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May 14

blue background on pages makes wikipedia hard to read :(

Just some user experience feedback - the blue background on the wiki pages now makes it very hard to read the material, particularly blue link text on blue background. Silly, get rid of it. The content is why we're here - and it, along with the rest of wikipedia is EXCELLENT: WELL DONE EVERYONE :) (but please - get rid of the blue background! :( — Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.181.251.131 (talk) 00:45, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Hey, the blue background you are seeing is actually a problem caused by Google Chrome. If the zoom isn't set to 100% the page appears to have a blue background. Reset your zoom and it should be fine. Ryan Vesey Review me! 00:47, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

infobox picture

Hi I'm adding a wiki page for a school assignment and can't figure out how to make the image show up in the infobox for a play. I have typed in absolutely everything and nothing ever shows up besides the file name. Right now I have written next to image, File:2587.jpg but i've tried so many variations of this and nothing has worked. The page is due by tuesday so I'd really appreciate a quick answer. Thanks!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Michellekravets (talk • contribs) 01:29, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The syntax for including pictures in an infobox is a bit different than outside of infoboxes. See Help:Infobox picture for details on how to use pictures in infoboxes. --Jayron32 01:36, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

As best as I can tell, the problem your having is that there is no image on wikipedia or commons with the name your trying to use. Have you uploaded it yet? Monty ₈₄₅ 01:39, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Also, as an aside, make sure the content you decide to work on as a school project does not violate WP:COI, or fail any other reasonable standards. Cheers, C_(u)w_(t)C_(c) 02:33, 18 May 2012 (UTC).[reply]

Question about Protection

I noticed this on my Watchlist when I logged in tonight:

17:10, May 12, 2012 NawlinWiki (talk | contribs) protected User:Swinquest‎ ‎[edit=autoconfirmed] (indefinite) ‎[move=sysop] (indefinite) (Persistent sock puppetry) (hist)

I have only begun to become more active with Wikipedia, therefore, will you please explain this to me? Thank you!! swinquest (talk) 04:22, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

NawlinWiki has protected your user page against being edited by IP editors and users who are not auto confirmed, and protected the page against being moved by anyone who is not an admin. All that effects is your user page, not your account or any other page in your userspace. You can edit the page because you are autoconfirmed, (more then 10 edits total, and account older then 4 days) in the very unlikely event you ever want to move your userpage, you would need an admin to either do it, or unprotect it first. Monty ₈₄₅ 04:30, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Update an image

I wanted to make a change to this SVG file due to recent events in Parliament: File:Australian House of Reps April 2012 Rect.svg

I downloaded it, made the edit ... but then couldn't work out how to upload the revised version. There's a "Create" button but that didn't seem to do what's required. How do I upload the revised version? The name of the resource should remain the same. Ordinary Person (talk) 04:54, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Scratch that, someone showed me ... click on "Upload new version" down the bottom.Ordinary Person (talk) 05:32, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

error on graph of “World’s Most Expensive Cities..."

Hello Line 67 of the first graph has an error. That line on Abu Dhabi seems to need to change the arrow and color coding to go up rather than down and be green rather than red. I didn’t want to try to fix a graph. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.55.159.52 (talk) 05:22, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I fixed both the arrow and the value for Abu Dhabi on List_of_most_expensive_cities_for_expatriate_employees#Mercer. Ravilov (talk) 07:36, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Reliable sources for BLP's

Is there anything that says that a local newspaper is not a reliable source for use in a BLP like User:Salimfadhley stated when he removed information with this edit? Ryan Vesey Review me! 06:20, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Try WP:RSN.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 20:26, 16 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Uploading a replacement picture

Time for my first contribution. I made an improved version of Cycle_of_pulsed_gamma_rays_from_the_Vela_pulsar.gif. I used the same source as the original GIF, but I think my version is a better conversion and resembles the original video more closely. I made two variants, one that matches the original GIF resolution (226 by 169), and one that matches the resolution of the source video (592 by 592). Here are the images: original from wiki (54 kB), new (383 kB), new, full-res (2.3 MB). (For reference, here's also the source video.)
Now here's my problem - first of all, being a new user, I have no permission to upload files yet. Second, I'm not sure should I use low-res or full-res variant, not sure which fits the WP standards better. Full-res is obviously visually better and offers more details, but is also much larger in terms of file size which might impact loading time. Being quite new to this, I could use any tips or hints. Thanks!
Ravilov (talk) 07:25, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You should use higher resolution variant. However it is may be better to use ogg format. Ruslik_Zero 09:14, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You will be able to upload it once you are autoconfirmed. Please, use this link. Ruslik_Zero 09:19, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Normally yes, I would definitely consider converting the video to OGG. However in this specific case the original video shows a single cycle of an otherwise repeating event, so an infinite-loop GIF animation seemed like a better idea. Not to mention, GIFs normally have far less compatibility and usability issues across various browsers and systems than video files (a plugin or an external player is sometimes required for OGG playback, while virtually all web browsers support GIFs natively).

I'm not quite sure if I should use the upload wizard since I want to replace an existing item rather than create a new one. Should I use the upload wizard anyway?

Ravilov (talk) 12:14, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I would upload it as a slightly different name, "Cycle of pulsed gamma rays from the Vela pulsar hi res" or "Cycle of pulsed gamma rays from the Vela pulsar adapted" for example. And yes I would use the UploadWizard on Commons. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 12:48, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

OK, as suggested I uploaded the image under a different name and then edited a few articles to link to the new image. So far so good, that works fine. Now here's a problem - for some reason the image's thumbnail is not animated, unlike the original image. I tried purging, didn't help. For examples see here or even here. I have no idea what I did wrong.

Ravilov (talk) 12:47, 16 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Twinkle

Is it okay to use Twinkle by merely selecting it from Gadgets.Using it for first time.Lankancats (talk) 08:46, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, it is OK (if you satisfied with the default settings). Ruslik_Zero 09:10, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Missing references list in War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

I noticed that the reference list and further reading section at the w:War in Afghanistan (2001–present) are missing. Where are they? --P3Y229 09:17, 14 May 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by P3Y229 (talk • contribs)

Probably the Post-expand include size has been exceeded. You need to reduce the number of references. Ruslik_Zero 09:25, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Warning: Template include size is too large. Some templates will not be included. → i've started a thread on the talkpage: Talk:War in Afghanistan (2001–present)#Template limit. benzband (talk) 09:56, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

British police DIRTY game...

<Post removed>— Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.173.27.11 (talk) 11:38, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I have removed your massive post which included all manner of personal details apparently about yourself and others. I'm not sure where you think you are but this material does not belong here. You are at Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia and this page is a help desk for asking questions about using the encyclopedia. If you have s specific knowledge question you can ask it at the reference desk, but I suspect that you read one of our encyclopedia article and thought we were the homesite of the subject of the article, rather than an encyclopedia with an article on the topic you read about.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 11:52, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

How does one go about getting feedback on an article?

I was browsing today, and I came across a feedback form that had been placed on the Eduardo Saverin article (see pic, left arrow), but I couldn't figure out how it had got there. How does one go about placing it on a page? Specifically, I want it to be placed on Effect of spaceflight on the human body, which I have expanded greatly recently. On another note, how does one go about getting the little 'improve this page' button at the bottom (indicated by the right arrow)? Is it related to the feedback box? Anxietycello (talk) 12:26, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You can add the feedback box by placing [[Article Feedback 5 Additional Articles]] at the bottom of the article. I placed it in the article you mentioned. It gets placed on many articles automatically. Wikipedia:Article Feedback Tool has info about the feedback system. I'm not sure about the "Improve" thing. I've heard of it but it's never shown up for me. Equazcion ^(talk) 12:38, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Is it okay for us to edit our own page?

Dear Sir/Madam,

We saw our own "TomTom" Wikipedia entry. We were thinking of writing more information on it, such as updating the history and showing more of the product features we introduced too.

Is this however possible? Or does it go against particular guidelines?

We also were thinking of updating our own board member entries to show what they have done in the past.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Kind Regards,

Najib — Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.90.76.130 (talk) 13:56, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Take a look at WP:COI - that should have all your answers. MrLittleIrish ^(talk) 申 14:10, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Closing Editor Review

Hello i want to close my Editor review. Like when RfA's and other discussions are over they are then closed for further discussion, just like that i needed the suitable template for closing my editor review. Thanks. TheGeneralUser (talk) 14:13, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The following should do the trick (from {{afd top}} and {{afd bottom}}):

The following discussion is an archived editor review. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the editor's talk page. No further edits should be made to this page.

EDITOR REVIEW

The above discussion is an archived editor review. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the editor's talk page. No further edits should be made to this page.

Regards, benzband (talk) 15:11, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your response and help Benzband, but when i put in the two templates on top and bottom this is what it shows for the editor review.

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

. What else needs to be done ? TheGeneralUser (talk) 15:30, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Was going to say move it to Wikipedia:Editor review/Archive (2012) but that's already happened. To my knowledge nothing else needs doing :) benzband (talk) 18:23, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Shortening a url

How would the following url look without the http://www.google.de/url? part?

http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=同余式2n-2≡1(mod%20n)的一些新解&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CHUQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.journals.zju.edu.cn%3A8080%2FJweb-zjulxb%2FCN%2Farticle%2FdownloadArticleFile.do%3FattachType%3DPDF%26id%3D245&ei=ow-xT_jPG4jwsgbL7tDFBg&usg=AFQjCNGwwJojdEHJzur46J83sfeYS6Oyvg

I want to save it, but the http://www.google.de/url? part triggers the f...... spam filter. -- Toshio Yamaguchi (tlk−ctb) 14:16, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

http://www.journals.zju.edu.cn:8080/Jweb-zjulxb/CN/article/downloadArticleFile.do?attachType=PDF&id=245&ei=ow-xT_jPG4jwsgbL7tDFBg&usg=AFQjCNGwwJojdEHJzur46J83sfeYS6Oyvg. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:35, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. -- Toshio Yamaguchi (tlk−ctb) 14:39, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

question about writing with correct wikipedia codes so that format looks correct to reader of Web site

Hi,

I seem to be failing to grasp one minor aspect of formatting material for Wikipedia, and the latest example is a posting I made for the entry of Eugene Field:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Field

The reference I added to some new detail about Field is as follows (and I suggest that you go to the Eugene Field entry itself to see what I'm referring to, for the relevant coding for); and I've purposely messed up the initial "<" so that the following will show up as text:

ref>Rosenberg (2004). Cap Anson 2: The Theatrical and Kingly Mike Kelly: U.S. Team Sport's First Media Sensation and Baseball's Original Casey at the Bat. Tile Books. p. 438. ISBN 0-9725574-1-5., p. 123-124.</ref>

My question concerns the extra (I think) three spaces between the "Casey at the Bat." and "Tile Books" Can you tell me what's causing it? I have another Wikipedia entry that has the same problem, and even when I try to piggyback off a seemingly accurate format, that problem keeps arising.

Thanks for your help.

Cordially, Howard W. Rosenberg

Hi Howard, i can see nothing wrong there. If it's the little arrow you mean, that's perfectly normal (indicates an external link); otherwise there only seems to be one space between the "Bat." and "Tile"… maybe it appears as more than one either because of your monitor, either because of the shape of the "T" (whitespace under the outstretched arms). benzband (talk) 19:38, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I tried 5 browsers. It looks normal in Firefox, Opera, Chrome, Safari. IE didn't display the little arrow after the external link. Instead there is an empty space. My experimentation indicates that this happens in IE if the text displayed on the external link is split between lines. Tests:

Short text. Arrow displayed in IE.

Long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long text. Arrow not displayed in IE.

It's not about the total length of the text but about whether it crosses a line boundary. PrimeHunter (talk) 19:47, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

(This is from Howard, the poster of the original question: Thanks so much to everyone for replying; those are replies I did not expect, and now know that browsers display Wikipedia footnotes in varying ways!) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 170.97.167.69 (talk) 20:24, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Many things are displayed differently in different browsers. That's one of the challenges of web design. Try displaying Wikipedia in Google Chrome with Zoom level below 100%. (We get a lot of posts about that here). PrimeHunter (talk) 20:29, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Mishpacha

Hi, I tried to italicize the page name with this edit, but I see I did the wrong thing. Now I can't get rid of the quote marks around the page title. Can you help? Thanks, Yoninah (talk) 16:01, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I've moved it back, that should resolve the issue, as I see you have gotten the italicized title to work. Monty ₈₄₅ 16:10, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks! Yoninah (talk) 17:53, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

vacinations

we have recently found out our 5 month old daughter has been given the wrong vacination .the one given is not supposed to be given untill at least one we have been informed — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.152.144.226 (talk) 16:03, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure why you are posting that here, but we cannot give medical advice, if that is what your looking for you should talk to a doctor. Monty ₈₄₅ 16:06, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 6 million articles and thought we were affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is for asking questions related to using or contributing to Wikipedia itself. Thus, we have no special knowledge about the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the upper right side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. Roger (talk) 16:07, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

... but, to reinforce the earlier answer from Monty845, even on the reference desk Wikipedia does not give medical advice. - David Biddulph (talk) 17:02, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Audio problem

Resolved

I get no sound when I play 'this audio file on the right, either on Firefox (latest version) or on IE 8.--Bbb23 (talk) 18:40, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Neither does it work for me on Safari. I guess this is a problem with the file on Commons. Perhaps you could ask at Wikipedia:Graphic Lab if someone over there can make a new file from the original on the website and upload it. I don't know how many of the regulars there work with video files. -- Toshio Yamaguchi (tlk−ctb) 19:22, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

(I moved this hear from Talk - my mistake in the first instance) Thanks, Toshio, I've left a message for the uploader and a message at Commons on the file Talk page. The sound works on the original source on the Internet.--Bbb23 (talk) 19:47, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I got it from original FLV in Ubuntu through ffmpeg command line tool with -i argument and in and out filenames. I've got a player Totem which played the file correctly, with sound, when I uploaded it. But it turned out to have no sound in browser when uploaded to Commons. However, when the OGV file is downloaded, Totem and VLC play it correctly. Also, I've got a "More" link which allows me to use Totem player within browser instead of "элемент <video>" default player. This is in Google Chrome. In Firefox, I have also no sound with "Native browser support (selected)" but have an option for Totem where sound works. I am unsure of trying to upload another version as this can be also a failure with sound which I can't control. If someone's able to generate better working OGV from the original FLV (it is 45Mb and my OGV is 15Mb) please help. You may want a YouTube copy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYxTMy7UW8U --ssr (talk) 20:08, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I recently had some file compatibility problems with File:Laptev_Vladimir_Kirillovich.jpg (see file history: the distorted icons are normal when clicked). --ssr (talk) 20:14, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html is free and should be able to convert it from .flv. It uses FLAC audio and vorbis audio may fix it.--Canoe1967 (talk) 20:19, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I converted a new one from the .flv link above. Slowly uploading now.--Canoe1967 (talk) 20:55, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you very much! --ssr (talk) 20:56, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You are very welcome. It seems there can be audio issues with some FLAC sound. The file types project page has been edited by a tech to that effect and I added resolved tags to the all pages.--Canoe1967 (talk) 00:24, 20 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Failure of System

Dear Staff, Friends of ours Starr & Tim Kickinwoman and their 4 yr. old "special needs" daughter put in an application at [redacted] one year and almost 2- months ago, they have paid the deposit (check of which has not been cashed) are homeless and are living with my wife and myself. They have and continue to get the 'run around'...day after day week after week. The people in charge locally seem quite irresponsible...(near the point of flagrancy). One has been diagnosed with 'Alzheimer and the other seems unable to deal with stress and in my opinion neither should be holding the positions they are in. This is the very short of the story. We live 5-miles out of town and have one running vehicle and they have none. We are pleased to 'temporarily' provide for them...but really.......SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR THIS LOVING FAMILY. They do not drink or do drugs and are very kind and loving...Can you please help them, or at least find out what the problem of irresponsibility is. The problem with those in charge truly is BIZARRE. I plead and implore you to act swiftly on and in their behalf

Our address is: Bryan "CODY" Van Heel Sincerely Bryan "CODY" Van Heel — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.146.201.120 (talk) 19:52, 14 May 2012 (UTC) Please do not include contact details in your questions. We are unable to provide answers by any off-wiki medium and this page is highly visible across the internet. The details have been removed, but if you want them to be permanently removed from the page history, please email this address. Monty ₈₄₅ 19:58, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It sounds like you are trying to contact the subject of a Wikipedia article, unfortunately we cannot help you with what ever problem your having with them. This is the help desk for help editing Wikipedia, not for help unrelated to editing. Monty ₈₄₅ 19:58, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 6 million articles and thought we were affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is for asking questions related to using or contributing to Wikipedia itself. Thus, we have no special knowledge about the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the upper right side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. Roger (talk) 20:07, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

i need urgent assistancepls

please help me, my samsung galaxy note is locked, the only thing they are asking for is my google accoung and password which i have saved in thesame locked phone — Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.206.12.36 (talk) 20:26, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried the Computing section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:35, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

But, as a helpful hint, I'd recommend using someone else's laptop/phone/device and use the "I forgot my username/password" link on any Google login page :-) MyNameWasTaken (talk) 20:36, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Adminship

Why have so many people objected to my adminship? Also, how do I use wikicode? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dannyboy1209 (talk • contribs) 21:01, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Seems like a self-answering question, but you might consider reading the comments at your (now closed) RFA. Acroterion (talk) 21:07, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

For a few reasons.

1. You have not been here long enough for people to trust you.

2. You have engaged in vandalism.

3. Fair use images in your userspace.

4. Less than 1000 edits.

5. 1/2 of your edits are building your user page.

6. No work in admin areas...

The list goes on. Read this essay. And to learn wikicode you should get a mentor. Hghyux (talk to me)(talk to others) 21:09, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Help with archiving a talk page

Can someone help with creating an archive for a talk page? I want to archive some old discussions on lemon but I am confused. What is the best practice for archiving these old discussions? JoshuSasori (talk) 23:51, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I suggest bot archiving, its a little bit of setup, but then you can forget about it. See: User:MiszaBot/Archive HowTo or User:ClueBot_III#How_to_archive_your_page. Probably you will want to set the archive time to 3 months due to the low activity, for example with MiszaBot you add: {{User:MiszaBot/config | algo = old(90d) | archive = Talk:Lemon/Archive }} to the page. Monty ₈₄₅ 00:00, 15 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I've tweaked the archiving at Talk:Lemon. (1) The bot doesn't work correctly if you enter the parameters all on one line as displayed here; (2) This simplest form of archiving will lead to the archive page growing without limit. -- John of Reading (talk) 07:38, 15 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks Monty845 and John of Reading for your help. I am looking forward to some automatic cleanup of that page. I guess the robot is busy so it doesn't happen immediately. JoshuSasori (talk) 00:14, 16 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Peter Craven

Hello everyone - this article says he was "0" years old when he died which barring some kind of weird temporal anomaly isn't very likely. I've had a gander at the old infobox and tried to fix it but it's a bit beyond me I'm afraid - can some bright spark with a bit more of a handle on the old syntax take a peek? Much obliged! Quintessential British Gentleman (talk) 23:55, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed.[1] PrimeHunter (talk) 00:04, 15 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Much obliged - somehow I completely failed to notice that the birth and death year were the same! Quintessential British Gentleman (talk) 00:12, 15 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]