Talk:Main Page/Archive 45

message: Under the Did You Know section:
...that the town of Moronvilliers was totally destroyed in WWI and was also a dite for French dry-nuclear testing?  
Someone with the right privledges ought to change "dite" to "site."
--138.16.21.127 22:44, 3 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Fixed. Thanks. Shanes 22:51, 3 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Typo 

message: if you look at ITN/DYK on the :de: Hauptseite, you'll note that they align images with the paragraph they actually refer to; why shouldn't en: imitate this, it would make for a much less confusing Main Page. 130.60.142.65 16:17, 4 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Besides the obvious consequence that it'll make the layout look uneven, I think the basic idea behind this suggestion is a good one. And if the uneven layout is too big of a problem, maybe we could as a rule let the first item in ITN/DYK be the one matching the picture. --Codemonkey 00:11, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

text: DYK always has the image with the article it relates to on top, ITN is a pit more variable.--nixie 00:17, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: align images

message: Shouldn't the news headline focus on all the Nobel Prizes rather than just the physics one?
:but the physics one was today Broken S 21:19, 4 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Only the medicine and physics winners have been announced so far. Chemistry is October 5, Peace Prize is October 7, Economics is October 10 and Literature prize will be announced at a later date. Evil Monkey∴Hello 23:07, 4 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Nobel Prizes

message: Under "Tu’i Tonga Empire", "influencial" should be "influential". AnonMoos 23:26, 4 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Spelling

message: You can fix the news image of Harriet Myers and Bush now, thank you very much. Kreachure 00:32, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Vandals right in your face. 

message: :(Sorry, I had to tame the offensive language. The meaning won't be lost by using dashes. -- PFHLai 06:29, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Yeah, it was a commons photo and someone uploaded that one to that location. Someone then uploaded it from commons and protected it. However no one purged the cache, which I promptly did, and it should be fixed now. Redwolf24 (talk) 00:36, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  F---ed Up Image 

message: I would like to know if Ramadan will be featured tomorrow, since Rosh Hashanah was not featured today. 
(SeanMcG 02:57, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: What do you mean by "featured"? Neither Ramadan nor Rosh Hashanah are featured articles and thus cannot be the featured article on the main page. →Raul654 03:38, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

text: Sorry, I meant to say if it will be in the "In the News" section (SeanMcG 04:04, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Probably doesn't belong there either...best way would be to make provision for including certain "movable feasts" in "featured anniversaries." Doops |  talk 05:11, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

text: I thought about re-posting Ramadan on Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/October 5, and changed my mind after searching for Ramadan on Google news. Apparently, many other countries in the world indeed started the festivities in the evening of October 4. I plan to handle Laylat al-Qadr and Eid ul-Fitr the same way -- go by the astronomical calculations, instead of checking the sky myself. -- PFHLai 06:24, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ramadan: Featured tomorrow? 

message: On the newset articvle section, King of England is mentioned. There was no 'King of England 'at this time: George III was king of Great Britain, as the act of Union had united England and Scotland in 1707.
:I just changed this in the article, an admin will have to change it on the template. Ziggur 11:16, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Fixed in the template as well. Thanks. Shanes 11:21, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: King of England

message: Can a sysop update the front page with the Nobel Prize for Chemistry result. Batmanand 14:24, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Nobel Chemistry 

message: No, asthma is not a disease of the respiratory system, it is a whole-body genetic disorder manifested in the respiratory system. Asthma manifests as a hyperactivity of the muscles of the lungs causing difficulty in breathing. Other manifestations of the same disorder are hyperactivity in general; "Attention Deficit Disorder"; "Hyperactive Deficit Disorder", and other such symptoms.
The disorder is best treated not by drugs but by teaching affected children relaxation techniques; muscle control; stress and anger management; and by no means last that they are not affected by disease but an inherited genetic anomaly.
It is important for such an influential journal to get this right. Were the matter posted on a normal editable page I would have simply edited it. That it is posted on an uneditable main page is unfortunate.
Asthma and its related disorders caused great suffering. We might rather seek to alleviate that suffering.
Gil
: Asthma "is not a disease of the respiratory system"? I disagree. Gil, your claim that "asthma manifests as a hyperactivity of the muscles of the lungs" is too simplistic. Your comparison with attention deficit disorder is inappropriate. You think that asthma is best treated by teaching relaxation technique? There is no randomized controlled evidence to support your claim. On the other hand, there are many such studies that show beneficial outcomes with drug treatment. Asthma does indeed cause great suffering. Too many people die because of inadequately treated asthma. If only those people received appropriate drug treatment in good time, their deaths could be avoided. Axl 15:22, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Gil, "hyperactivity" can mean so many things. Don't equate them when you see the same word. .... sigh .... It's not "unfortunate" that "it is posted on an uneditable main page". "Whole-body genetic disorder manifest in the respiratory system" ? Excuse my ignorance. What is that ? -- PFHLai 16:55, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

text: What is a genetic disorder also called? Oh, right - a disease.  As Axl says, your attempt to conflate ADHD with the actions of involuntary muscles in the respiratory tract is silly.  I also encourage you to attempt to teach a six year old child relaxation techniques before so blithely advocating them here. — ceejayoz ★ 17:19, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Asthma 

message: In the "Did you know..." section it says:
...that the British Army used the Gatling gun in the combat for the first time at the Battle of Ulundi during the Anglo-Zulu War?
it should be this:
...that the British Army used the Gatling gun in ((the)) combat for the first time at the Battle of Ulundi during the Anglo-Zulu War?
or, maybe, this:
...that the British Army used the Gatling gun for the first time in the combat at the Battle of Ulundi during the Anglo-Zulu War?
(preceding unsigned comment by  21:38, 2005 October 5)
: I just took out the extra 'the'.  Thanks for pointing this out. -- PFHLai 21:53, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Minor language use. 

message: According to the main page 67 people have died in Mexico, according to Current Events and it's source 66 people have died in Mexico. (But I can't find where to correct this.)
(preceding unsigned comment by   09:33, 2005 October 6)
: ITN on the MainPage reflects Wikipedia contents. Current events reflects content of newspapers. Both can be outdated. What is the death toll now ? By the way, it's not Mexico. -- PFHLai 09:58, 6 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Temporar faulty 

message: The Mandinka link in today's Did you know is actually to a disambiguation page.  It should actually be to Mandinka people.
:Fixed. Thanks! -- grm_wnr Esc 12:51, 6 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  The Mandinka link is to a disambiguation page 

message: I'm assuming it was either a mistake or vandalism, but there isn't anything around the outside of the main page anymore, just the main content. Does anyone know what happened? --Madison Gray 01:25, 7 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: It was cleaned up, so a lot of stuff that was just clutter was taken out. Zach (Sound Off) 03:33, 7 October 2005 (UTC)

text: What was missing ? The navigation, search and tool boxes ? I think that thing are just loading on screen more slowly these days. -- PFHLai 05:07, 7 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  What happened? 

message: The main page uses the exact # of articles without apparently being updated all the time. Is there a way I can use the # in an article?
 puts this in.  Please do NOT use it in an article, however (if you want to put it on your user page, that's fine.  But it is NEVER relevant in an article (not even the article on Wikipedia uses it).  Ral315 WS 21:09, 7 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  # of Articles 

message: OMG, Wikipedia's clear communist bias is apparent from today's main page, with with Che Gueverra, Sun Yat Sen, and Sochi, Russia all being highlghted on the main page! →Raul654 09:53, 8 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Emmm..., I thought Dr. Sun, co-founder of the Kuomintang, would be on the Nationalists' side, with the Communists on the other side. No ?.....  I think the commies are at the bottom only. Maybe Wikipedia is suppressing them ... :-)  -- PFHLai 13:46, 8 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Not quite - Sun is unique in that *BOTH* the communists AND the nationalists consider him one of theirs. →Raul654 16:27, 8 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  This makes him, at the most, a semi-commie ! -- PFHLai 18:38, 8 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Pffft...details... →Raul654 20:17, 8 October 2005 (UTC)

text: Duh! Remember, the GPL and its derivatives are commie plots, and guess what license Wikipedia uses?! — ceejayoz ★ 01:26, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Arbcom is communism. Larry Sanger is Marx. RickK is Che. Raul654 is Castro. And word has it that I'm Stalin. Redwolf24 (talk) 01:44, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Can I be Trotskij? If so, please don't kill me. gkhan 10:46, 9 October 2005 (UTC)

text: Raul654 I really thought you were WiC. These pranks are immature and frankly not funny and I think you'll lose your arbcom bid because of them ;-) before you call that an attack see . Redwolf24 (talk) 01:50, 9 October 2005 (UTC)

text: I must say that frankly, I'm quite comforted to know that being in the higher echelons of Wikipedia does not take away your sense of humour. ;) --Codemonkey 12:20, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: (Reply to the Anon) As Codemonkey says, the above comments were made with tongue planted firmly in cheek (heck, I'm the one who scheduled Sun Yat Sen for the main page!). →Raul654 13:45, 9 October 2005 (UTC)

text: You do realize that http://www.wikipedia.com aliases to http://www.wikipedia.org/ , right? →Raul654 19:27, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Commiepedia!!

message: "5 games to 3"? --JWSchmidt 11:24, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: One would have to assume that they played a best-of-nine wins game, so when one of the teams got 5 games, they had won. (infact, I just checked the article 1919 World Series, and it appears to be just so) gkhan 11:51, 9 October 2005 (UTC)

text: Odd, eh ? That's why it was posted on the MainPage, hoping people would click and read. :-) -- PFHLai 18:51, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  best 5 out of 8? 

message: On Macintosh Internet Explorer, the "In the news" section is stretched waaaay off the edge of the screen, with a big empty space in the bbox, with the "Featured article" squeezed over in the left side. It didn't use to look like that.67.34.202.170 17:29, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Try Safari, it's free from Apple and is more up-to-date than IE which has not been supported by MS for some time now. Another option would be Firefox, another free browser that is more advanced than IE for Mac.  --hydnjo talk 03:08, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I'm probably asking a stupid question, but are we sure there's no practical way to fix this problem? I hate IE for Mac as much as anybody, but "get a real browser" seems like an awkward sort of fix for people who like IE (for some reason). Lord Bob 03:51, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: OK, I went and fired up IE (geesh it's even slower than I remembered) and indeed there is a serious problem with rendering the Mainpage. Other pages render properly so it is a problem with the Mainpage code somehow. This would seem to be the right place to bring it up but if there is no response here then where else should it be posted?  --hydnjo talk 19:05, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Or is this subject too old to even be noticed in the Mainpage talk? THIS IS A TEST I quess.  --hydnjo talk 03:16, 14 October 2005 (UTC)

text: I have system 9, and can't get Safari or Firefox, and Netscape is slooooow (same person as above) 68.209.19.232 12:55, 16 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Mac IE 

message: and why does it deserve a mention on the main page? --68.9.197.69 21:20, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: So people like you will learn about Leif Erikson?  (SEWilco 21:53, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  I know about Leif Erikson, I meant since when does he have a holiday? I've certainly never heard of it. --200.118.2.214 23:12, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  If the article doesn't say he has a holiday, it might just mean that someone such as the Governor of Minnesota issued a proclamation to honor him.  But the Anniversaries on the Main Page should have proper links.  (SEWilco 20:19, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  MainPage linked to Leif Erikson Day on that day. Is there a more proper link ? (for next year) -- PFHLai 02:17, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  WTF is Leif Erikson day 

message: post info on cerebral palsy
:Er... Cerebral Palsy--Sean Jelly Baby? 16:19, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  CP 

message: had to work for a while to get to this page, but Is anyone else getting this message on any random page?
Fatal error: Call to undefined function: linkprefix() in /usr/local/apache/common-local/php-1.5/includes/Parser.php on line 1232
Wikipedia's slow, and there must be some error...-- WB 00:27, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Yup, me too. It happens all the time (i.e., refreshing gives the same error) on some pages (e.g. WP:VPT), and not at all on most. ~~ N (t/c) 00:50, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Errors

message: In today's entry, the phrase "which is currently spoken by less than 100 people," should read "which is currently spoken by fewer than 100 people." Please fix this problem; I would if I could. --Zantastik talk 09:56, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: This is one of the tiredest pedantic contentions in English usage. Less means fewer. Languages evolve. Get over it. CalJW 10:09, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: It doesn't hurt if we change it to "fewer". So changed it. -- Sundar \talk \contribs 10:37, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Admins.. please fix a grammatical error on dyk. 

message: I know it always seems to be me, but can a sysop put up the Nobel Economics result 2005 (http://nobelprize.org)? Thanks! Batmanand 12:55, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Nobel Economics 

message: Someone please update the news section with Merkel becoming new Chancellor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:In_the_news_section_on_the_Main_Page/Candidates
It has been waiting for hours now. Someone need to frequent that page on a regular basis if the news template has to be protected.
:I've updated the template with this now. Shanes 13:59, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: The headline is misleading. She's now the leading candidate for chancellor, but she has yet to be confirmed by the Bundestag. Schroeder will remain chancellor through October 22. Ephemeral life 14:06, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Chenged it to "will become" to fix this. That she actually will become chancelor seems pretty certain, I've seen news reports on it all day, and CNN just aired a confirmation. Shanes 14:31, 10 October 2005 (UTC)

text: I'm not convinced that she is Chancellor yet.  The latest news reports state that she is 'poised to become' Chancellor, but hasn't actually got the job yet. --Heron 14:04, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I don't think there's any doubt that she will become Chancellor, but Wikipedia shouldn't really be written in the future, and things could change at the last minute (if SPD members rebel, maybe, or meteors start falling on Berlin - anything can happen in the next 12 days).
There is an error in the news. A coalition of SPD and CDU/CSU is not a "Jamaica Coalition" (this name applies to a coalition of CDU/CSU, FDP and Green Party, due to the three parties' colours black, yellow and green). A coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD is called a "Grand Coalition". --83.129.53.118 21:05, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Sysop help needed 

message: I've heard that wikipedia is being used by radical islamists to communicate, that they post from public computers onto the talk pages... is that true?
--83.118.141.133 20:03, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Unlikely. An awful communication method it would be, with everything being edited to have different meanings or simply vanishing.  There are plenty of less visible and more secure means of communication.  (SEWilco 20:15, 10 October 2005 (UTC)

text: This is untrue. Any discussion not relevant to the article (note that's the article itself, not its subject) is removed immediately, and as SEWilco points out, it's a stupid way to carry on a private conversation. — Dan | Talk 20:19, 10 October 2005 (UTC)

text: Well, to be fair, it's not just talk pages; I understand that they've made some very useful contributions to the recent proposed move of Independent school (UK). And I'm hoping for their input on Hunt the Wumpus. Doops |  talk 20:24, 10 October 2005 (UTC)

text: Doops, I do not understand? On hunt the Wumpus or indepentent school there is nothing about terror?
terror is very scary, no jokes should be made.
everyone, apart from Doops: thank you for the answer, very much.
--83.118.141.133 20:30, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Actually, from what I understand, Hunt the Wumpus is a terrorist training tool, and BASIC is widely regarded as the "Terrorist's choice of defunct progamming language." Just so you know :).--Sean Jelly Baby? 01:20, 11 October 2005 (UTC)

text: Terrorist are using computers to communicate. We need to get these machines banned before people are harmed.--Clawed 09:36, 11 October 2005 (UTC)

text: Did you know that if you listen to the Spoken Wikipedia articles backwards they are all recipes for explosives? Batmanand 13:33, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  terrorist communication? 

message: Angela Merkel will become Germany's new Chancellor, leading a "Jamaica coalition" between SPD and CDU/CSU.
this is wrong, surely?
it should be a grand coalition. jamaica coalition would have to involve the FPD and the Greens.
YES, it is wrong! Jamaican coalition would be if the FDP (yellow) took part and the CDU (black) and the Greens (green), now it is only a black/red-coalition between CDU (black) and SPD (red). 212.144.10.67
* I confirm, it is wrong; it is a "grosse koalition", or "grand coalition" in English. --Angelo 21:50, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: This is not a Jamaica coalition.... Serious problem. Tfine80 21:52, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  Fixed. ~~ N (t/c) 21:56, 10 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Jamaica coalition. 

message: Why 1954 anniversary is below 1962 anniversary on the current Main Page version? Cmapm 01:17, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Fixed. Thanks for pointing that out. -- PFHLai 02:13, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Selected anniversaries

message: The link to the Czech language Wikipedia should say "Česky", not "Česká".
-- Hexagon1 12:54, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: that said, I notice that even the Slovak Wikipedia gives "Česká (čeština)", so it cannot be that wrong after all :confused:. 08:08, 12 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Incorrect Czech-language Wikipedia link title 

message: are photons present in all forms of light?
:No. Photons are part of an outdated theory by Issac Newton. It has been known since the 19th century that light is a wave that travels through the luminiferous aether, a medium permeating the universe. I'm glad I could clear up this matter for you. AngryParsley 18:59, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: After doing more research on the subject, it turns out both Newton's theory and my original explanation were wrong. Light is neither a particle nor a wave, but a combination of the two known as a warticle. AngryParsley 19:02, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: OK, I'm going to be honest. Yes, all forms of light are made of photons. In fact all forms of EM radiation are particles called photons. But if you study quantum mechanics it gets hairier. Photon explains the whole thing better than I can. Ahh dan, why did you ruin my fun? I was going to explain the real answer eventually. AngryParsley 19:10, 11 October 2005 (UTC)

text: In fact, a "particle of light" is called a photon; it appears to follow that all light does contain photons. I'm no physicist, of course, but I'm quite sure Mr. Parsley is pulling your leg, so to speak.  — Dan | Talk 19:06, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  photons 

message: Sad truth. ;< - A Link to the Past (talk) 21:29, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  IPs hate Wario. 

message: Under Did You Know section:
"that Abelisaurus had a lighter skull that other dinosaurs due to large fenestrations behind its eyes?"
"that" should be "than." 
- 68.42.189.219 21:57, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Typo 2

message: The Taprogge GmbH should not be linked from the main page: it's extremely one sided POV stuff.  Interesting, but not up to featured article status by a long chalk.  I've added a POV plate pending improvements.  See the contibutor list and discussion page on that page.  Mat-C 21:38, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I don't understand the relevance of not being a featured article; the vast majority of articles the Main Page links to are not featured articles. — Knowledge Seeker দ 22:51, 11 October 2005 (UTC)

text: I don't think it should be on the main page either. Wikipedia doesn't want to be filled with commercial tat, and linking to it from the main page is only rewarding the company. Common sense should have prevented this from happening. --81.154.236.221 01:17, 12 October 2005 (UTC)

text: Well, mentioning a company on MainPage has the appearance of a subtle advertisement on the front page. Other than that, it's okay. -- PFHLai 15:37, 12 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Better that than being systematic bias against commercial entities in the project. We see enough of that on AfD thanks very much! Pcb21| Pete 15:47, 12 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Taprogge GmbH DYK 

message: Please link to the correct condenser on the Did you know box. -- Marco ✉ 08:57, 12 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Link to disambiguation page on Did you know 

message: Why in the selected anniversaries, oct 12th stand only in spain as Hispanidad Day? as far as i know october 12th is a holiday throught latinamerica, although can change offical denomination from country to country and from time to time, as Venezuela´s last change of denomination, but basically remains the same, the anniversary of Columbus arrival to America... (preceding unsigned comment by  17:58, 2005 October 12 (UTC))
: Ooops...  Wish I had seen this yesterday. It should read "Hispanic Day in Spain and many Latin American countries ....".  Just fixed the template, good for next year.... -- PFHLai 22:10, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Hispanic Day

message: Regarding Columbus, plesase: DO SOMETHING!!!!!!Argentino 19:25, 12 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: What's wrong with Columbus ? -- 199.71.174.100 00:46, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Columbus 

message: "..produced over a 1,000 paintings.." should be "..produced over 1,000 paintings.." Ekem 00:15, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Fixed. ~~ N (t/c) 00:19, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Francisco Pradilla Ortiz

message: ...that Operation Gibraltar was the name given to the failed plan by the Pakistan to infiltrate Jammu and Kashmir, India and start a rebellion and that it eventually sparked the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965? 
I don't think the highlighted 'the' should be there. Can someone with sysop powers fix that, please ? -- 199.71.174.100 01:43, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Fixed. Shanes 01:46, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  Thank you for the speedy fixing. -- 199.71.174.100 01:53, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  typo at DYK 

message: I thought that FAs on the main page were protected. For some reason, they (and their images?) are not right now. Is it possible to do so? Ancheta Wis 02:27, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: The blurb that appears on the main page is protected (Wikipedia:Today's featured article/October 13, 2005). The article itself is not - see user:Raul654/protection →Raul654 02:46, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Featured article - protected source? 

message: Place the categories like the Swedish Wikipedia's Main Page (in the middle). I'm using a Windows 98 computer right now and I can't see the dots used to separate "Wikipedia FAQs · Browse · A–Z · Portals · Ask a Question" (all i can see is an empty rectangle). I therefore suggest that you change the dot to "-".
:Changed. I hate the "·" too.  Too small for my eyes. -- PFHLai 09:54, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: There is still one "-" missing between Portals and Ask a Question. Samohyl Jan 10:39, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  Ooops ... sorry. Thanks, DavidLevinson, for fixing it. -- PFHLai 17:20, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Small changes 

message: It seems to me that when selecting images for the main page there should be a bias in favor of photographs and against flags and coats-of-arms, unless the news story, DYK article, or anniversary is specifically about the flag or coat of arms (e.g. "Somewhereville votes to adopt a new and controversial flag" or "DYK that the Coat of Arms of the Principality of Wales is based on the arms borne by the famous mediaeval Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great?" or "12th of Never: the flag of somewhereopolis (right) is officially banned in neighboring somewhereville"). All those cases are OK; what's silly, in my view, is illustrating an article about something or somebody or some news story with a flag. Today, for instance, there was an attack on Nalchik. Now the news event is the attack; so to illustrate it there should really be a photograph of the fighting. Failing that, we should give serious thought to illustrating the second or third story instead, with a picture of Pinter or the Chinese spacecraft.
Sometimes, when a news story involves an obscure location, a map could be a useful illustration as long as it actually shows the site involved; but by and large, I think preference should go to actual photographs. Same thing goes for DYK or Selected Anniversaries: maybe a national holiday merits a flag; but it's ridiculous to illustrate Canadian Thanksgiving with a flag of Canada or St. Lucia's day with a flag of Sweden. A nwe article on a Jamacian cricketer is illustrated with a photo of him or no picture at all; the Jamacian flag would be pointless. Doops |  talk 21:13, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Of course. The problem is that we don't always have suitable, free images to choose from. If a flag or an insignia of some space mission is shown on Selected Anniversaries, it means the Wikieditor responsible (usually me) has given up looking. However, I have to say that it has been easier this year, thanks to Wikimedia Commons. -- PFHLai 21:39, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Yeah, of course there isn't always a good image. But that should play a factor when deciding which news story/anniversary/new article to illustrate. Today's "In the News" is a good example. Doops |  talk 22:20, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  I don't like the current image, either. But I can't find a good replacement.  Is there a better choice than :Image:Harold Pinter.jpg ? I'd like to avoid fairuse pics. -- PFHLai 23:59, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Flags vs. Photographs 

message: Kashmir Earthquake 2005 briefing in the "in the news" section should say Pakistan before India, just because of the larger majority of the disaster/casualties being on the Pakistani side. Thanks. a.n.o.n.y.m   t 22:07, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  "In the news" change needed 

message: im korean, and im getting my firend who can speak enlish to write this for me. is there any way you can get korean as a language to read?
:Yes, go to ko:대문. --cesarb 01:10, 14 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  korea 

message: I wasn't sure where to ask this, but, what's up with all the lines being removed from under the links? The Wookieepedian 21:28, 14 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes I noticed that too; I don't know why it is happening. I preferred it the other way. --Kilo-Lima 18:04, 16 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  the line under links 

message: Is it just me, or try "Print Preview" on Firefox 1.0.7 with the Main Page. It gives an error. Anyone else? -- WB 23:41, 14 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: v1.0.4 works fine in Print Preview. Thanks for the heads-up; I will not attempt to use 1.0.7. Ancheta Wis 00:22, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: It works fine for me (using Firefox 1.0.7) though I still have the same problem as Ancheta with the on 772,372 text overlapping. --AMorris (talk)●(contribs) 05:27, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Print on Firefox 1.0.7 

message: Today's Today's featured article says the track Layla  features an "unmistakable guitar figure, played by Eric Clapton and Duane Allman". What is a guitar figure? Moriori 00:41, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: A guitar figure is the same as a guitar release. A guitar solo response between verses that contains  the unmistakable signature (playing style) of the lead guitarist. ---hydnjo talk 01:12, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Hmm. Let me see. A guitar figure is a solo response between verses, containing the style of the lead guitarist, but it is played by two guitarists on Layla (Clapton and Allman]]. Just jivin'. I'll take your word for it. ):-  Moriori 02:18, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Hmmm. I see what you mean. I guess in this context the article was referring to figures (make everything I said plural) although I never thought about it that way. Maybe soloists or Clapton and Allman just blend into each other as one. I dunno, I just thought that figure was another name for release. Sorry for any confusion that I caused.  (:-( --hydnjo talk 02:40, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I guess Figure (music) is what it really means. Go figure! --hydnjo talk 21:27, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Guitar figure?

message: Under Today's featured picture, "hippopotamus 's" should be "hippopotamus's". Art LaPella 02:44, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Fixed, thanks. --fvw<SMALL>*</SMALL> 02:48, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Can my rank articles be made a featured article? Molotov   (talk)   04:46, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: The featured articles are chosen (by me) from Wikipedia:Featured articles. But you can't just add articles there - there's a nomination/peer review process at Wikipedia:Featured article candidates →Raul654 04:53, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Hippopotamus 's

message: Is the use of copyrighted material (e.g. :Image:LaylaCover.jpg) on the Main Page permitted by the Fair Use provisions? Fg2 06:42, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: We generally try to avoid it, but for stuff like this it's near unaviodable. If the fair use is ok in the article it should also be ok in on the front page, as long as there's proper context. --fvw<SMALL>*</SMALL> 06:44, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks. I appreciate the clarification. Fg2 06:51, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  What's the policy on use of copyrighted material on the Main Page? 

message: Just updated the 2005 Kashmir earthquake page with current official death toll.
"Local authorities reported the official death toll as 38,000 in Pakistan and 1,300 in India "
Other sources now claim 40,000 have died (and rising)
Main page should reflect this...Kamayoq 08:44, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: *You are welcome, Kamayoq. Glad that I could help, but sad that the number is so large and still rising. -- PFHLai 05:43, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  2005 Kashmir earthquake - updated casualties 

message: Dreyfuss was not arrested "in error" but as the result of a criminal conspiracy by elements of the French Army. Their motivation has been in dispute ever since. They were certainly anti-Semimitic, but some have argued that the entire affaire was an intelligence misdirection aimed at convincing the Germans that the new French "Famous 75" artillery piece was less effective and revolutionary than it actually was (Drefuss was an artillery officer). 
Whatever the case, the term "error" is highly inappropriate.
68.231.217.37 10:42, 15 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Drefuss

message: Under Selected Anniversaries, "the Warsaw Ghetto, the largest Jewish ghettos..." should be "...ghetto..." because the Warsaw Ghetto is also singular . Art LaPella 00:42, 16 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: fixed Broken S 01:04, 16 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Not really, although I read somewhere that edits aren't always immediately visible. Art LaPella 01:26, 16 October 2005 (UTC)

text: Now it's fixed. Thanks Art LaPella 01:58, 16 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Edits aren't immediately visible because of caching. To clear the server side caches for the main page, go to the top of this talk page and click "Purge caches". →Raul654 02:02, 16 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: OK. I don't see any "Purge caches" link up there, but perhaps it only shows when you need it. Art LaPella 02:10, 16 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Does it appear to be out of date? If so, try purging the cache, or find out about browser caching. →Raul654 02:22, 16 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Ghettos

message: * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jimbo_Wales - sars 16:57, 16 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: *This may help.  Also, this question should have been asked at the help desk.--hydnjo talk 18:35, 16 October 2005 (UTC)

text: *anon: good answer :-) the wub  "?!" 19:41, 16 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  when was wikipedia made and by who 

message: The line "Amid heavy security, the people of Iraq vote in a referendum on whether or not to ratify the proposed Iraqi constitution." should read "Amid heavy security, the people of Iraq vote in a referendum on whether to ratify the proposed Iraqi constitution." salt3d 04:42, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Fixed. --PFHLai 05:45, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Out of curiosity, why? Doops |  talk 07:05, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: because it's correct English? 08:10, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: To elaborate; the term 'whether or not' is a tautology. It's like 'the reason why' or 'ATM machine'.salt3d 05:27, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Whether or not 

message: We have a DYK item that mentions strap-on dildos and no over-protective parents and/or general prudes have run in here and shouted at us about how heathenistic and damned we are?
That doesn't make sense!  There was a DYK item a month or so ago about the Human Menstral Cycle that created at least one amusing holier-than-thou thread!  I'm let down.
::hehe  :)  Bushytails 00:45, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: We do not need such items on the front page. They are of no value and bring Wikipedia into disrepute, thus reducing its usage and value. It is quite likely they were intended to provoke as a pitiable puerile joke. Why did you choose not to sign your comments? CalJW 14:42, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Um, no, the article wasn't a joke.  I wouldn't have spent two weeks writing, taking over 450 photos under hot floodlights, editing images, etc, for a joke.  The article may not be of value to you, but please don't assume this means it's not a value to anyone.  Thanks, Bushytails 00:45, 18 October 2005 (UTC)

text: Rather than resort to name-calling, can we have a word from the editors as to whether dildos are really part of the body of educational knowledge that Wikipedia wants to present to the public?  I appreciate a policy of non-censorship that allows such pages to exist, but I think it is highly inappropriate to be highlighting such vulgar items on the front page.  --BlueMoonlet 15:14, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: It's not neccessarily vulgar to everyone; only certain groups of people consider factual, accurate, neutral articles to be vulgar.  Thanks, Bushytails 00:45, 18 October 2005 (UTC)

text: Would you care to justify why the article is useless?  I've gotten a number of comments from people saying they've learned a lot and are glad it was on the front page, otherwise they might not have found it.  Useless to you and useless to everyone are not always the same thing.  Thanks, Bushytails 00:45, 18 October 2005 (UTC)

text: It's not a matter of usefulness, but of being inappropriate for civilized discourse.  Again, can we get a statement from an editor, either taking responsibility for this item and defending it, or else removing it?  --BlueMoonlet 15:32, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Um....you're an editor. We're all editors. Doops |  talk 20:38, 17 October 2005 (UTC)

text: I felt I did an adaquate job defending this article on the section a few sections down; no need to defend it here as well.  Please see the other discussion at #Dildo discussions do not belong on the main page and add any new arguments there.  Thanks, Bushytails 00:45, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: It is not "thrust" upon you; surely simply seeing a link on the main page doesn't harm you in any fashion?  If you don't wish to learn more about how many people express their sexuality, it is your option not to click the link.  However, other people might indeed want to learn more, and having a link probably introduced the subject to many people who have never heard of it.  Thanks, Bushytails 00:45, 18 October 2005 (UTC)

text: With respect, who determines what qualifies as being appropriate information to "thrust" (funny choice of words on your part) on people?  Where is the guideline for DYK that forbids this?  As a community reference device, you're welcome to participate in drafting policy changes that could 'fix' this instead of complaining here.  Before harnessing WP, participate in a policy discussion that encourages consensus gathering.  There's no good reason to bypass the community to try and short-circuit the main page because you don't like it, but there exist tools that you can use to help WP realize its full potential if you think the current guidelines don't have enough depth to them.  In the end, the data in WP doesn't mean anything unless there's good plumbing, and community driven policies are going to serve the WP information mandates better than reactionary censorship. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 20:02, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Such a "fix" would break every NPOV guideline ever laid down, and is unlikely to be welcomed.  I, for one, would do as much as I could to prevent a specific society's point of view from being made wikipedia policy, and hope most other people would do the same.  Thanks for the comments, Bushytails 00:45, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree, and if that 'fix' came up for discussion, I would oppose it.  I guess I was just trying to find a politic way to say 'quit yer bitchin'. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 15:23, 18 October 2005 (UTC)

text: Didn't I already say I was sick of it and wasn't planning on commenting more?  Sending more people there isn't going to help.  :)  Bushytails 00:45, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Hmmmm.  For someone who isn't planning on commenting more, you're sure doing a lot of commenting.  :) As far as sending more people, I find one-on-one flamewars sometimes fall apart if the back-and-forth is broken up by other people.  If not, well, at least people are aware of it.  I'm a fan of transparency.  --DragonHawk 02:07, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  How did that happen? 

message: Not sure that 'tradition' is the right word to be using there. Folklore, legend, myth....as its not really a custom for him to do it, as I don't imagine its something he does every year etc. --Narson 15:09, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Tradition is appropriate, under definition #2.  --BlueMoonlet 15:34, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Did you Know - King Gebra Maskal Lalibela  

message: I am flabbergasted at the inclusion of you-know-what in the DYK section. o_O 
I DID know that, but that's beside the point. KingTT 15:23, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Did You Know? 

message: The header for the main page source says the page has been protected to prevent editing. Surely it has been protected not to prevent editing but to prevent vandalism. Can this be changed and if so should it? -orizon 23:04, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: You need certain priveleges (e.g. adminship) in order to edit the protected pages. Is there an error you want them to correct? -- WB 23:39, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I think Orizon was asking about changing the wording of the header. If the "to" clause is a result clause ("this book has been updated to reflect recent events") then there's no doubt it's been protected to prevent editing; but if it's a purpose clause ("I'm revising my book to respond to criticisms.") then it's arguably been protected to prevent vandalism. Doops |  talk 23:52, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I get it now. It's not only for vandalism though. If it was open for edit (assuming it's a perfect world without vandals), the main page would change so much that it might even be confusing for the first time visitors. -- WB 00:18, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Sorry, forgot I had made this comment. I hadn't considered other reasons for protection. I guess I just felt that the header seemed to contradict Wikipedia's open access philosophy but in retrospect it does seem the most effective formulation. -orizon 00:48, 21 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Main Page Source 

message: Favicon doesn't seem to be appearing on articles. Pages are random, but it has been disappearing pretty regularly in last few hours... -- WB 23:43, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Favicon 

message: The logo images of the Mediawiki sister projects link to hi-res images of the logos. They should link to the projects' home pages. The logos shouldn't be linked for the benefit of people interested in the logo itself: they should be linked for the people who want a nice big target to click on to go to the project's home page. ktheory 01:23, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: This has been suggested before, but the consensus has been that we must provide obvious copyright information for images.  See also Wikipedia:Copyrights#Image_guidelines.  - BanyanTree 02:17, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Sister project logos 

message: WHAT THE...?
Bob Beamon's World Long Jump record was the longest unbroken track and field record in history. He did it on October 18th 1968. His world record stood for 23 years, and was named by Sports Illustrated magazine as one of the five greatest sporting moments of the 20th century. This record surely deserves mention in the selected anniversaries. (Come on, it's my birthday today!)
:October_18 is editable; go ahead and add your anniversary to that page. Then maybe it'll appear on the main page next year. Doops |  talk 02:24, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I suppose Doops meant the long jump record, not the birthday. :-)  -- 65.95.105.74 02:51, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Done. Proto t c 11:54, 26 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  October 18th