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User:Arcayne

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Arcayne (talk | contribs) at 23:28, 20 January 2009 (Current Articles Needing Work: .). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Hello. I am but a tiny mote in the Grand Scheme of Things. Possessed of a damn fine edjumikayshun, I currently work in the field of Emergency Management. When the fit hits the shan, I am one of the folk armed with acronyms and shovels. I believe in fighting the good fight, and sometimes that means my hot temper gets the best of me, and lands me in hotter water.

Beliefs

"Vocatus atque non vocatus, deus aderit"
"Quisque pro omnibus"
It's turtles all the way down".
We are all in this together.
"Since nothing that we do matters, the most important things are what we do."


I also tend towards a Mergist point of view, and used to be an inclusionist (and still am where it concerns including all others in the editorial process). However, I find that I have grown into a a bit of an exclusionist after noting the sheer amount of uncited information in articles; I tend to require citation for seemingly smaller arguments, as they tend to serve as a launching point for larger arguments.

Rules to live by

  1. No Angry Mastodons - edit while you are at your best, and take a break if you aren't. Full stop.
  2. Wikipedia is not a directory - keep your fannish, largely unreliable, unsourced and unimportant crap out. I mean it.
  3. Verification - its not just a policy, it is the main hurdle to understanding how encyclopedias work; verification, not truth it the litmus for inclusion.
  4. Wikipedia is not censored for the protection of minors - Santa is fictional. So are compassionate conservatives and Keyser Söze. There is no gravity; life sucks - get a helmet.
  5. Wikipedia:Assume Good Faith - but don't ignore bad behavior. AGF is not a suicide pact. Seek alternatives to venting within Wikipedia (Krav Maga and yoga help me quell the urge to throttle those who appear to richly deserve it).
  6. It ain't about you. It never was. It never will be. You are not the smartest person in the room while editing Wikipedia. Ever.

FA/GA Articles that I've contributed to

Images added

  • Merry Old Santa Claus - now a Wikicommons image.
  • [Image:This.Is.Sparta GN.to.film.jpg This is Sparta GN to Film] - featured in 300

Current Articles Needing Work

When I was good

Barnstars

When I was bad

Block Log




This editor is a WikiGnome.
Why yes, I am the cabal you've been told doesn't exist. Muwah hah haa..

Move along, Nothing to see here...

Editing policies & personal realizations

  • You are not getting paid for editing here, and likely, your presence is needed elsewhere.
  • Why argue with people over something you are not going to receive credit for having created? That is stupid.
  • Edit-warring is pointless - those who do think they are either "saving" the article or somehow magically altering the voice of dissent among others. I've done it myself,and am hoping its the latter - magic is purdy.
  • No one is the smartest person in the room when it comes to Wikipedia. Not you, not me. Acting appropriately humble is a good step towards WP:AGF.
  • The learning curve is steep in Wikipedia, but most good editors are climbers.
  • Discuss your edits before making them: I don't care if you are Albert-friggin' Einstein, if you fail to discuss your edits before adding twenty of them you are going to get reverted out of principle. Every time.
  • It's okay to not know everything about an article you are editing; there are contributors enough to fill in the blanks.
  • If you do not learn something new from Wikipedia every day, you have wasted that day.
  • cn tags are ugly, but they should be replaced by citations, not simply removed or replaced with a section or article tag. Doing such is just lazy editing; roll up your sleeves and find a citation, instead of spending three hours whining about how the cn tags are ugly.
  • Either grow up or go away; we have no use for childish tantrums. That said, if you are dealing with such, keep your cool.
  • Being blocked sucks. Editing with people who don't care if they are blocked sucks so very much more.
  • Admins, being ordinary folk, can have bad days, too. At their worst, they can be be rude, petty fantastically thick-headed, morally bankrupt and can even be blocked. Fear not the admin, but respect the crap they put up with. It is their only real saving grace.
  • Of course, there are cabals. Don't be thick.
  • Civility is the way by which your friends will appreciate you more, and your enemies will either receive justice, go away or grow to be your wiki-friends.
  • We are not in a hurry, and shouldn't even entertain ideas of acting quickly.
  • I am often aware of how little I am aware of.
  • I am an evil uncle; I feed my nephews chocolate and caffeine and then turn them back over to my siblings and document the results.
  • I am an evil editor; I give other editors various adverbs and split infinitives and turn them back over to the community and document the results.
This user is an Emergency Responder or Emergency Services Worker.

Things that make me laugh

Penguins swarming to feast on human flesh
Lonely Antarctic researchers cruise for dates among the indigenous folk. Moments after this picture was taken, both men had their faces bitten off.
  • The intro sentence from this version of the Stephen Hawking article
  • This question on the Jedi talk page
  • The fact that evil gets its own article while good is a disambiguation page. From the disambiguation page, the only article about "good" only deals with it in juxtaposition with evil. The fact that we are unable to discuss goodness on its own merits just might say something about the world.
  • Listcruft like this, and the people who voted to keep it
  • The extent of the Puritans' devious machinations, as noted here
  • The dark side of Gwyneth Paltrow [1]
  • This all-too-accurate review of one of the worst films of all time
  • What does a Victorian sufferer of MPD like Mr. Hyde do on an evening off from mayhem? He makes jam, that's what. There's actually a B&B for this. No, really.
  • As if Wikipedia wasn't frustrating enough to edit, this comes up. Yay.
  • Apparently, Voldemort has a side gig.
  • The irony of the title and the tag box shouldn't be lost on anyone
  • Perhaps your head won't explode, but I had to look away, lest the Cthulhoid logic do for me.
  • Hogwarts Gone Wild. The resulting comment priceless.
  • That Evil Duo strikes again. Man, those guys are everywhere...
  • Bishop of Condom - I imagine Mass is concluded with the traditional cigarette. Quickly, to the Popemobile!
  • Welcome to Doomsville; Population: You
  • Ahh, where has the romance gone?
  • Don't violate BLP, or the subject could die. Bad karma, that.
  • Unfortunately, this is true.
  • One hysterical contributor + one relaxed editor = brilliant riposte.
  • And this is proof how pro-wrestling causes mental retardation.
  • Apparently, I am the only one who thinks this is funny and clever. :(
  • And wit is even rarer than that.
  • Not just warned, but fucking warned.

Wikipedians I Respect

These guys seem to have their shoes tied up nicely, and are pleasant about helping others (learn to) do the same:

  • User:DavidShankBone - Far and away one of the very best resources Wikipedia has, bar none. He goes out and has enough street cred to make Wikipedia what it is today. He is in fact The Man. I am very fortunate to be of his acquaintance.
  • User:SlimVirgin- (my spirit guide through the Technocracy)
  • User:John_Broughton- (anyone who can deal with the headaches he does daily deserves several rounds of drinks)
  • User:Bignole- (I have grown to admire this guy's depth; plus he's rather forgiving)-I currently owe him copious amounts of liquor
  • User:Erik- he's always there with good advice. Apparently Jimbo loves him.
  • The Behnam-an intellectual brother of another mother
  • User:CanadianCaesar- From whom I unashamedly stole his page format
  • User:Ernst_Stavro_Blofeld - this cat has his act together, big-time.
  • User:Dekimasu - a nice, calming influence.
  • User:Dorftrottel - possessed of often flawless logic. If he can go from being an IP troll to where he is now, there's hope for me yet. ;)
  • User:Bstone - I actually know this guy in real life. He's nifty.
  • Alucard - smart guy
  • Kizor - an editor who is "beneficial, polite and bizarre", as seen by this example. Brilliant!
  • User:Kingboyk
  • Alison - she shares her toys!
  • User:Abd - personification of 'take a deep breath and think about what you're doing'.

Interesting Wikipedia User Pages

Wikipedia consensus process flowchart.

Books I've Written

  • Love Songs and Other Mysteries (1991) - poetry
  • Bad Choice (1989) - bad fiction (I will pay you to destroy any copies you find)
  • Caught (tentative title, currently being written)
  • Through a Guitar, Darkly (currently fermenting)

Favorite Waste of Time.com

Busywork pages

Ibiza Guide
Busywork page 2
Persian Gulf Guide
2007 holiday card template
The Dark Knight Knuckle-Up
Export Control Act guide - after noting the redlink in the Pearl Harbor article
Astor Courts
Turn & Cough, Pls