User talk:Quantockgoblin/Archive 2008

Happy (Old) New Year!

Two weeks too late, you say? Not in the Julian calendar! Here's hoping the new year brings you nothing but the best ;) Fvasconcellos (t·c) 01:38, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

The design of this almost completely impersonal (yet hopefully uplifting) message was ripped from Riana (talk · contribs)

Regarding email I sent you

QuantockGoblin, I sent you an email (via Wikipedia) yesterday. It regarded the fact that your real name is required to upload your [[Image:Perkin triangle distillation apparatus.png]] into Citizendium (which is one of the Wikis). I would very much appreciate getting your reply today. My email is mbeychok@cox.net Regards, - mbeychok (talk) 19:50, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

Carbenic spelling

Hi QG, you seem to be someone in my area of chemistry, I like all the work you're doing. I've "corrected" the word carbeneic, but that's only to the spelling that I've seen- it's after all a non-word made up by chemists. So revert away if your version actually IS an alternative spelling. Nice work all round. Freestyle-69 (talk) 00:40, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Getting the hang of this editing and format stuff...

Yup, I'm using an isolated carbene but just for addition to metals- Ye Olde Favourite IMes. I can take a photo of some in a Schlenk, it'll be pale brown and not white. I've no idea of how to upload and where to, but I guess if I can read some crappy experimental then I can read some wiki instructions :) Freestyle-69 (talk) 01:52, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for that. I'll upload when I get something, may be a week or two.

WRT IMes, we have a clean method in but it's not published, so I can't reveal here. I've seen the ion-sexchange cleanup before but we have a nice method into the chloride salt as well, I've just broken the lab record for yield (70%) which will give me glory to boot around here :) I think other methods in are variable (30% or less, maybe more) for this cpd and there's probably plenty of others. The chloromethylethylether reaction (Arduengo, mid 1990s I think) is neat but expensive wrt reagents.

The sublimation diagram is quite clear with the instructions, but I'm a chemistry person so non-chem people might be best for feedback I reckon. If you like I can tidy up the instructions a bit, no offence meant. I'm still getting used to "correcting" other people's creations, I know it has to happen but it still feels awkward... BTW much easier for others if you sign your posts on talk pages- so much easier to go to your talk then. Cheers Freestyle-69 (talk) 05:42, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Hey QG, here's 3 pics of IMes in a Schlenk: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Stable_carbene1.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Stable_carbene2.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Stable_carbene3.jpg

I'm not sure if they are any use quality-wise but the carbene is nice and clean (almost white). Couple of options there wrt angle and showing the Schlenk flask. All yours if you want to use them. Freestyle-69 (talk) 05:36, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

On another note, a US/UK language mix has popped up in Persistent Carbene. Since you're the person that's headed up the reorganisation (oops, you know what "camp" I'm in) of the whole page, and nicely done, do you know what variant it started in? I'll fix it all up, it has to be done, but I need some guidance about which way to go. I don't really care which way. In this case, WP:MOS#National varieties of English says basically to use whatever it started in. Freestyle-69 (talk) 01:41, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Mesoporous silica article

Hello, I am writing to you because you know about chemistry. I am writing and article about mesoporous silica, and I want to know how to improve it. I plan to move the first box to the right as an info-box, but what else should I do? What can I do to make this article more useful?Apheontai (talk)

- Thank you for your help! Apheontai (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 16:06, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Replacement Monty Hall graphic

(From my talk page:) "Hello thanks for your comments on the talk page of the Monty Hall problem, although some people seem to think my graphic is so unclear that you must have been referring to the graphic already on the main Monty Hall problem page! Oh well, not to worry! Again, thanks for your supportive comment, I was starting to think my image only made sense to me!! -- Quantockgoblin"

Regarding the Monty Hall problem: I jumped right into a section without reading the whole thing. I did mean the existing article and graphic. I didn't even bother to try to decipher the graphic about which that section of the talk page was written. Even with the explanation, I had a hard time understanding it. (Green guys? Purple guys?) But while a picture can replace a thousand words of explanation, it shouldn't need a hundred-word explanation. Looking at it now, I see an attempt to visually represent a combinatoric explication of all six possible outcomes. I also see a bunch of arrows, icons, and doors. Lots and lots of doors. I don't know where to start; I don't know where to end. With the existing graphic, I see a table with three main elements, each with two sub-elements. Given a basic familiarity with the Monty Hall problem, I found the existing graphic far easier to follow, even without text. I'm not saying yours is worse at describing the full scope of the problem; I'm saying the existing graphic, with text, ended all questions in my own mind within a few seconds of looking at it, while I find yours visually confusing, like reading raw C++ code without comments. I'm sorry, Quantockgoblin, but I do prefer the existing graphic. Perhaps there is room for your graphic in the later section of the article with the other combinatoric tables. --75.173.4.172 (talk) 01:21, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

Perkin Triangle diagram

Hi Quantockgoblin,

I probably could do the Perkin Triangle diagram without too much trouble, especially as I have already drawn the fittings for the Schlenk flask diagram. I'm a bit busy today and tomorrow, but will probably get around to it on Thu. morning.

Regards

David --Slashme (talk) 05:31, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

Hi again,

I have made the svg. Please check for correctness. I marked it as "self-made" simply because I am extremely lazy, and I didn't want to be bothered to find the correct form of attribution. If you would like to be credited, please go ahead and edit the page. Thanks again for the contribution!

Kind regards, Slashme (talk) 06:44, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

Re: Thermometer plug: Well spotted! That's why it's always good to get a fresh pair of eyes on a picture. As for the copyright notice, it's been fixed: I should have used a template instead of just typing "GFDL-self" into the info template. I see you've added an attribution line. I think that's the best way to do it, so when I get around to svgifying your other diagrams, that's what I'll do. --Slashme (talk) 11:05, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

Re: Position of numeral 4 and thermometer plug: Done. Thanks for pointing these items out. --Slashme (talk) 08:48, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

By the way, I haven't been getting around to the other drawings. If you're in a hurry, why not open one of my svg diagrams in inkscape and see how it goes? You can get Inkscape for linux, mac or windows, and it is really quite easy to use - it should be about as easy as whatever you used to make the diagrams in the first place. If you need help, feel free to ask. But if the idea doesn't appeal, remind me in a month or so if nothing has happened by then. --Slashme (talk) 08:52, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

Hi Again! I've been on holiday for a bit, so I picked the two diagrams that looked the easiest to test my new graphics tablet ;-).

And two more... --Slashme (talk) 21:50, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

• 
• 
• 
• 
• File:Deank stark apparatus.png
• 

• 
• 
  (Note: Added caption no. 5 to svg)
• 
• 
• File:Deank stark apparatus.svg
• 
• 
  Didn't realize that this had already been done! Thanks for redrawing it!! - the previosu .SVG version had a few bits that where not quite right - see distilation talk page!! -- ~~~~
• 
  Please proof-read! (fixed amount of filtrate) --Slashme (talk) 8:18 9 May 2008 (SAST)

--Slashme (talk) 16:47, 3 May 2008 (UTC)

(In reply to comments on my talk page) Thanks for the comments, I agree with them and will fix. As for the connectors not being shaded blue, I was actually following your diagrams a bit too closely there ;-) --Slashme (talk) 07:27, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Schlenk flask

Thanks for the welcome. I stuck an image gallery on the Schlenk flask page. I'm not sure if the gallery is in the right place or even if a gallery is the best way to do it but the images are now there. Let me know if you want any opinions or consensus support on air-sensitive equipment. I've noticed a big chunk of chemistry exists mostly as an oral tradition which can make citation to wikipedia standards difficult. Thanks again. --OMCV (talk) 07:14, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Hey

Welcome back :) Fvasconcellos (t·c) 23:57, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

Diagram

Hey, we do seem to be following each other around don't we :). Nice pics of the structures, what program did you use for them? Any chance of inverting the pentagonal pyramidal image to match the orientation of square pyramidal? Cheers Freestyle-69 (talk) 01:25, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

Patent info in drugboxes

Hmm. At first glance that seems a bit too "special interest" to place in the Drugbox, but I suggest you ask for opinions over at Template talk:Drugbox—other editors will add their two cents. Best, Fvasconcellos (t·c) 23:38, 16 April 2008 (UTC)

Rollback

I have added the rollback feature to your user account, and to those other trusted Wikipedia chemists. I hope this helps with reverting any vandalism or other inappropriate edits you come across. (If you do not want rollback, just let me know, and I'll remove it.) -- Ed (Edgar181) 18:29, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Carbene pic

Crikey, I thought I got it right with the pic, but it's been deleted... I'll see what went on and try to reload it. Bummer! Freestyle-69 (talk) 00:21, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

• Yep - they are very diligent at deleting anything without a license tag! -- Quantockgoblin (talk) 11:38, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

BTW if I've got some chemdraws to use in an article, is it just a case of saving as a png, uploading to commons, with the correct permissions :) and inserting? Freestyle-69 (talk) 01:24, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

• Yep, should be fine! -- Quantockgoblin (talk) 11:38, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

OK, last thing (I'm putting a major edit together soon, sorry for the hassle)- is there an easy way to get references into an article (i.e. straight from Endnote or similar)? Seems like a lot of work to put in 35 references one little bit at a time... Freestyle-69 (talk) 07:19, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

• I look forward to seeing the edit! I'm sure there must be an easy way of inserting references. The best person to ask on this front is user:Rifleman 82 or even user:Beetstra‎. ' ears -- Quantockgoblin (talk) 11:38, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

For Endnote, I create a "Wikipedia" style, add a "journal article" bibliography output template, and key in:

{{cite journal | author = Author | title = Title | journal = [[Journal]] | year = Year | volume = Volume | issue = Issue | doi = Electronic Resource Number | url = URL }}

Unfortunately, pipes (|) are used as control characters, so all you get are double spaces. I copy the text into notepad, and replace double spaces (  ) with a pipe (|), and then copy it in place. Have fun. --Rifleman 82 (talk) 13:12, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

The Rifleman's on target again ... thanks -- Quantockgoblin (talk) 16:57, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the help guys, now I've talked it up I have to put the edit together! Freestyle-69 (talk) 22:32, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Hey QG, Rifleman has put me onto this- it finds and then allows you to wikify almost any reference. A bit of messing around sometimes to find the ref (in some cases I had to input some title info and leave out the authors for some reason, strange but it worked). A pretty useful tool if you have a backward EndNote like mine, or are a bit of a script-numpty like me! Cheers Freestyle-69 (talk) 22:44, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

FS-69, Looks good, will try it next time I reference something. - Quantockgoblin (talk) 00:00, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

Hey QG, after great expense to the management, here it is. All you didn't want to know about a blue-green algae toxin! Happy reading... :) Freestyle-69 (talk) 03:16, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

Stub of the day?

Did you ever get a response to User_talk:Betacommand/20070401#Stub_of_the_day_.3F? This was in Betacommand's sandbox, last version here. I don't know if it moved anywhere else. Wasn't Beta going to randomly grab a stub and write the template somewhere, daily? Gimmetrow 04:50, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

Would you mind sorting out this mess on Gimmetrow's talk page? Not sure what you intended to do there; I'm inclined to revert your edit, but afraid that will just make a bigger mess. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 18:56, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Never mind; I'm impatient. I reverted your mistake, and re-added what appears to have been your intended post. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 19:04, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

No problem; I had to restore it so I could continue my tradition of depositing ten stupid questions per day on Gimmetrow's doorstep :-) 19:57, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Userboxes on article pages

Hi there. I notice that a short while ago, you added the Userbox, User:StoptheDatabaseState/Templates/NO2ID, to the NO2ID article. While I sympathise with the message, this is not appropriate for the article, and I have removed it. References to Wikipedia should be avoided within Wikipedia itself (except where it's obviously appropriate) and this includes things like userboxes; since our articles can be freely copied by anyone, and a userbox would not be helpful to someone reading an article elsewhere. Userboxes should only be used on user pages or talk pages, not Wikipedia articles. For more information, see Wikipedia:Self-references. Thanks for reading. Terraxos (talk) 01:47, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Identity

Y Done. Now only admins can edit the page—if you need to change anything, drop me a line or ask the folks over at WP:RFPP. Best, Fvasconcellos (t·c) 20:24, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Various

Thanks to you and yours for the note. Keep up the good work yourself. I am hoping to get back to normal chem articles of the type that you do so well. --Smokefoot (talk) 04:38, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

Chemistry Bond Star

Thanks very much! It's really nice to be appreciated! --Slashme (talk) 08:24, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free media (Image:Quantock School bw shield.png)

Thanks for uploading Image:Quantock School bw shield.png. The media description page currently specifies that it is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, it is currently orphaned, meaning that it is not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the media was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that media for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

If you have uploaded other unlicensed media, please check whether they're used in any articles or not. 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 all non-free media not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. BJBot (talk) 05:15, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Quantock school crest

Hi QG,

The crest looks quite doable, but I won't get around to it this week. I certainly won't take offense if you bug me every two weeks or so, and that is more likely to spur me into action. --Slashme (talk) 06:27, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Peer review

Hey QG, the mystery of your username starts to un-deepen! And I thought you were from somewhere in Middle Earth or another galaxy... my mental picture of a little green chemist with pointy ears and an evil chuckle has gone up in air-sensitive smoke :)

I've put up cylindrospermopsin for peer review, it's got a few comments here that I will action, but I was wondering if you (and anyone else reading this!) could critically comment on it (yeah, you can look for the bad points this time)? I do plan to try David's png-to-svg tool, just been a bit snowed under to really put my head into it. Once I've got more comments and a bit of time, I'll put some serious effort into it to hopefully get it to GA status. No worries if you're snowed under yourself- I see you and David have been very busy with pictures and the like! Reply here is fine, it'll be on my watchlist. Cheers Freestyle-69 (talk) 08:03, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Hi Freestyle-69 (talk), well let's hope there is more air-sensitive smoke where that came from ... metal picture may be about right though. Sorry not really had time to do wiki stuff for a while, but I saw this [1] and naturally when I think of pond-scum I think of you ... not sure if it is relevant to your article??!! -- Quantockgoblin (talk) 17:11, 2 July 2008 (UTC)

Yup, I saw something about that too. They really know how to things the hard way... Hopefully it's not toxic! Pond-scum- it's wonderful to be remembered in such a way. I'll get it stuck on my tombstone or something :) Freestyle-69 (talk) 22:04, 2 July 2008 (UTC)

invite to Somerset wikiproject

Hello, this is an invitation to join WikiProject Somerset.

Thank you for editing the article Quantock Lodge.

You may be interested in joining WikiProject Somerset. This WikiProject aims to improve the standard of all articles relating to Somerset, which includes all subdivisions of the county, major buildings, roads and other related articles.

You can help by:

• Creating new articles.
• Expanding stubs.
• Adding photographs.
• Referencing articles.
• Research topics.
• Anything else really...

For more information, see the project page, and if you have any questions you can leave them at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Somerset and someone will get back to you.

— Rod ^talk 07:41, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Crystal Research Help

Dear Quantockgoblin,

    I am a university undergrad beginning a research project on crystal habit.  I am most 
interested in producing larger, high-quality crystals which clearly demonstrate habit when 
viewed with the naked eye.  Would you be able to recommend any specific text(s) that would
 be a good starting point for this variety of research?

RuebenJames (talk) 19:25, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Oxford Wikimania 2010 and Wikimedia UK v2.0 Notice

Hi,

As a regularly contributing UK Wikipedian, we were wondering if you wanted to contribute to the Oxford bid to host the 2010 Wikimania conference. Please see here for details of how to get involved, we need all the help we can get if we are to put in a compelling bid.

We are also in the process of forming a new UK Wikimedia chapter to replace the soon to be folded old one. If you are interested in helping shape our plans, showing your support or becoming a future member or board member, please head over to the Wikimedia UK v2.0 page and let us know. We plan on holding an election in the next month to find the initial board, who will oversee the process of founding the company and accepting membership applications. They will then call an AGM to formally elect a new board who after obtaining charitable status will start the fund raising, promotion and active support for the UK Wikimedian community for which the chapter is being founded.

You may also wish to attend the next London meet-up at which both of these issues will be discussed. If you can't attend this meetup, you may want to watch Wikipedia:Meetup, for updates on future meets.

We look forward to hearing from you soon, and we send our apologies for this automated intrusion onto your talk page!

Addbot (talk) 07:32, 31 August 2008 (UTC)