 12 world records"? Cmapm 22:47, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Just moved the e back into "retirment". Flying electrons ? :-) .... -- PFHLai 22:48, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
Thanks, I noticed your fix almost immediately, that's why I struck through my question. In my view, it was a flying e (mathematical constant). :) Cmapm 08:24, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Holiday Year

Under "On this day...", it says 12 April: Passover begins at sunset (Judaism, 2006). I don't think the year is necessary; we have many holidays, such as Mawlid (April 11), that change every year and if I remember correctly, the year is not put on the Main Page as it is redundant. joturner 00:58, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

Like "(pictured right)", someone will ask for it if we leave it out. --PFHLai 07:04, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

Gospel of Judas

"The restored Gospel of Judas, a Coptic document thought to date from the 2nd century, is unveiled by the National Geographic Society."

The Gospel of Judas is actually a gnostic document. --Kronecker 03:19, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

Isn't it both? Written in Coptic and a document from the gnostic sections of early Christianity, me thought. --maru (talk) contribs 04:10, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
Click on "Coptic" on ITN and you'll get the Coptic language page, rather than the Coptic Christianity page. What's the problem ? -- PFHLai 05:43, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
My bad. --Kronecker 05:45, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

Why is it even called the Gospel of Judas? Didn't Judas kill himself when Christ was crucified? If he was dead before Jesus' death, how could there be a Gospel According to Judas? Hendrickson03 06:46, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

It ends with the words "Gospel of Judas", it's mostly about Judas, and it was called the Gospel of Judas in ancient times. Although one may imagine Judas writing his gospel just before he died, one would at least have to be gnostic to really believe that. Art LaPella 16:30, 14 April 2006 (UTC)
Also, the gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John are called thus, even though there is no evidence that they actually wrote them. Batmanand | Talk 17:17, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

Love The Site...BUT...

I LOVE this site - but I can never remember how to spell the *freakin* name of it! It takes me like 3 minutes to get here. I hate trying to sort through my bookmarks to find it. I always do something like www.wilkepedia.com, then i try www.wilkipedia.com, and about 50 million others before i give up and just try searching for something similar to it on google and hope it will pull up. Great site - horrible marketing decision with the name. You need to buy up every URL that has anything CLOSE to wikipedia. BTW, what the heck does it mean anywho? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 164.111.196.245 (talk • contribs)
"Wiki wiki" means "quick" in Hawaiian. Check out the article about Wikipedia. Personally, I usually google for any term with the term "wiki" with it, so that my first hit is always wikipedia. The Minister of War (Peace) 05:59, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
Or, set Wikipedia as one of your bookmarks? Batmanand | Talk 08:07, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
Once you get the hang of it, it won't be hard to remember [en.wikipedia.org], I used to google it in my early days. Just remember Encyclopedia and Wiki (on the internet, wikis are names given to websites people can edit) and merge them together to make Wikipedia. Nobleeagle (Talk) 08:25, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
Just leave out the L before the K and you'll get here in less than three minutes, guaranteed. Even if we changed the name to Duhh there would still be some folks complaining so please bear with our difficult name and you will be rewarded, guaranteed. hydnjo talk 18:19, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

Here is the sulution type in www.en.wikipedia.org the en stands for english, this means that it will take you to the english website. When you are typing this out sound it out. Here is an Example: Wik-ip-edia. 15 April 2006 4:14 pm Canada (UTC)Fellow wikipedian talk

Are you nuts?

How can you compare the wretched Columbia with Gagarin's First Flight into Cosmos? How dare you to put the picture of Columbia at the main page on 12 of April instead of picture of Gagarin's Vostok? There should be some limits of self-love in this world...—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 130.88.75.195 (talk • contribs)

Gagarin's pic was replaced due to possible copyright problems. (No source.) What self-love ? Who is nuts here ? -- PFHLai 20:21, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
I love myself, but then again I am rather good-looking. — Knowledge Seeker দ 20:33, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
Looking forward to seeing your portrait on MainPage as the Featured Image of the Day soon. :-) -- PFHLai 20:39, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

Hi - I honestly feel that the featured picture column should be placed above both the FA and "In the news." I've missed many featured pics, and I think it should be the first things one's eyes should fall upon, becoz its purely for seeing and without being seen, it will not be appreciated. It should not require a scroll-down for one to realize that the column exists. Many beautiful pictures are being under-appreciated becoz of this formatting error. I hope that my comment will result in some action. Rama's Arrow

Wikipedia is, first and foremost, an Encyclopedia. As such, I think the articles should come before the Featured Picture section. NepGrower 14:09, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
I agree with NepGrower completely. However, you can add {{POTD}} to your userpage and each day the PotD will show up there. --PS2pcGAMER (talk) 21:00, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

sociology

what is sociology and also discuss four modern and traditional social institution with their types,forms and functions. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.245.108.107 (talk • contribs)

Please read the instructions at the top of this page. Ask questions about your homework elsewhere. Wikipedia:Where_to_ask_a_question --Monotonehell 14:31, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

American cosmonaut?

The DYK mentions the plot of a novel that includes two "cosmonauts", one American and one Soviet. I was under the impression that an American cosmonaut is usually called an astronaut. Rod ESQ 18:58, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

It's a Kyrgyz novel, so in the same way that some American novelists erroneously refer to "Russian astronauts" the story in all likelyhood uses the phrase "American cosmonauts" (in Russian of course). You'd have to get hold of a copy to check though. GeeJo (t) (c) • 19:18, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
But this is an English encyclopedia, so we might just as easily - erroneously - refer to both as 'astronauts'. The way it is now though, it looks imprecise. Why not use 'an American astronaut and a Soviet cosmonaut'? Or if that's too cumbersome, how about a generic term like 'space travellers'? Eixo 19:27, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
Astronout and cosmonaut mean the same thing, what does it matter? 66.28.244.134 00:04, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

big cats

Today with my cub pack we went on a walk and me and my frieng saw two or three cats but four times the size, i need info about these cats to start a project and tell the govement that this true so far there not believing us —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.45.111.203 (talk • contribs)

Please refer to Wikipedia:Where_to_ask_a_question. —Michiel Sikma, 21:45, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

What??????????

Did You Know says "...that the Trinity Church is the only permanent building in Antarctica and the most southern church in the world?" What is this supposed to mean? There are several permanent research stations with buildings which are manned year round. Rense 21:53, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

See also below #Antarctica in DYK. --PFHLai 05:57, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Suggestion: Removal of the "Search" box caption.

The box at the side has the word "Search" above it, despite defaulting to being a 'go to' box and search being only a secondary function. Given that there's a button that says 'search' directly beneath the box (and encapsulated within the same box) the caption seems misleading and redundant. Can it be removed? Irrevenant 00:46, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

there are two internal links for "chemical reaction" in the featured photo.K.C. Tang 00:50, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

I fixed it on Wikipedia:POTD row/April 13, 2006 and that should fix it for the front page, but for some reason it isn't updating. Is the front page now caching templates? I did a similar change a few days ago and it worked fine. --PS2pcGAMER (talk) 01:03, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia's main (home) page

I visit many sites and it is always a pleasure to return to Wikipedia's (insert description) main page. I'm sure that some will find fault, nothing is perfect. But, for a main page designed by the "folks", it's pretty damn good. So, you "slings and arrows" people please realize that every damn pixel has been discussed and agreed upon. Please consider that your point may have been considered before. Please don't impulsively change some aspect thinking that it hasn't been thought of before now. This design has been compromised willingly to assure that virtually all browsers displaying a variety of skins and at many resolutions "feels" and "looks" as the designers have wanted. All we ask is that y'all be as considerate as the folks that have been here before your arrival. hydnjo talk 01:48, 13 April 2006 (UTC) This has been copied to David Levy's talk page. hydnjo talk 03:55, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

i may be back soon

hey all just wanted to say that i'm hopefully going to have some time to start pediating again soon, its just that i've been so busy with my business that i havn't had any time. see ya soon--Larsie 01:59, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for telling us. hydnjo talk 02:44, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

passover?

Tonight is the first noight night of passover, and i I must say i'm I'm kind of surprised that there was no mention of this extremely significant jewish holiday Jewish holiday in the news section. 134.173.113.14 02:52, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

pProbably because it happens every year. Jedi6-(need help?) 02:53, 13 April 2006 (UTC)
The beginning of Passover was on the Main Page yesterday (UTC time, still today here in EDT time) in "On This Day". —Cuiviénen, Thursday, 13 April 2006 @ 03:39 (UTC)

Antarctica in DYK

Trinity Church is not the only permanent building in Antarctica. McMurdo Station, for example, has over 100 buildings, at least according to the Wikipedia article. An administrator needs to remove the false statement from the main page. NoIdeaNick 03:33, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Looking at the image in that article, it is clear that none of those buildings are permanent - they are all buildings assembled cheaply and easily moved, much like those in a trailer park. The church, however, is obviously not designed to be easily disassembled and reassembled. While I can't say for certain that it is indeed the only permanent building, the buildings you cite are not permanent. —Cuiviénen, Thursday, 13 April 2006 @ 03:38 (UTC)
Please take a look at this page . Is thirty years long enough to be permanent? And that's for a whole township, not a building. It is farcical for our front page to say that a church is the only permanent building in Antarctica. It isn't. If I was a sysop I'd change it, but I can't. Rense 03:59, 13 April 2006 (UTC)
I think it's more the method of construction, than how long the building actually stays up. My school in the 1990's still had temporary buildings that were put up in the WW2 era. But they were sort of like trailers, propped up on pilings instead of having a foundation, etc. So they were temporary even though they'd been there 50+ years. Phr 05:36, 13 April 2006 (UTC)
I don't believe I am reading this. Where is evidence for the claim that the church is the 'only' permanent building in Antarctica? There's plenty of opinion here, but where is the evidence. I thought Wikipedia was supposed to supply references. 07:02, 13 April 2006 (UTC)
I reworded it. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof" and all. I think it's reasonable to request a reference for such a strong claim. — Knowledge Seeker দ 07:39, 13 April 2006 (UTC)
If it's a permanent structure then it would be in violation of the International Treaty for Antartica. There's many buildings on the Antarctic mainland (This church is on an island) that have been there for over 30 years but are still considered temporary. Mawson's hut is still there since 1911. There's other churches/chapels that are furtehr South. I think this article is hitting on the 'wrong claims'. It's a curiosity due to its construction style and location. But the other claims are treading on thin ice (pun intended ;) --Monotonehell 11:47, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Politics in the news

Is it possible to maybe get some science news in the "In the news" section? For instance, something about this. ITN has been rather politics heavy lately. Would this be better requested somewhere else or would it not be seen as well somewhere else? Dismas|(talk) 13:25, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Here's the article that mentions the find: Australopithecus anamensis. Dismas|(talk)
Try Wikipedia:In the news section on the Main Page/Candidates. Don't forget to follow the rest of the guidelines in Wikipedia:In the news section on the Main Page. --64.229.226.31 18:19, 13 April 2006 (UTC)
Thanks. Dismas|(talk) 19:27, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

DYK

The template has not been updated for more than 24 hours. The only regularly updating admin is on wikibreak and will not be "active for the foreseeable future" as his talk page says. As we have about 1000 admins, it's a shame that noone else is able to take care of this business. --Ghirla -трёп- 14:53, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Updated now. --Cactus.man ✍ 16:18, 13 April 2006 (UTC)
Thanks a lot! --Ghirla -трёп- 16:55, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

"bunsen burner" should be "Bunsen burner", I think, with uppercase (I'm not exactly sure, though; even the article has both uppercase and lowercase Bunsen). – Alensha 寫 词 18:00, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

I was always taught to capitalise it at school. PeteVerdon 22:45, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

OTD holidays

This has to be the most effort for the least significant change I ever expended:

"On this day" currently has "April 14: Good Friday in Western Christianity, Vaisakhi in India (2006), Pohela Baishakh in Bangladesh." The comma after (2006) should really be a semicolon so that the (2006) applies grammatically to both items preceding it, not just the latter: "April 14: Good Friday in Western Christianity, Vaisakhi in India (2006); Pohela Baishakh in Bangladesh." Melchoir 02:43, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, PFHLai! Melchoir 05:03, 14 April 2006 (UTC)
Another insignificant change here. Vaisakhi and Good Friday are both holidays that change each year. But only one has the year afterwards. I suggest we be consistent here; either both have years or neither (I'm going to go with neither). joturner 02:56, 14 April 2006 (UTC)
If it came to that, I would actually lean toward both for precision. I think the semicolon is good enough, though. Melchoir 05:03, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

About wikipedia principles

You should not complicate everything up to insanity.Instruction about wikipedia should be only on one or two pages.Nobody,excepting wikipedia administration,should have a right to delete anything.However,everybody should have a right to write.

Truly yours,

Peter -- The preceding undated comment was added by User:194.199.4.101 (Contributions) at 08:44, 2006 April 14 (UTC)

That's correct, Peter. Only administrators can delete, but anyone can edit over your any other people's contribution. You can do that, too. BTW, please read the response to your post at Wikipedia:Village pump (policy). Hope that helps. -- PFHLai 17:53, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

Nitpicking

Isn't 'Peter of Eboli, a monk from Eboli' a bit redundant? 81.101.139.130 12:54, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

Most searched word?

I heard that the most searched word is actually 'Encyclopedia' which would be the weirdest thing ever, can someone clarify this for me?

Thanks. Anthony.

Try asking at Wikipedia:Reference desk. Or see the Lycos Top 50, which tracks that sort of thing. --Dhartung | Talk 18:56, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

I still don't know...

The DYK for Johann Melchior Dinglinger mentions that the golden coffee service he made for Augustus the Strong would have scalded the Elector's fingers if it had ever been used, but I can't find that particular fact in any of the wiki-links provided. There's talk of the emperor, the prince-electors, and Dinglinger's coffee service, which are all fascinating, but the fact that appears to be featured on the DYK blurb (that the coffee service would scald if actually used) is nowhere to be seen. I realize that it's just a detail to the articles, but if this "fact" is feautured on DYK as something fact that I can presumably find in the included articles, then it should be on the actual articles. Could someone please a) fix the blurb so that it actually reflects the content of the articles, or b) find a source that attests to the "fact" and include it in one of the articles? Rod ESQ 18:09, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

I agreed. That wasn't a fact. I've removed that item from the MainPage. Thanks for pointing that out. -- PFHLai 18:18, 14 April 2006 (UTC)
The fact is covered in Note number 3 of the article featured in the DYK area. Granted, it's a little hard to find it; it seems more of an incidental reminder that the author included. 81.157.119.130 20:11, 14 April 2006 (UTC)
That would be a speculation or conjecture ... not a fact. -- 199.71.174.100 22:59, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

a missing article?

my english is not very good... it seems that in the last sentence of the Featured Picture section - "How the species manages to return to the same overwintering spots over a gap of several generations is still subject of research" - an "a" is missing before "suject"...forgive me if i am wrong:)--K.C. Tang 01:35, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

Nope, looks like you're right, it should be either "a subject of research", "the subject of research", or "subject to research", with my preference being for the the second. GeeJo (t) (c) • 02:13, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
could anyone correct that then?:)--K.C. Tang 06:00, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
I changed it to include "a", but the wording still could be phrased better in my opinion. --PS2pcGAMER (talk) 06:14, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
you're always helpful:), thanks--K.C. Tang 07:28, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

In the news!

Can somebody please enter a new snippet into the "In the News" box? I am getting bored of the same Uranium Enichment article from three-four days ago. thx

Wikipedia Stubmechanic 02:29, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

Yeap. Admin attention is required at Wikipedia:In the news section on the Main Page/Candidates. Is there a paleontologist in the house ? You're probably needed there, too. -- 199.71.174.100 03:59, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
Wikipedia Stubmechanic, the same Uranium Enichment article from three-four days ago is now the last snippet. Are you still bored ? It may get bumped off MainPage when 2006 European floods grows into a decent article. How's that ? -- PFHLai 11:13, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
2006 European floods still needs to be expanded. -- PFHLai 10:43, 17 April 2006 (UTC)

Someone's messed up the templates

Suddenly, the Wikipedia logo, the navigation, search, and toolbox sections have stopped displaying in Firefox (except in IETab). Could whoever's messed up the templates kindly revert them? 82.36.26.229 13:24, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, that was me in an IETab. A435(m) 13:25, 15 April 2006 (UTC)


Nominate an Article

How do you nominate an article to be on the Main Page? Does anybody know? 3:31pm 15 April 2006 Canada (UTC) FellowWikipedian talk

See WP:FAC for getting an article to become an FA, and then TFA for instructions on nominating an FA for the main page. Johnleemk | Talk 19:39, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
Also see Template talk:Did you know and Template talk:In the news to get an article into one of the other features. GeeJo (t) (c) • 20:22, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

Browse

I like to go through wikipedia looking for intersesing article. I serjest having a indax of all acticles to browse through Wikipedia. This would be on the main page in plane sight. This is the one thing you can do with a book but not with a web based encyclopedia. --Anon. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.239.230.5 (talk • contribs)

I'm not sure how we could list all one million articles on the main page. --Johnleemk | Talk 21:11, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
The problem is that an index is almost useless because there are too damn many articles- it takes multiple pages before you move at all, alphabetically speaking. --maru (talk) contribs 21:15, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
On the Main page click on A-Z Index, it's just like a book with an alphabetical index. Or try All portals if you prefer to browse by subject matter. hydnjo talk 22:12, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
ZZZZZ (episode) is the last page.--210.86.78.221 04:28, 16 April 2006 (UTC)
Try this. -Ambuj Saxena (talk) 16:38, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

simple english

people who speak only a little english will not be looking in the languages for simple english. There should be a link in plan sight for the simple english wikipedia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.239.230.5 (talk • contribs)

You're right. The link to the Simple English Wikipedia is obscure. hydnjo talk 22:12, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

In the news spacing

The spacing in In the news is strange...there's too much white. Can someone fix it? --Osbus 22:39, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

White ? --64.229.7.94 02:09, 16 April 2006 (UTC)
Instead of the text being wrapped around the image, the text is completely off to one side. --Osbus 13:36, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

english or English

English is not to be written in large letters except for at the begining of sentences. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.239.230.5 (talk • contribs) .

Um. This is untrue. Phil Sandifer 23:14, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
That's true in (e.g.) German but not in English. You'd say "die englische Sprache" but "the English language". Phr 03:19, 16 April 2006 (UTC)
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