User talk:Cullen328

I don't live on Cullen Ct, but I like the street sign

If you have any interest in editing Wikipedia by smartphone, I encourage you to read my essay, Smartphone editing. Thank you.

Welcome to my talk page I use the name Cullen328 on Wikipedia, but you can call me "Jim" because that's my real first name. If you want to start a new conversation, please click "New section" at the top of this page. I keep the old comments from July and August of 2009 that follow the "Contents" here, because these friendly words of greeting made me feel welcome when I first started editing Wikipedia.

The importance of a friendly greeting

Hello and welcome to my talk page. If you want to start a new conversation, please click "New section" at the top of this page. I keep the comments that follow from July and August of 2009 readily visible, because these friendly words of greeting made me feel welcome here on Wikipedia when I first started editing. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 17:38, 6 November 2011 (UTC

Please offer your thoughts

I would appreciate comments and suggestions on any contributions I make. I am learning.Cullen328 (talk) 03:22, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Nice work on Jules Eichorn. He's been needing an article for a while.   Will Beback  talk  06:28, 31 July 2009 (UTC)

If I may suggest, now that you've posted the Eichorn article the draft below might be deleted. It's your talk page to do with as you like, but it's a bit hard to edit around.

As for formatting and pictures, a good way to learn is to look around at other articles to see what you think looks best. It can be helpful to break up long blocks of text into subsections. Perhaps it'd be possible to split the biography into two or three eras. Other than that, the formatting is usually kept fairly plain. As for photos, it's easy to upload them: the trick is in finding photos with appropriate licensing. If you have any personal photos then those'd be fine. There are might be pictures of the peaks he did first ascents on in the Wikicommons. File:Cathedral Peak.png is a so-so pic of Eichorn Pinnacle.

As before, feel free to ask if you have any questions. There are several editors here who are mountaineers or just admirers of the Sierra, so you're in good company.   Will Beback  talk  21:13, 31 July 2009 (UTC)

PS: Many editors create "sandbox" pages for drafting articles. For example, User talk:Cullen328/Sandbox.   Will Beback  talk  00:17, 1 August 2009

Your climber biographies

Hey Jim, just wanted to say welcome and thanks for your contributions to the Sierra Nevada climbing history articles. You're filling a niche that's been missing here, I look forward to working with you. --Justin (talk) 11:54, 27 August 2009 (UTC)

I'll second that. Nice work on Allen Steck and welcome to Wikipedia. I don't know who you are planning to write up next but if your taking requests I think Peter Croft (climber) could really use a page. If you ever have any questions please ask. Thanks again for your great additions.--OMCV (talk) 02:25, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

Thanks Justin and OMCV. I am beginning work on Tom Frost and Glen Dawson. Comments on Norman Clyde would be welcomed. I will defintely read up on Peter Croft, OMCV. I am still "learning the ropes" in Wikipedia, to use a climbing analogy, and have all sorts of things in mind. My biggest challenge right now is getting permission to use images. My next biggest challenge is hiking to the top of Mt. Whitney with my wife in ten days - she's never been above 12,000 feet except for the train ride up Pikes Peak. As she's 56 and developing arthritis in her toes, it will be an accomplishment if she (and I) complete the Class 1 feat. Jim Heaphy (talk) 02:34, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

Debra and I made it to the summit of Mt. Whitney at 2:20 PM on Friday, September 11. Jim Heaphy (talk) 00:59, 17 September 2009 (UTC)

2012 Archive (first six months)

Automatic Archive 1Automatic Archive 2Automatic Archive 3

Happy New Year

Happy New Year 2021 I hope your New Year holiday is enjoyable and the coming year is much better than the one we are leaving behind. Best wishes from Los Angeles.   // Timothy :: talk

working on a new page

hello jim, hope you are doing well. i am a beginner on wikipedia but i am auto correction user. i want to write an article on a ngo which is working very good in there respective field. a friend of mine wrote a article on that topic but it got deleted due to less third party source. can you suggest me something how to write an article which won't get deleted, also i have some credible third party source so i want to ask how can i mention them because they are external links. Devanshusharma569 (talk)devanshusharma569

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope your St. Patrick's Day is enjoyable and safe. Hopefully next year there will be more festive celebrations. Best wishes from Los Angeles.   // Timothy :: talk

(personal attack removed)

(Personal attack removed)

Request of Help on "Just the Facts" Tone

Hi Jim,

I am very new to Wikipedia. I got your feedback on the draft article located under PhoCoHaNoi. Thanks so much for your comments. I would greatly appreciate if you would spare some valuable time to highlight those parts from the draft that I need to pay close attentions to regarding the aspect that you raised. I know it would be a long shot to ask if you would even consider providing specific examples by directly editing them on the draft.

Lastly, I still do not know on how to submit the revision for review. I do not see any obvious buttons or pull-down menus from the Sandbox setting that would be able to allow to submit the article for review.

Thank you so much.

PhoCoHaNoi

Hello, PhoCoHaNoi. I am not going to edit the draft myself, because I want this to be a learning exercise for you. Here are a few examples of unacceptable wording:

• "celebrating the 73-year history of outstanding men and women"

• "pioneering contributions"

• "sustained leadership and strategic vision"

• "Exceptional services to innovation ecosystem"

• "stimulating small business innovation, meeting the Air Force and DoD R&D needs, broadening participation in innovation and entrepreneurship, and boosting commercialization"

• " So, as Dr. Pham looked back now, he brought systems-theoretic science and control engineering principles, together with teamwork and interdisciplinary to bear fruition in solving warfighter engineering problems, various areas of specific focus for increased activities in space control autonomy and space domain awareness."

It is not the job of a Wikipedia editor (you) to praise a person. Every trace of this non-neutral language must be removed. A Wikipedia article should never say "Person A is great!" Instead, it should say "Reliable source C reports that Expert B says that Person A is great", along with a reference to Reliable source C.

As for how to submit your draft, I will explain that when the draft complies with the neutral point of view. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it

Sending Messages to Other Editors

Hi Jim. I will deeply appreciate anything that you can do to help. How can I find out about other editors and send them messages? I recently looked for an article about The Italian Coffee Company that I had read years ago. However, I could not find it. I believe that this article should be available. I am a new editor and I have a big learning curve ahead of me. Maybe you can post to my talk page. I am user Mojosa17. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thoughts on this

Hey, Cullen. I see you're active at the moment, could you give me your thoughts please on Readisten? There appears to be a somewhat good-faith reason for them being here, wanting to develop text-to-speech recordings, but there's no indication that's directly in the interest of Wikipedia. I've engaged them on their talk page but illicited no response yet. I'm finding it a little hard to gauge the next move. Obviously WP:UAA came to mind but i don't think a block is immediately warranted, but as i said i'm not entirely sure. Zindor (talk)

Hi. I've been editing over a decade and was pleasantly surprised to see you dox yourself with a real photo! Have never seen this before (not that I look at User pages more than a couple times a year). I salute you.

OTOH, I found your recommended page on editor behavior created (at some unspecified date) by user Antandrus TLDR. The first dozen or so "gems" of wisdom seem rather cloudy, occasionally snarky, and generally full of assumptions.

Regarding ketchup please have a look at the post I made a half hour ago on Talk. Martindo (talk) 05:45, 26 May 2023 (UTC)

Martindo. Not sure why you chose to respond to an old thread instead of starting a new thread, but whatever. "Dox" is not a term that I personally use to describe a person telling the truth about their own identity on the internet. That has been my personal strategy for 30 years, and it has worked well for me. If you do not like the essay by Antandrus, then please feel to ignore it and not recommend it. As for your comment at Talk:Ketchup, I actually have nothing to say about that at this time. Cullen328 (talk) 07:02, 26 May 2023 (UTC)

Well, I admire your boldness about the photo. Seems that dox can be a reflexive verb, but I wouldn't swear to that as being common usage. I chose to respond to this old thread because it seemed relevant and I was sure you'd get an alert about any change on your Talk page, so why scroll all the way down just to ensure new = prominent? Martindo (talk) 07:11, 26 May 2023 (UTC)

Hey, I've got lots of photos to share with anybody who is sincerely interested, Martindo. Many people seem to yearn for anonymity online, and more power to them. I am not among them. I am a real person, not an avatar. Do you have a substantive question for me, or is this just idle chit-chat? Cullen328 (talk) 07:22, 26 May 2023 (UTC)

Just idle, but your user page suggests you've been "here" longer than I have and attained one or more positions of responsibility. So nice to meet you virtually. No problem if you delete my part of this thread to free up space on your Talk page. Thanks for taking time to reply. Martindo (talk) 07:29, 26 May 2023 (UTC)

Actually, Martindo, you have been on Wikipedia longer than I have, but who is arguing about 14 years versus 15 years? I am here only to build an encyclopedia. Got any ideas? Cullen328 (talk) 07:37, 26 May 2023 (UTC)

See new thread! Martindo (talk) 07:44, 26 May 2023 (UTC)

Invitation to Local Wikimania Event in San Francisco this Friday

Hi!

Wikimania is happening and hopefully you're enjoying the sessions. While it's fairly last minute, you're warmly invited to participate in the local Wikimania-themed meetup in the Wikimedia Foundation office this Friday (tomorrow!). You will have to register in advance, but we would love to see more people from the WikiSalon community participate! For more information and registration, please check out meta:Wikimania 2022/San Francisco Meetup.

The event will involve hacking, teaching, learning, and celebrating and we'll have snacks. We will have the opportunity to watch live sessions at Wikimania together in the afternoon. The rest of the day we'll have opportunity to participate in the hackathon, and we may have some on-demand workshops/learning sessions.

In case we run out of space, it's first-come-first-serve so let us know soon! Hope to see you there.

(Subscribe/Unsubscribe to this talk page notice here)

On behalf of the Bay Area Wiki Salon team and Bittakea, Effeietsanders

Debate to delete a Category

You have been Notified because you were once involved in a similar discussion involving Founding Fathers.
There is a debate over whether to keep Category: Homes of United States Founding Fathers as a category. More opinions are needed. The discussion is located Here -- Gwillhickers (talk)

Mark Essex

There is nothing non-neutral about the fact (even more so in the 60s and 70s) Essex was a member of the Black Panthers. If you read all the references and literature, it is proven. Be happy to add further references if you'd like more citations. Thx. Kieronoldham (talk) 21:41, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

Yes, Kieronoldham, what is required is a reliable source that says he was a member of the BPP, rather than a contact or a reader of their literature. I am the primary author of List of members of the Black Panther Party and I know what type of sourcing is required to verify such a claim. Cullen328 (talk) 21:47, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

It is mentioned in several sources (linked and others I have), Cullen328. I don't know whether the fact you are "the primary author of List of members of the Black Panther Party" questions neutrality here (not that I'm fussed personally), but, I'll be happy to add other references. Spent a lot of time researching this article a year or more ago. Give me time to look deeper.--Kieronoldham (talk) 21:52, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

Give me a solid reference, Kieronoldham. You mentioned Swahili slogans. The BPP did not use Swahili slogans, which were associated with the US Organization, avowed enemies of the BPP. Cullen328 (talk) 21:56, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

"Dozens of Swahili words dotted the walls and ceiling, along with lists of exotic beasts from African folklore." Pages 110-111 of Mass Murderers ISBN 0-7835-0004-1. African studies he'd been taking assiduously (we can assume) by August of 1972.--Kieronoldham (talk) 22:09, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

Image 2 of 30 here depicts some of the slogans. I think this would be beneficial to add to the article.--Kieronoldham (talk) 22:13, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

If anything, Kieronoldham, his use of Swahili slogans is evidence against his claimed membership in the BPP. I have studied the BPP for decades. They did not use Swahili slogans, which they associated with the ideology of cultural nationalism, which they opposed forcefully. Cullen328 (talk) 22:16, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

So that may explain why ample BPP literature was found at his apartment? ("Reading material".) It is not "evidence" against anything. The guy was seeking self-identity and pride in his culture/heritage. The Cawthorne book states Frank introduced him to the Black Panthers, with whom he was active.--Kieronoldham (talk) 22:27, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

Having ample BPP literature at his apartment is NOT evidence that he was a MEMBER of the BPP, Kieronoldham. Cullen328 (talk) 22:30, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

I was inferring to your "evidence" statement. I suppose it is indicative of his being amenable to their ideology. Anyhow, it is in Cawthorne's book, as well as others such as The House of Blue Lights (p. 177), or Countering Terrorism (p.45). Do you want to reinsert the links or shall I? Be happy to use the word "affiliated" if you wish-certainly with regards to New York-or to add to a note that "according to some" sources, Essex was a member of the BPP.--Kieronoldham (talk) 22:40, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

Please don't misinterpret my replies as abrasive - if these sources are incorrect, then they are still, numerous, reputable sources.--Kieronoldham (talk) 00:23, 6 May 2023 (UTC)

Left a further reply upon my page. Necessary details are there. Kudos and regards.-Kieronoldham (talk) 03:55, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

Revoke TPA from abusive WP:NOTHERE troll

Can you revoke TPA for Bigboobafiicionado98? Their recent comments on their talk page clearly show that they are not here to build an encyclopedia and likely won't be for a long time. Contacting you as you were the blocking admin. -- Shadow of the Starlit Sky 13:02, 8 May 2023 (UTC)

Shadow of the Starlit Sky,  Done. Cullen328 (talk) 17:03, 8 May 2023 (UTC)

Thanks

Thank you! You have helped me through a tough spot. God bless you! 🤗

TearsOfTheKingdom (talk) 13:51, 8 May 2023 (UTC)TearsOfTheKingdom

TearsOfTheKingdom, happy to be of assistance. Cullen328 (talk) 17:05, 8 May 2023 (UTC)

Block template discrepancy

Hi Cullen; one of the accounts you blocked is on my watchlist and I saw that you blocked them with the spamublock template with account creation blocked, but the block message you gave them was for a softblock inviting them to create a new account. -- Ponyo^{bons mots} 17:41, 8 May 2023 (UTC)

Thanks for noticing my error, Ponyo. I have corrected it. Cullen328 (talk) 17:44, 8 May 2023 (UTC)

No problem, just wasn't sure which you type of block you had intended.-- Ponyo^{bons mots} 18:01, 8 May 2023 (UTC)

I was on the fence, I guess. Cullen328 (talk) 18:03, 8 May 2023 (UTC)

129.21.21.1

129.21.21.1 (talk · contribs · WHOIS)

Hi there, this IP is resuming their editing pattern after your previous 1 month block for block evasion. Do you believe that it's the same person as before? I'd normally report this to WP:AIV but I figured you would be more familiar with this since you blocked the IP last. Thanks. 73.67.145.30 (talk) 17:02, 9 May 2023 (UTC)

Thanks. Another administator has blocked that IP for three months. Cullen328 (talk) 20:08, 9 May 2023 (UTC)

Threatened from being banished from Wikipedia

Please, give me an explanation. Why should I be threatened from being banished from Wikipedia, for telling the truth? TD (talk) 20:25, 11 May 2023 (UTC)

Thierry Dugnolle, it is because you have been edit warring and violating WP:NOTAFORUM. Please read WP:NOTFREESPEECH which is also relevant. Cullen328 (talk) 20:31, 11 May 2023 (UTC)

Brick wall

'*sigh* Lets bang our heads. Like I said, I am not going to comment further. Its a waste of time. S0091 (talk) 20:51, 12 May 2023 (UTC)

John Johnson reporter

Dear Jim, I hope you and your family are well. Happy Mother’s Day to your wife! We just looked at John’s page and noticed some changes. The mention that John’s painting was shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has been deleted. Can it please be added back in? I was removed as John’s wife. As references, both the NY Times profile and the Newsday article state we’re married (in 2004). Is it possible to add that the Attica documentary was nominated for an Oscar? Thank you once again for your time and commitment to making Wikipedia even better. Ann Yih Johnson Johnson73 (talk) 23:12, 13 May 2023 (UTC)

John Johnson reporter

Hi dear Jim, John and I see you’re editing his page and want to thank you very much! He says hello! Could you please make my name Ann Yih Johnson instead of Ann Yih? Also, John would like to know if you can revert his page to the version you wrote last year, which included his MA from City College of New York, an honorary doctorate from St. Thomas Aquinas College, and his paintings shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Walter Wickiser Gallery in Chelsea We appreciate it! Ann & John Johnson73 (talk) 00:02, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

Hello, Johnson73. Hello, Ann & John. I added Ann back to the spouse field of the infobox. Common practice is to list the spouse by their name before the marriage (maiden name), but I am looking into this. The gallery showings are back in the article, but I need references to reliable sources for that. The article is getting heightened scrutiny because of John being discussed in the Trump/E. Jean Carroll lawsuit coverage. Editors are removing unsourced content. I will take a look at the degrees next. Cullen328 (talk) 00:14, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

In other words, Johnson73, I need to add references to reliable sources for the degrees, the Oscar nomination, and the gallery showings. Any unreferenced content is at risk of being removed. Cullen328 (talk) 00:29, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

Hi Jim,

The MA from City College of NY is cited in the press release from 3/16/15.

The Oscar nomination for Attica is referenced in these articles:

https://variety.com/video/Attica-traci-curry-Stanley-nelson and also

https://www.Oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2022

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Walter Wickiser gallery painting exhibitions are cited in the NY Daily News article from 5/10/12.

Working on the St. Thomas Aquinas reference.

Thank you!!!

Ann & John Johnson73 (talk) 01:18, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

The content on the John Johnson Archives at his alma mater, City College of NY, was also deleted. The John Johnson Archives is a valuable resource for scholars, students and historians.

The reference is:

“Emmy Award Winner John Johnson, ’61, ’63MA, Gifts Papers to CCNY” from https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/john-johnson-gift-to-ccny

This reference can also be used for his MA source.

Thank you for working so hard on a Saturday evening! Johnson73 (talk) 01:34, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

Good morning dear Jim! We hope Debra had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Regarding John's article, his M.A.from City College of New York, honorary doctorate from St. Thomas Aquinas College and John Johnson Archives at CCNY (a valuable source for students, scholars and historians) were deleted.

Reference for M.A. and John Johnson Archives: “Emmy Award Winner John Johnson, ’61, ’63MA, Gifts Papers to CCNY” from https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/john-johnson-gift-to-ccny

I contacted St. Thomas Aquinas College. Annie Lombardi, the Marketing/Communications Director, sent me a PDF of the 5/19/91 commencement ceremony when the honorary doctorate was conferred. Is there a way for me to attach it or send screenshots?

An editor recently revised John's exhibitions to say: "According to Johnson, he has shown at..."

The current third Reference in the article sources John's exhibitions at Walter Wickiser Gallery in NYC:

Salamone, Gina (May 10, 2012). "Ex-newsman John Johnson's art portrays his life – as well as Angelina Jolie and Lady Gaga". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 26, 2021.

We thank you once again.

Ann Johnson73 (talk) 14:26, 16 May 2023 (UTC)

Maybe it's time to close it?

Hello, can you finally close this topic? It has long acquired the character of a vicious circle, where someone brings charges against me, I try to defend myself, in response, new accusations are made against me, and so on in a circle without any result. In one case, the person even bluntly admitted that he was intentionally hostile to me and stopped only after I pointed out to him that his actions only fueled the argument even more and potentially provoked me to new answers. I was already warned about the outcome of the section at the very beginning and wrote in the afternoon that in order to avoid further senseless conflict, I will not do anything if people do not agree with my arguments, so as far as I understand, this can be safely closed a long time ago in order to avoid further flooding and accusations. Solaire the knight (talk) 12:48, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

Solaire the knight, I an involved in that discussion, and it would be inappropriate for me to close it. That should be done by an uninvolved administrator. Cullen328 (talk) 17:31, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

I understand where you are coming from, but the administrator who opened it also answered me this, although I directly made it clear that I do not consider myself in conflict with him and would not mind if he summed it up. Well, since we've agreed that I won't reply to that thread anymore, it looks like it's just going to be left unowned for now. Solaire the knight (talk) 17:39, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

Is it possible

Hello, @Cullen328:, I have written my article on the Dewar's Candy Shop (link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:Dewar%27s_Candy_Shop ) and I have submitted it for review. Gråbang Gråa Sång told me it is good enough to be moved into article space. (I don't know what your opinion is on my article, but feel free to tell me.) The instructions on WP:MOVE are quite confusing, especially since it assumes you have a laptop (which I don't). What I would like to know is it possible to move it to article space when I have already submitted it and the review is waiting. If so, could you please do that for me. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you! Additional Note: Gråbang Gråa Sång told me that it is allowed to move an article to article space right after you make it. The Capitalist forever (talk) 21:39, 19 May 2023 (UTC)

The Capitalist forever, since I suggested some references for that draft, I think that it would be best if I left the review to another editor. Cullen328 (talk) 21:42, 19 May 2023 (UTC)

@Cullen328: That's ok, I was just curious since I already submitted it to the Afc review, if it is still possible to manually move it to article space as described in WP:MOVE. The Capitalist forever (talk) 21:46, 19 May 2023 (UTC)

The Capitalist forever, it is possible but it is widely considered to be bad form to do that after you have clicked the "submit" button. Cullen328 (talk) 21:48, 19 May 2023 (UTC)

@Cullen328:Alright then, I'll just wait for it to be reviewed. Thanks for your time and advice! The Capitalist forever (talk) 21:50, 19 May 2023 (UTC)

A kitten for you!

Your commitment to impartiality is amazing, such as the contributor with an obvious conflict of interest on the article "Gavriel D. Rosenfeld". I applaud you for your efforts.

GunnarBonk (talk) 05:38, 20 May 2023 (UTC)

Thanks, GunnarBonk, but that was about six months ago. What brought it to your attention now? Just curious. Cullen328 (talk) 08:46, 20 May 2023 (UTC)

I was looking at the article recently and I saw the action you'd taken, and I thought it worthy of thanks, even though it was a while back. GunnarBonk (talk) 19:46, 20 May 2023 (UTC)

Favor

Hello Cullen can you please do me a favor? Dancing Dollar ^{(let's talk)} 18:47, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Hello, Dancing Dollar. That depends on what the favor is. Cullen328 (talk) 18:51, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Can you please edit Template:Did you know/Queue/3 and change the last queue from "ancient Romans" to "Ancient Romans". The page is protected so only admins can edit it. Dancing Dollar ^{(let's talk)} 18:53, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Dancing Dollar, I have been editing for 14 years and have never once edited a template. Thst is a specialized skill that I do not possess. I am also not active at DYK. Cullen328 (talk) 19:01, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

I'm sure you can do it, it's only changing one word. If not, then I don't know which admin to turn to. Dancing Dollar ^{(let's talk)} 19:05, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

(talk page stalker) @Dancing Dollar: Try WP:ERRORS#Next DYK. Suffusion of Yellow (talk) 19:10, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

On the substance of the matter, I do not believe that "ancient Romans" is a proper noun, and therefore I see no need to capitalize "ancient". To me, "ancient" is just an adjective in this context. Cullen328 (talk) 19:14, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

wt:blp

I hope you know I have an incredibly high view of you, high enough that Im not going to collapse the comments from "you have been wrong ..." to "How’s Citizendium ..." at wt:blp, but I kindly ask that you collapse it yourself. That is playing the man, not the ball, and when the ball is that easily played why even go there? nableezy - 17:04, 23 May 2023 (UTC)

Hello, Nableezy. Feel free to collapse those comments yourself without objection from me. I feel strongly about this individual. Cullen328 (talk) 23:28, 23 May 2023 (UTC)

I need your help

I created my first article about someone but it was declined. how can i improve it? Bina ofLagos (talk) 09:49, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

Hello, Bina ofLagos. What is your relationship with Derriq? Cullen328 (talk) 16:19, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

Some Ideas to Toss Around to Improve WP

Yes, Jim, I have a few ideas. The part of me that tells my kids about black-and-white TV wishes we had more cultural history, or at least a way to included it with some verification method.

OTOH, I have recently come to question the solidity of "reliable source" while editing and reading some celebrity bio pages, such as Sharon Stone and Jacklyn_Zeman. In particular, stated claims about age when graduating high school -- in the case of Zeman, a friend of mine recalled her as one graduating class earlier than his, which contradicts some of her page.

Although guidelines allow some self-reporting on BLP pages, those who seek RS appear to rely on the reputation of the source, rather than the actual content. So an interview that is subject to faulty Autobiographical_memory (intentional or unintentional) is considered RS based on where it was published, not whether it was fact-checked. In the case of Stone, one RS appears to be an NYT fluff piece on "high IQ Hollywood actors" which itself has *zero* sources given -- it appears to be a compilation of interview-type material. Martindo (talk) 07:53, 26 May 2023 (UTC)

Hello, Martindo. The recollections of a friend of yours are of no value according to the No original research policy. As for what people say in interviews, Wikipedia:Interviews is an essay worth reading, and WP:ABOUTSELF is some related policy language. As for the NYT coverage, we do not expect reliable sources to give their sources. You can discuss your concerns about those articles on their talk pages. Cullen328 (talk) 16:15, 26 May 2023 (UTC)

Jim, you seem to have conflated Talk vs Article. The recollections are evidence worth discussing in Talk to indicate that the Article content is offbase. I wouldn't dream of inserting them in text (analogous to "personal communication" as a citation in an academic article). I did discuss concerns in Talk after reading AboutSelf, which allows a "limited" amount of self-reference.

My point about RS is that the content itself is often unreliable, thus "white-listing" NYT while black-listing IMDB for celebrity birth dates, etc. seems illogical.

Another issue is DYK, which requires "significant amount of recent edits" thereby making fact-checking rushed. I have personally corrected a few of the blunders early this year. Did the people who made that policy think the typical user has read ALL of wikipedia and needs a flag to show what is "new"? There are tons of pages of trivia, history, science, etc. that I have never read, and pointing to any of them would be DYK for me, discovering a topic I'd never read about.

Come to think of it, my original post to one of your old threads did have an indirect purpose. I recall chatting offline with one of the editors who focus on Indonesia about a decade ago, but I forgot how we established contact without posting an email address on a User page. And last but not least, I will be 71 next month, so we're in a kind of cohort. Martindo (talk) 21:37, 26 May 2023 (UTC)

Martindo, I didn't conflate anything. The recollections of some random unnamed person are not evidence of any value on Wikipedia. You are allowed to disagree with the consensus that the NYT is a generally reliable source, but you have to honor that consensus until you succeed in changing it. As for IMDb, it is largely user-generated content, and self promoting film industry strivers and con artists regularly post fabrications there. See WP:IMDB. As for DYK. I have not participated there for quite a few years, and consider it pretty much a waste of time. Happy early birthday. Cullen328 (talk) 23:55, 26 May 2023 (UTC)

Thanks. Stepping back a bit, I wonder if there was something in the air around the time you and I started editing. I was a lowly writing adjunct at NYU spring semester 2008 when we specifically instructed students not to cite wikipedia in academic papers. I recall watching Stephen Colbert's segment on wikiality a couple years earlier, which in hindsight seems to have played a significant role in turning around WP policy to emphasize RS and NPOV -- I think most colleges began to accept WP references in term papers by 2010 or so. Ironically, Wales's vision of open editing seemed to have moved closer to Larry Sanger's vision of an encyclopedia written by academics and other experts. Martindo (talk) 03:09, 27 May 2023 (UTC)

Martindo, I certainly remember Colbert's "edit the elephant article" stunts, but I do not member how much influence that had in my decision a few years later to begin editing Wikipedia. I had been heavily involved with online commentary about the 2008 U.S. presidential election which was then over, and the financial crisis of that era gave me, as a self-employed person, more free time than usual. My wife and I were involved with extensive preparations for our successful climb of Mount Whitney on September 11, 2009. I decided to work on articles about California mountaineers because I was moderately knowledgeable and experienced in that area, and owned a lot of books about it. I spent a lot of time, probably about two months, reading Wikipedia's policies and guidelines, and looking deeply behind the scenes before I began active editing. As for your observations about Wales and Sanger, I disagree. Non-"experts" are still welcomed as long as they comply with policies and guidelines, and I believe that a large majority of productive edits are made by highly active non-expert volunteers. Larry Sanger, in my opinion, has a long record of being consistently wrong about Wikipedia in particular, and online encyclopedias in general. Cullen328 (talk) 04:12, 27 May 2023 (UTC)

Edward Vernon Arnold

Thank you for your comment on my draft. I'm happy to wait for the re-review, but would be grateful for your opinion on whether the external sources I have added are likely to be enough to establish Arnold's notability. RoachPeter (talk) 19:56, 27 May 2023 (UTC)

Hello, RoachPeter. Your lead section is too brief and does not adequately summarize the body. The first mention of his name should be in bold. Your reference list is overly reliant on his own work. Perhaps you can move the citations to his own work to a separate "Bibliography" section. Your "Education" and "Family" sections are unreferenced and therefore fail the core content policy of Verifiability. Cullen328 (talk) 20:10, 27 May 2023 (UTC)

Thank you for your advice. I hope the re-submitted version answers the points you made. RoachPeter (talk) 17:54, 29 May 2023 (UTC)

RoachPeter, it looks somewhat better. Your current reference #11 is to Prabook, which publishes user generated content. That is not a reliable source. Cullen328 (talk) 18:04, 29 May 2023 (UTC)

Thank you, I did not know that Prabook was not a reliable source. I have resubmitted with alternative source. RoachPeter (talk) 19:57, 29 May 2023 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

	The Barnstar of Diplomacy
	...because I couldn't find you a reissued passport  :) SN54129 18:57, 28 May 2023 (UTC)

Cullen, I was just interested in the discussion, not intending to continue the ANI elsewhere. It was the seeming anomaly that interested me, rather than who made the claim. I apologise for offending you. SN54129 18:59, 28 May 2023 (UTC)

No offense taken, Serial Number 54129. I grew up in Detroit within a couple of miles of the border with Canada, and it was commonplace back then for people to cross that border without a passport. Cullen328 (talk) 19:03, 28 May 2023 (UTC)

Richard Reinhardt (author)

Hi Cullen, you might find this article interesting. It was submitted to AfC very poorly sourced so initially declined it but then got to checking around and found plenty of sources. With his focus on California history, I thought of you. S0091 (talk) 18:19, 29 May 2023 (UTC)

Yes, that's very interesting, S0091. You have done a great job of improving the referencing. Thanks. I see that he collaborated with Baron Wolman, a rock and roll photographer whose work I know well. He has had several exhibitions in the Napa Valley, where I lived for nearly 30 years. By the way, in 2010, I did a major expansion of another rock and roll photographer, Ethan Russell. Cullen328 (talk) 18:40, 29 May 2023 (UTC)

Cool! Reading the article, Russell was certainly at the right place at the right time and had the talent to make the most of it. Wonder what he's up to now. S0091 (talk) 18:59, 29 May 2023 (UTC)

S0091, here is a 2019 article about Russell. Cullen328 (talk) 19:06, 29 May 2023 (UTC)

User:744 multiple 2

Misclicking again? :p --Bbb23 (talk) 23:20, 31 May 2023 (UTC)

Yes, Bbb23, but somebody else immediately corrected my error before I had a chance to. We are good at cleaning up after Nazis. Less so for dealing with central Asian ethnonationalists. Cullen328 (talk) 00:16, 1 June 2023 (UTC)

Question from Pwalk68 (02:48, 2 June 2023)

Hello who are you? --Pwalk68 (talk) 02:48, 2 June 2023 (UTC)

Pwalk68, I am just who I say I am on my user page. Who are you? Cullen328 (talk) 06:13, 2 June 2023 (UTC)

Feedback request: Biographies request for comment

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Feel free to keep an eye on me as much as you want

But do not talk to me anymore. If you feel obliged to get the last word or something do it here on your talk page. I do not want you on my talk page, do not revert edits I make on my talk page. CompromisingSuggestion (talk) 03:40, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

Fine, CompromisingSuggestion. Since you are declining direct conversation, any further comments I make about your editing will be made in a broader forum where other experienced editors can see the conversation and comment. Let me know if you decide to stop actively avoiding scrutiny of your past edits. Cullen328 (talk) 03:45, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

Cool just if you dont mind at least tag me somehow I dont know if thats possible but I know im saying dont talk to me here anymore but if its something important just tell me so I can say something in my defense, at least I trust you'll not sink below that. Alright man, see you around, dont know why youre taking it this far over literally nothing but yeah have fun. CompromisingSuggestion (talk) 03:47, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

CompromisingSuggestion, you cannot insist that I not talk to you and then come back and ask me to talk with you in certain vague, undefined circumstances. Adhering to this encyclopedia's policies and guidelines is not literally nothing but yeah have fun. This is a top ten website worldwide with roughly ten billion monthly page views. Cullen328 (talk) 03:59, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

Man we can be mortal enemies but if I sue you in court you gotta serve me, that's all I'm saying.I guess if it actually gets to be anything serious someone will notify me. Alright Im gonna stop replying now. And yeah, I think you're having fun being on a little power trip :) Its okay. CompromisingSuggestion (talk) 04:03, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

Question from PieceOfCandy (05:22, 3 June 2023)

Hello, I have edited pages in the distant past but it has been a while. I'd like to get back into things by making a page for a band from the 90's that doesn't currently have a page. Any suggestions on how to start? Is there a template for the formatting of a page like that? Thank you! --PieceOfCandy (talk) 05:22, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

Hello, PieceOfCandy. The biggest mistake that less experienced editors hoping to write a new article make is starting out by writing down what they know and struggling to shoehorn it into Wikipedia's format. That is the wrong approach, as described in WP:BACKWARD. The successful approach is to first gather a list of URLs of reliable, independent sources that devote significant coverage to the topic. I am not joking. Those URLs are like gold nuggets. Everything else is like gravel, sand and other forms of worthless mining debris. Now, comes the hardest part. Do your best to forget and set aside whatever you know about the topic, the 1990s band in this example. Read the reliable, independent sources that you have identified, and neutrally summarize what they say. No boosterism, no fan language, no unattributed praise. Transform your URLs into fully bibliographic references. Referencing for beginners should be useful reading. Add those to your draft immediately after the assertions that they support. Your first article should also be helpful to you. You may want to consider improving some existing articles about similar bands of the 80s, 90s and early 21st century to get a sense of what is expected before diving into writing a new article. Good luck.Cullen328 (talk) 07:48, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

'Adminship'

What the hell is 'Adminship" and what is 'Bureaucratship'? Do you mean administration? This is typical of the oft-found low level of English sadly found on Wikipedia. T A Francis (talk) 13:15, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

Hello, T A Francis. I do not recall writing "adminship", but I admit there there is a lot of slang and jargon and abbreviations used behind the scenes on Wikiliedia. You can discuss the matter at Wikipedia talk:Administrators if you wish. Cullen328 (talk) 16:12, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

Survey

I was just about to proceed to the survey on how I use Wikipedia when it simply disappeared. I can't now find it. How do i get it back? T A Francis (talk) 13:18, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

I am sorry, T A Francis, but I am unfamiliar with the survey you mentioned. Cullen328 (talk) 16:18, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

User talk:CompromisingSuggestion

I find what you wrote in User talk:CompromisingSuggestion#June 2023 2 falling short of expected admin conduct. It reads like a response in kind. Whether you will be intimidated or will put their attorney in touch with yours is completely immaterial, and perhaps detrimental, to explaining the block and preventing disruption to the project. It's enough to just tell them legal threats are not allowed and are grounds for a block.

You also said You will not be permitted to edit Wikipedia until your legal action has been resolved but didn't mention the block may be lifted once the threats are "genuinely and credibly withdrawn". Your message strikes me as having the effect of escalating the situation rather than resolving or containing it. I suggest you reconsider. Nardog (talk) 13:39, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

It was a step above a perfectly stoic, stone-faced reply, but a far cry from an escalation. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 15:02, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

If it had been me, I'd probably have told CompromisingSuggestion to fuck off. Which is probably why Cullen is an admin, and I'm not. And given CompromisingSuggestion's behaviour, I'd say there are ample grounds to block them even without the legal threat. AndyTheGrump (talk) 15:20, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

Yeah, I knew some block was coming after the village pumpb and other threads. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 15:25, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

Their behavior is neither here nor there. Have your attorney reach out to me would be grounds for immediate block in any other circumstance, and that they made their threat first is a mitigating factor but no excuse to respond in kind. You show you're better by staying civil, or you risk contributing to WP:SUPERMARIO. Nardog (talk) 15:45, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

Thanks for the feedback, Nardog. I will remember your advice in the future. I left a follow-up message on their talk page clarifying that they have the additional option of withdrawing the legal threat. Cullen328 (talk) 16:15, 3 June 2023‎ (UTC)

Appreciate that. I'd still suggest you tone the original message down, though I won't insist. (moot now that they've replied. 16:50, 3 June 2023 (UTC)) Nardog (talk) 16:44, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

7 of diamonds

If you find the jack holding the 7 of diamonds it is worth about $10,000 Pwalk68 (talk) 22:50, 4 June 2023 (UTC)

Pwalk68, what is your point? Cullen328 (talk) 22:53, 4 June 2023 (UTC)

What do you mean and who are you I want a different person Pwalk68 (talk) 23:09, 4 June 2023 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – June 2023

News and updates for administrators from the past month (May 2023).

Administrator changes

Ingenuity

• Ddstretch
• Prodego
• Resolute

CheckUser changes

Courcelles

Guideline and policy news

• Following an RfC, editors indefinitely site-banned by community consensus will now have all rights, including sysop, removed.
• As a part of the Wikimedia Foundation's IP Masking project, a new policy has been created that governs the access to temporary account IP addresses. An associated FAQ has been created and individual communities can increase the requirements to view temporary account IP addresses.

Technical news

• Bot operators and tool maintainers should schedule time in the coming months to test and update their tools for the effects of IP masking. IP masking will not be deployed to any content wiki until at least October 2023 and is unlikely to be deployed to the English Wikipedia until some time in 2024.

Arbitration

• The arbitration case World War II and the history of Jews in Poland has been closed. The topic area of Polish history during World War II (1933-1945) and the history of Jews in Poland is subject to a "reliable source consensus-required" contentious topic restriction.

Miscellaneous

• Following a community referendum, the arbitration policy has been modified to remove the ability for users to appeal remedies to Jimbo Wales.

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Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 15:32, 5 June 2023 (UTC)

Baccarat

A previous account you blocked for editing violations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Chrma626 seems to be back again under the following guise: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:MartinPict and restoring previously prohibited edits. 2A0D:6FC2:45B0:FF00:A85E:AA6A:772D:D706 (talk) 19:46, 5 June 2023 (UTC)

Hello. MartinPict is an established editor who works on a wide variety of topics. If you disagree with their edits, discuss the matter on the article talk page or directly with the editor. Cullen328 (talk) 19:55, 5 June 2023 (UTC)

Question on my first edit

Hello, I just started editing on Wikipedia, I thought it would be something interesting to do as volunteering - and my first edit was meant to be a par down of advertisement speak on the Weardrobe article. I'm worried I may have gone too far, it feels like a slippery slope, what do you think? Philocalyst (talk) 23:43, 5 June 2023 (UTC)

Hello, Philocalyst. Welcome to Wikipedia. I have no problem with your edit, but I know nothing about that website and care nothing about fashion. Cullen328 (talk) 23:51, 5 June 2023 (UTC)

That's a good question for me then: How much research do you put into a topic before you make an edit? You have 50,000+ so it seems unrealistic to gain a master-level understanding of everything right? Philocalyst (talk) 23:53, 5 June 2023 (UTC)

Philocalyst, before I write a new article, I read everything I can find about the topic and create references to the best sources. Then, I summarize the sources. I follow a similar procedure when I expand an existing article. But it does not require master-level understanding of topics to revert vandalism, correct typos, block trolls, vandals and spammers, or give advice to new editors. Cullen328 (talk) 00:16, 6 June 2023 (UTC)

Of which do you think is more important? When I'm deciding what to put my time into I like to set ambitious goals to get the most out of it. What I see a lot of, looking through top contributors' (like you) profiles I notice what's most heavily rewarded is a lot of small edits rather than a few serious efforts on a few pages. Currently, my first ambitious goal is to become an administrator. Since I find both satisfying, what do you think is the more effective use of my time, from a total impact POV and a community opinion POV? I would appreciate your input. Philocalyst (talk) 00:52, 6 June 2023 (UTC)

Philocalyst, you should be aware that the community of editors who participate in Requests for adminship tends to be very skeptical of brand new editors who say they want to be administrators. In most cases, it is expected that candidates for administrator will have a well rounded edit history. Significant article creation and expansion, participation in deletion processes, anti-vandalism work, assisting new editors, and participation in communitywide discussions. A level head and a helpful attitude are expected. Cullen328 (talk) 01:07, 6 June 2023 (UTC)

I meant in a years time or so, your advice is appreciated, and I liked your shirt in the article you linked, [1] so I was surprised when you said you weren't into fashion - Weardrobe would have appreciated your influence in their Urban Outfitters campaign :) Philocalyst (talk) 01:16, 6 June 2023 (UTC)

Philocalyst, I wear black t-shirts most of the time, but I wore a nicer shirt that day because I was being interviewed by a reporter. That shirt may have been a gift. I spend very little time selecting clothing. Cullen328 (talk) 01:27, 6 June 2023 (UTC)

A Hershey Apology for you!

The Capitalist forever has given you a Hershey Bar! Hershey bars promote WikiLove through chocolately goodness and hopefully this one has made your day better. Hershey bars are wonderfully delicious! Spread the WikiLove by giving someone else a Hershey bar, whether it be someone you have had disagreements with in the past or a good friend.

"Sorry for being a problematic editor in the past."The Capitalist forever (talk) 06:02, 7 June 2023 (UTC)

Spread the goodness of Hershey bars by adding {{subst:Hershey Bar}} to someone's talk page with a friendly message!