User talk:SteveBaker/archive1

A Shot In the Dark - Movies with Minis in them

I picked up the details about the Mini belonging to Peter Sellers from the Stars of the Cars museum web site which you quote from and which I found while trying to get some info on the Heritage Motor Museum so I could start an entry on that. I took the info on the site at face value, always dangerous, not even thinking that it could be doubtful. If you think it wise then certainly remove the ownership line or qualify it. Malcolma 08:53, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

This was posted onto my user page. I thought you might be interested----

To clarify all of the above, I imported this car to the UK from California in 1993 and thoroughly researched it's history at that time before carrying out a restoration to original specification. Peter Sellers had been hooked on coachbuilt Mini conversions a couple of years before the film was shot. He suggested to director Blake Edwards that Clouseau should have one in the film and the production company ordered a left drive French specification Mini Cooper from Radford. This car was used for the majority of the British studio scenes.

A second unit went on location to France to shoot a short sequence, containing a naked Clouseau and Maria (doubles), showing the Mini driving from the nudist camp to the traffic jam in Paris, using a similar looking Mini 850 in black with wicker side panels. However, from memory, it is missing the fog/spot lamps, sunroof or roof aerial which the Radford sported. I believe this car was one of a special batch ordered by a Paris dealer from BMC. The traffic jam in the Paris square was filmed in the UK and utilised the first car again.

The scenes with dialogue inside the car and filmed through the Mini's windscreen appear to involve the use of a third car, as the just visible rear seat is a totally different pattern to the first car and this could well be Peter's own Radford. Being a right drive car I assume the film was reversed to rectify this and the occupants' hair styles do seem slightly altered to dilute the mirroring effect.

When shooting finished, the company was quickly wound up and Blake Edwards shipped the first car to Los Angeles and used it for a few months before passing it to director Billy Wilder who, with Blake, was working for the Mirisch Corporation. Over the next three years, various members of the Mirisch family had use of the car before finally being part-exchanged for a Jaguar at Hollywood Sportscars. The new buyer owned it until just before I acquired it. In a letter in my possession, Blake Edwards recalls crossing a street in LA some years later and seeing the Radford, flagging down the driver saying " Hey, that's my car from "Shot in the Dark". The owner remembered this occasion too.

As correctly stated the car was bought from me by the "Cars of the Stars" Museum but their website misdescribes the car as being one of Peter Seller's Radfords. Its use in the film was inspired by him and he certainly drove it but it was whisked away to the US as soon as the film was completed.

The film car appears to have been a rush job conversion by Radford as the donor car was finished in Fiesta Yellow and the black respray covered only the external panels. In the final scene when Herbert Lom is seen planting a bomb under the bonnet (hood), this is apparent as the inner wings are clearly visible in pale yellow. I am sure Peter's cars would have been detailed to a better standard and to a higher specification.

John Adair 21/04/2006

Malcolma 09:23, 22 April 2006 (UTC)

Slashdot comment

Thanks, you seem to have done a really good job with the Mini article, keep in touch :), --Khalid hassani 10:21, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

The anon ABC editor

Dear sir, thank you for your level-headed and highly diplomatic remarks on this situation. I just wanted to say that you're being very generous by attributing this editor's behaviors to tone or misunderstanding. I don't believe diffs with comments like this or this or name calling is a misunderstanding of tone so much as childish behavior. I didn't say this on Talk:Computer because I don't wish to stir up any trouble, and would like to see the editor make valuable contributions. I'm certainly not holding a grudge or expecting an apology, but I just wanted you to understand why I was a bit annoyed at first and was a bit too hasty in reverting his edits. He participated in a bit of an edit war on CPU wherein several editors reverted him and one of his IPs ended up being temporarily blocked. Again, I wouldn't bring this up in the current discussion, but coming directly from that I hope you can see why I'm still a little skeptical of his behavior and intent. Anyway, thank you again for being calm and collected. -- uberpenguin 15:54, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

Computer vs calculator

You have raised a good point about consistency. There really should be some principle by which we classify early calculating machines as either calculators or computers on Wikipedia, but there currently exists none. This debate with this misguided anonymous editor really isn't going to accomplish much in the long run. Therefore I think we ought to bring this up somewhere where it will get more exposure among more editors who have a clue what they are talking about. We ought to have some consensus (formal or informal) on how to write these historical computer articles, because it would be nice to make things consistant. -- uberpenguin 20:49, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

ABC Comments

Steve, I moved one of your last edits from Talk:Atanasoff-Berry Computer to Talk:Computer. The relevance of that conversation to the ABC has ended and should continue at the Computer talk page. Thanks! -- uberpenguin 19:19, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

Sabotage?

Somebody has added Wallace and Gromit in front of Sir Alec Issigonis in Mini Moke. Think it's sabotage.--Wilfred Pau 01:58, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

Thanks - I reverted it and posted a vandalism note to the vandals Talk; page. SteveBaker 05:07, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

Mini

Great job Steve! I've added the star to show the page is featured (just add a template) --PopUpPirate 08:41, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

from 0Waldo

Steve, hello this is 0Waldo, please leave the link in OPENGL we can talk about it if you like!!!! Thanks and hugs ! 0waldo 15:37, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

No - it has been discussed - and it's not appropriate. You have a nasty reputation as a linkspammer and you're going to get banned from Wikipedia for sure. SteveBaker 15:58, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

Link spammer? What the hell is a link spammer? I'm a freeking artist already and a computer specialist! If I were a link spammer I would just write a script to do just that, I'm just trying to add a useful link already and everyone keeps deleting my link for no good reason other than because I myself add it! 0waldo 16:22, 25 March 2006 (UTC) 0waldo 16:22, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

A link spammer is someone who repeatedly (and against the desires of the community and contrary to Wiki policy) keeps adding links to their own web site. This is you. Please stop doing it! SteveBaker 23:26, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

Hey Steve I'm sorry about today ok? 0waldo 23:49, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

's OK - forget all about it - let's write an encyclopedia! SteveBaker 01:50, 26 March 2006 (UTC)

Page Blanking

On 05-Mar, you blanked Minis. Blanking pages is generally considered a bad idea. I've reverted it to the previous version. If you believe the redirect should be deleted, please follow the redirect portion of the deletion procedures. If you believe an article should be written instead of the redirect, please write a stub. If you have questions, please let me know. Thanks! -- JLaTondre

Responded on my talk page. -- JLaTondre 20:06, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Image Tagging Image:MINIandClassicMini.jpg

This media may be deleted.

Thanks for uploading Image:MINIandClassicMini.jpg. I notice the 'image' page currently doesn't specify who created the content, so the copyright status is unclear. If you have not created this media yourself then there needs to be an argument why we have the right to use the media on Wikipedia (see copyright tagging below). If you have not created the media yourself then it needs to be specified where it was found, i.e., in most cases link to the website where it was taken from, and the terms of use for content from that page.

If the media also doesn't have a copyright tag then one should be added. If you created/took the picture, audio, or video then the {{GFDL-self}} tag can be used to release it under the GFDL. If you believe the media qualifies as fair use, consider reading fair use, and then use a tag such as {{fairusein|article name}} or one of the other tags listed at Wikipedia:Image copyright tags#Fair_use. See Wikipedia:Image copyright tags for the full list of copyright tags that you can use.

If you have uploaded other media, consider checking that you have specified their source and copyright tagged them, too. You can find a list of 'image' pages you have edited by clicking on the "my contributions" link (it is located at the very top of any Wikipedia page when you are logged in), and then selecting "Image" from the dropdown box. Note that any unsourced and untagged images will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Image legality questions page. Thank you. Sue Anne 05:27, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

British Leyland timeline

Having seen the colours come, and very rapidly go, I'd just like to say/vote that I liked them and thought they added to the usability. There were issues with the particular choices, for example giving yellow to VDP, where there would be no confusion, but having Ford and MGR in very similar lilacs. But overall, I'd prefer to see them come back again! Steve, could you be persuaded? ;) Kierant 15:32, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

(Please take remainder of conversation to Template talk:British Leyland) SteveBaker 16:16, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

MINI (BMW)

I'd like to help with the FAC, if possible. One thing I'd like to do is touch up Image:MINICooperS.jpg slightly. If you still have the original (larger) version of it, could you upload that somewhere? (eg. over the current picture, or on flickr, or something) If not, I'll just use what's there. --Interiot 16:43, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your offer of help - I could really use some more eyes on the article. The last article I got through FAC (Mini) had half a dozen collaborators - but this time I seem to be on my own. So yeah - WELCOME! As for the image - that's the best I have of that car. But I have literally hundreds of MINI images I could have used - this one just attracted me the most. What specifically didn't you like about it? SteveBaker 19:32, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

The main thing is it needs to be white-balanced. But I could also spend hours on a single photo in Photoshop, trying to tweak it to make it look better. I do like that particular car, and the angle is pretty good. Did you go to a dealership to take the picture? --Interiot 21:26, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

No - it was on a local MINI club driving event - we motored out to Cooper Lake (well - where else would you drive a bunch of MINI Coopers to?). The green car off to the right is my '03 Cooper'S hardtop (which you can see more of in the photo of the two MINI's further down the article. The orange convertible is also mine.) Judging by the resolution of the image, it was probably my old digital camera. The main reason I chose it is that the original image we had for this article had copyright issues - and I wanted to find one of my own that was as close to the original as possible to it. SteveBaker 01:54, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I like the car and the angle. Anway, I uploaded a quick cleanup. If you've got Firefox, see here for a comparison (mouse over the picture). --Interiot 05:58, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

Thanks! That's a big help. SteveBaker 00:48, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

Comment on Mini Pickup image

I added the comment about the wheels being changed on the car in the photo in the Mini article because they stood out to me in particular on the pick-up photo. I did not comment on the wheel arches though I did notice them. I suppose it depends on what we want from the pictures, are we trying to let people know what the cars were designed to look like or how many of the cars look today? I don't feel strongly enough about it to put the comment back but I would prefer a photo of the car as it was designed but don't have one that I can vouch for the copyright status of.

I disagree with your comment "that nearly every owner puts minilites on". Malcolma 08:06, 28 April 2006 (UTC)

I understand where you're coming from - that Pickup does look wrong - it's just too 'sporty' for a spartan, work-horse truck.

When I say "Minilite wheels" - I guess I mean wheels in the Minilite style. Mine have the same curved spoke design - but they are made by someone else. Out of 13 photos and nearly 20 Mini's shown, all but two or three have non-stock wheels - and all of the non-stock wheels seem to be of Minilite style.

Anyway - I've put up a list of non-stock features from the photos in the Talk page of the article. SteveBaker 15:38, 28 April 2006 (UTC)

Some vandal

Hey Steve - if you haven't noticed it already, I blocked the guy for about 1 month. I understand that you were quite upset over the vandalism and all to the Mini article (quite evident from your comments), however, take it easy - there is no reward in giving such disruptive users the time of day. Your efforts are much appreciated - it only takes me a second to quiet those who don't have the decency to realize that. Keep cool. --Jay(Reply) 20:34, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

I don't usually bother - but this guy actually posted to this very talk page to explain that he'd done it because he was bored. I felt that his response indicated that he didn't appreciate the magnitude of what his disruption caused - so I thought it was worth a shot to try to explain. SteveBaker 18:59, 3 May 2006 (UTC)

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Exotic Car Pictures

Just tell me which cars you want pics of on that list and I'll upload them - doing 300 uploads would be tough. Nrbelex ^(talk) 03:05, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

Update: 216 of the images have been uploaded to this galley. Uploading them all here seems unnecessary so upload them here as you see fit. They are authorized for use under the Creative Commons Attribution License v. 2.5 with the byline of "By Brett Weinstein (Wikipedia User: Nrbelex) taken at the Scarsdale Concours in 2006" (see Image:1957 Maserati 200SI.JPG for an example as to how the citation should appear). Again, a list of the cars is at [1]. It rained that day so a few didn't show up but it was a good showing. Good luck! Nrbelex ^(talk) 04:33, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

Many thanks - there are some nice photos there. SteveBaker 13:01, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

Car Talk

Greetings to a fellow expat Brit.

>> You added a paragraph to the CarTalk article claiming that their laughter was 'canned'

No no, not canned, 'sweetened'. 'Boosted' might be another word. This was admitted on an NPR programme in, I think, february this year. It is verifiable by e-mail to the producer, Doug Berman. Use this page: http://www.cartalk.com/email/email.html

El Ingles 15:38, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

Mini Spiritual

Steve, I have noticed that neither of your Mini articles mentions the Mini Spiritual concepts. Have I overlooked something or should I be looking somewhere totally else? Bravada, talk - 04:57, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

I've never heard of that - what is it? SteveBaker 13:50, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

I hope you won't mind if I direct you to some sources: Bottom of page, [2], [3]. Bravada, talk - 14:41, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

Oh - yes! I'd forgotten the name. The early MINI concept car. Well, I guess I don't have much to say about it - I didn't have a suitably copyright-free photo of any of the MINI concept cars except the Traveller - and from what I've read, there isn't all that much to say about them. If you have anything to contribute, the new MINI article would be the place. SteveBaker 21:55, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

I actually thought more of including into the original Mini article, as this was one of the considered possible directions of developing a replacement that was dropped in favor of the direction presented of the ACV30. The ACV itself can be part of either this or that. I was actually thinking that the Mini article could use a section on debated replacements. This is a featured article, so I did not want to ruin it, but I think I might propose something for you to see whether it's OK. Bravada, talk - 23:07, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

Dunno - I thought that rather than thinking of these concepts as being the replacement for the Mini - that they were the candidates for the design of the MINI - and hence belong in the MINI article (which could really use some more content BTW). Well, either way - if you have some material - let's get it into either one or the other article. SteveBaker 01:52, 2 June 2006 (UTC)

"oldest"

At last, someone who cares to research properly!Out of all the comments i've read, you're the first one mentioning the chariot. Have a nice day.