Welcome to my talk page. Please sign and date your entries by inserting ~~~~ at the end. Wikinfo:Classical definition of republic from Wikipedia. There is a terrible brouhaha at Talk:Republic. They won't even allow an external link! SimonP really doesn't know what he is doing. They deleted the Classical definition of republic and created mixed government and politeia instead. The official title of mixed government is a Republic and the Romans translated "politiea" as Republic. And then to top it off the new article Classical republicanism doesn't refer to the Classical republics of Crete, Sparta, Solonic Athens, or Rome but to Machiavelli's ideology. How can that be when Venice in the 13th century instituted a mixed government and called herself a "Republic".
With Jwrosenwieg and Kim Bruning there was a tacit agreement a year ago to have republic be the modern meaning and a [Classical definition of republic] to describe the ancient republics of Hellas and Rome and their influence. To say the least the "Republic section" is all messed up. We need some clarification. I have new information but User:Snowspinner won't let me bring this back up for undelete. (I do grant that a little bit of the Classical definition is original but the rest is not.) I will not let Sparta be called anything but a republic! I will not let the British wikipedian modern republicans strip Sparta, (my heritage and roots) of her rightful name. She is a Classical republic and needs to be called such! At the least, where is the damage in having an external link?WHEELER 15:38, 17 Mar 2005 (UTC)
Regarding Wikipedia:Meta-templates considered harmful. Could I ask you, if there was a specific instruction only to use meta-templates with subst:, whether you would still object? Cheer, Smoddy (tgeck) 17:32, 26 Mar 2005 (UTC)
To be honest, I'd rather see a page where the basic template format can be copy-n-pasted from. Meta-templates for using subst: should be for only those most frequently used as a shortcut to paste text (Template:Welcome, for example). They shouldn't be used for creating other templates, since that action should be fairly uncommon. -- Netoholic@ 02:18, 2005 Mar 27 (UTC)
FPs
Salve amice
Non remorde, non remorderam. Non volo ordiri Vicipaedia Nova. Si non possum provenire actium meum, ego adhuc vivabo.
If you want to stop personal attacks stop making them yourself. I do not apparciate being talked to by idiots and you count as one. Now fuck off and don't come near me again.--Jirate 19:57, 2005 Mar 27 (UTC)
Oh, the irony. Oh, the irony. Smoddy (tgeck) 20:21, 27 Mar 2005 (UTC)
D'oh! Thanks very much. I don't know what's happened to my edits today. . . Slacspeak up! 10:23, 28 Mar 2005 (UTC)
i am not vandalising pages. please provide evidence to justify your comments. THE KING 13:30, 28 Mar 2005 (UTC)
socialist unity network entry
you've got this entry down as a copyright enfringement.
which is understandable - but i wrote the original so its actually okay.
am new to wikipedia so have placed this explanation in several places not sure which was the most appropriate, would it be possible to revert the page to the way it was?
Thanks
Jim Jepps
yes
yeah i am happier now you point them out now. But you have to admit, they were all pretty much vanity pages, and they deserved it. anyway, i don't agree that im 'disrupting wikipedia to make a point' - what is my point?? THE KING 13:57, 28 Mar 2005 (UTC)
The notes are excellent, I think I will adapt this to my own articles in the future. Good job. I support now. --Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul PiotrusTalk 19:24, 28 Mar 2005 (UTC)
I contributed that pic back before I knew much about copyright law and custom. I got it off of a website for a private dealer and assumed that the image was not copyrighted. I can't find it online anymore. I am fairly sure that using a pic like that qualifies neither for public domain nor fair use, and if you want to put it up for deletion, I will understand and take no personal offense. Fishal 00:26, 29 Mar 2005 (UTC)
Irate seems to have no intention to respond to the RFC. Unfortunately, I'm going away for two weeks, so can't take this any further. I think he needs to be banned, and I think, if he won't promise to reform, the ArbCom ought to be involved. Could I leave this in your capable hands? Cheers, Smoddy (tgeck) 11:37, 30 Mar 2005 (UTC)
Yes, I think that, if Irate does not respond to the RFC (now certified by 10 people), then it might well be appropriate to take this to the ArbCom. I'm not sure about banning, but I certainly think it's necessary that he commits to avoiding personal attacks in future. It would also be nice (but optimistic) if he apologised to those concerned. — Matt Crypto 16:36, 30 Mar 2005 (UTC)
OK, perhaps that is over-egging the pudding slightly. However, with my being away from Wikipedia (sniff sniff), it would be great if you could handle matters. Of course, I doubt the problem will go away over two weeks, and I may be able to check in from time to time. Good luck Smoddy (tgeck) 17:11, 30 Mar 2005 (UTC)
Have a pleasant WikiBreak! I'll leave it so the RFC is there for a whole week, and then see what the situation is on 3/4 April. — Matt Crypto 17:47, 30 Mar 2005 (UTC)
Yes -- to keep you updated, after his week-long silence, Irate erupted again and spent a few of hours yesterday (3rd April) behaving generally badly on the Wiki, IRC and mailing lists (personal attacks, listing user pages for deletion). He was eventually blocked for 24hrs for violating the 3RR. The ArbCom seem quite happy to accept this case, however. — Matt Crypto 20:21, 4 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Thanks!
Hi Smoddy, Thanks so much for your vote of confidence in nominating me for adminship. I look forward to helping out in new ways. Cheers, BanyanTree 03:26, 4 Apr 2005 (UTC)
==Thank you==
Thank you for supporting my adminship — I vow to use my super powers for good not evil. Mel Etitis (Μελ Ετητης) 09:05, 6 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Images and media for deletion votes
I am contacting people who previously helped to vote to delete a generally objectionable photograph by a vote of 88 to 21, and who might be unaware that immediately after that image was voted to be deleted someone posted another which was very similar in content. My objections to this, and the previous image that was voted to be deleted might be based upon reasons far different from any that you have, but I do object to it, and consider the posting of such images to be acts of asinine stupidity, which burdens the project and its major educational aims in ways that they should not be burdened, and can be extremely detrimental to the acceptance and growth of WIkipedia's use and influence. Thus far those who I believe to be in the extreme minority of Wikipedians who would like to include these images, many who have been channeled to the voting page from the article with which it is associated have dominated the voting, 23 to 12 (as of the time that I composed this message). I would like to be somewhat instrumental in shedding a bit more light upon the issue, and if possible, helping to turn the tide against its inclusion. It might also be necessary to begin making an effort to establish an explicit Wikipedia policy against explicite photographic depictions of humans engaged in erotic, auto-erotic, or quasi-erotic activities. To my limited knowledge such images have not been accepted as appropriate anywhere else within this project, and frankly I can agree with those who are casually labeled prudes for opposing their inclusion, that they should not be. Vitally important information that might be unwelcome by some is one thing that should never be deleted, but un-needed images that can eventually prevent or impede many thousands or millions of people from gaining access to the great mass of truly important information that Wikipedia provides is quite another matter. There are vitally important distinctions to be made. Whatever your reasons, or final decisions upon the matter, I am appealing for more input on the voting that is occurring at Wikipedia:Images_and_media_for_deletion. ~ Achilles† 01:33, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)
"China"/"PRC" vs. "mainland China" for page titles
Following the long discussion at regarding proper titling of Mainland China-related topics, polls for each single case has now been started here . Please come and join the discussion, and cast your vote. Thank you. — Instantnood 12:51, Apr 9, 2005 (UTC)
hullo sam, its all jolly interesting here, in fact ive managed to complete a whole chem paper from the information on wikipedia, it v much rocks! Hey have a look at the newly reformed karting section all my own work, well most of it.
Have a good holiday.
Tom pee McPlop (also known as griff)
The man who cleans the public toilets in Glasgow.
re: user page vandalism
He was blocked mere seconds after without me knowing he had done it twice. Thanks. Inter\Echo 13:30, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Hello
Hi Smoddy, are you really only 16? Are you a sysop? How did you manage to edit over 1500 articles if you're so young? Boy, (1) your IQ must be well over 200 and (2) you must have a lot of time to have been able to (3) do so much on Wpdia. How in the world do you manage? Do you still have a life? No offense meant. JMBell 18:54, 16 Apr 2005 (UTC)
And hello to you too, JMBell. Shall I take your questions one by one? 1) I am indeed 16. 2) No, I'm not yet a sysop, but if you want to nominate me ;) 3) Um, one at a time, I guess. Actually, no, I use Mozilla Firefox's tabbed browsing. That's the key. 4) If you say so. I didn't think so myself, but you clearly have all the answers. 5) Yep, I have a lot of time. It's called revising for exams ;). 6) You assume I do manage. How do you know I'm not totally insane, addicted to Wikipedia, do nothing else, survive on Doritos and Easter eggs, and go around with a chainsaw when taking a WikiBreak? 6) The fact that I am answering these questions would imply, on a biological level, that I have a life. On a social level, you'd better ask my girlfriend. That I don't have one is beside the point. No offence taken, and welcome to Wikipedia... Smoddy (tgeck) 19:51, 16 Apr 2005 (UTC)
And hello to you too, JMBell. Shall I take your questions one by one? 1) I am indeed 16. 2) No, I'm not yet a sysop, but if you want to nominate me ;) 3) Um, one at a time, I guess. Actually, no, I use Mozilla Firefox's tabbed browsing. That's the key. 4) If you say so. I didn't think so myself, but you clearly have all the answers. 5) Yep, I have a lot of time. It's called revising for exams ;). 6) You assume I do manage. How do you know I'm not totally insane, addicted to Wikipedia, do nothing else, survive on Doritos and Easter eggs, and go around with a chainsaw when taking a WikiBreak? 6) The fact that I am answering these questions would imply, on a biological level, that I have a life. On a social level, you'd better ask my girlfriend. That I don't have one is beside the point. No offence taken, and welcome to Wikipedia... Smoddy (tgeck) 19:51, 16 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Well, Smoddy, I believe you, as the speed of your reply supports your claim. I suppose you froze your Easter eggs into a near-absolute-zero hibernating state, as you are still able to eat them by now. Or you boiled them to a superhigh temperature to rid them of the bacteria. Or they are unusually resistant to all kinds of bacteria. You should take care that you do not eat Clostridium botulinum along with them, or Wikipedia will lose a great contributor. The fact that you are answering me quite normally implies that you are not insane, as does your posts on such places as the Help Desk. Your social life would be tremendously interesting to analyze, like my brother's. He spends entire days in front of his computer. Do you come from Germany, by the way? Your surname sounds distinctly German. I would suppose that every little thing you pick up at school, you post on Wikipedia (or it could always be vice versa :)). I find Firefox's tabbed browsing a bother, but as they say, to each his own. I must say, if you're addicted to Wikipedia, it would be a great gift to humanity. Imagine, a man (rather boy) like you pulling out all the weeds in the garden. How responsible. Do you specialize in pulling out the typos, opinions, vandals, or others? Surviving on Doritos is a marvelously unique way to sustain yourself. Not even the strongest man on Earth could do that. I say, the wonders of youth are amazing. Which university did you say you want to go to? And what will you take up? Just a bit curious, if you mind answering, don't bother answering then. No offence meant. Thanks for the welcome. JMBell 20:23, 16 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Smoddy's Easter egg preservation method: go on holiday for a fortnight. They'll still be there when you get back! I shall do my very best to be immune to Clostridium, if you say so. Not being a microbiologist, I haven't the first clue what I just said :). Your judgement of my sanity very happily reflects my own, so thanks! And I am very happy that my Help Desk contribution is appreciated. As for my social life, I can only say: thank goodness for MSN Messenger. I don't come from Germany, no, though my name does, as you point out. Your vice versa is quite right, by the way. Wikipedia is a far better learning source. Well, I regularly edit with 10 windows open at a time, on various policy and guideline pages, so my editing does tend to be a little slow, but Firefox speeds it up. Maybe you should look at Wikipedia:Wikipediholic, which is very instructive on my disorder. I guess the next step on that analogy would be to give me admin status and let me catch and kill (overreaction? maybe) those little pests, the aphids if you will, that come and ruin the beautiful garden of Wikipedia. Opinions and vandals are the most fun, I find, but correcting grocers' apostrophes are also fun (see User:Smoddy#Tasks for my somewhat sad targets). OK, OK, I eat Indian curries as well. Occasionally. ;) Well, Oxford by preference, Exeter or Edinburgh next. Arabic would be my ideal (I've been holidaying in Sinai in Egypt) Well, curiosity never hurt anyone (other than the cat), and I don't mind answering at all. Anyway, cheers. Back to not-real life. Smoddy (tgeck) 21:21, 16 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Your preservation method must be very effective. I leave my Easter eggs for a week, and when I get back, boy, you should see them (or smell them ;)). Even when cryogenically frozen, they still rot. Weird. Now Clostridium botulinum is a highly dangerous bacterium which produces a toxin so fatal, that one dies within 24 hours of ingesting it. It paralyzes the muscles, esp. of the lungs and heart. That's where they get Botox from. The substance of your lessons must be somewhat questionable if you find Wikipedia a better learning tool. Good luck on your entrance exams into Oxford (if you have to take any, I'm unfamiliar with the school system in G.B.). As an aside, what word do over half of Oxford graduates spell wrongly? Give up? The answer is "wrongly", of course. I know, it's a somewhat lame joke, but it's the only one I have in context. :) I've always wanted to go to Egypt. Love the pyramids and the ancient culture. Are there many terrorists there? I read an article that said they disembowel tourists (esp. in Luxor). Well, I guess that's it for now. Back to my analyzation of Wikipedia. If I have any questions that aren't covered by the FAQs, can I ask you for help? Sorry to bother you (if you're bothered) again. :) See you around, Smoddy. JMBell 14:01, 17 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Clearly so. I'll do my best to avoid the clostridium, sounds nasty! On the other hand, it could be a reflection of Wikipedia's excellence! Nah, no entrance exams: it all depends on school grades. I'll probably take a year out to give me my best chance of getting in. The only entrance exams we have are for law and medicine. I'm guessing that joke works as well for Harvard, Yale, Princeton, or Seoul... I'm afraid I've been in the Sinai, in Dahab. I've been diving. :))) I didn't see any disemboweling, no... Sure, ask away. I've been here quite a while now, so I know my way around. Ask whatever you like. Just one suggestion at the moment: when you're on a talk page, you can precede each paragraph with a number of colons. This indents the text, so giving the conversation some structure, as you can see from how I've organised this one. Tara for now (how British!), Smoddy (tgeck) 15:06, 17 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Thanks, Smoddy! At the moment I'm analyzing Wikipedia and might not have questions for some time. One thing's bothering me though: that article I was talking about on the help desk (Across the River and Into the Trees) which was an abridged version of an external source. It was originally placed by an anon (IP 68.something, I forgot) and was subsequently edited by several users, who did not alter its form. It's mostly the same as the orig, but with a few words changed or moved around or whatnot. It looks like plagiarism to me, but I'm not sure. I edited it a bit, but it seems as if I added more "plagiarized" material (horror of horrors). What would be the custom when encountering this sort of thing? And what would be the custom in friendly discussions (like this one), reply on the sender's page or the recipient's? I mean, our discussions can't always be quantum-entangled. :) See you around! JMBell° 19:32, 17 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Arbitration case - final decision
A decision has been reached in the arbitration case relating to User:Irate. He is to be banned from Wikipedia for three months. Should he return after this time, and the committee receives further complaints of personal attacks, we may apply a personal attack parole for up to one year. Please see Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Irate#Final decision for further details and the full decision. -- sannse(talk) 21:59, 17 Apr 2005 (UTC)
This might amuse you. Not half an hour after being banned for three months (above), he emailed me calling me a "cunt". Classic. Anyway, cheers for your help in the matter. Smoddy (tgeck) 22:03, 17 Apr 2005 (UTC)
No problem, and thanks for doing the groundwork on the case. It's a shame so much bureaucracy is needed to deal with such blatant "problem users", but at least we gave him every chance to reform. Hope your application for adminship goes well! — Matt Crypto 22:31, 17 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Your signature is broken
It would appear that you have failed to terminate the <font> tag in your new signature: see this page for examples of how it is screwing stuff up.
Please fix it ASAP.
HTH HAND
--Phil | Talk 14:49, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
Too late: I fixed it already because it was giving me a headache. However the history should show you what I mean :-) --Phil | Talk 15:01, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
As I noted elsewhere, this is now fixed. Sorry for the difficulty. Smoddy (tgeck) 17:43, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Good luck
Good luck on your adminship election and your exams! May the spirit of Wikipedia lift up your status into the awaited (if you do await it) acceptance into the group of Sysops! All the best, pal - JMBell° 16:35, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Sorry, my big mouth got the better of me again. What I mean is, hope to see you soon as a sysop and good luck with the voting. Am sure you'll make it. Keep up the good work and cheers - JMBell° 21:36, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
