Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2010 September 26

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September 26

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1939 serial lone ranger with Robert Livingston and Chief Thunder cloud

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I am interested in purchasing the complete set of all chapters of the 1939 Lone Ranger serial, played by Robert Livingston and Tonto played by Chief Thunder Cloud.Please instruct how this is possible and what the cost will be. Thank you, Frank Lopez —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.207.15.104 (talk) 02:15, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 6 million articles and thought we were affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is for asking questions related to using or contributing to Wikipedia itself. Thus, we have no special knowledge about the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the upper right side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck.--Orange Mike | Talk 02:18, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

vidya

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidya_Academy_of_Science_and_Technology

The above article is written like an advertisement to promote or praise vidya college It should look like an wiki article and not like that I tried to change it , but the author (person who build the article from very beginning ) reverted the changes they are using wikipedia as mode of advertisement. This is clear from their website http://vidyaacademy.ac.in/ , ONE CAN SEE A DIRECT LINK TO THIS WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE , at the bottom of the page

Plese take neccessary action Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rafiwiki (talkcontribs) 03:46, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Table sorting

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I have a problem with the table in Albums considered the greatest ever. If I sort by rank, the unranked album (signified by "-") goes to the top. "NA" or leaving it blank don't work either. How can this be fixed? Clarityfiend (talk) 04:24, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

<span style="display:none">99</span> will display blank and sort as 99 which is last in that table. See more at Help:Sorting. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:39, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. Clarityfiend (talk) 00:03, 27 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

James O. Young

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Someone help me make a reference list. I have lots of citations, but there is still an error being reported. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Blackly99 (talkcontribs) 06:05, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

First of all, James O. Young is a copyvio, which is prohibited. To make the references show up, you need to place {{reflist}} at the bottom of the page. Protector of Wiki (talk) 06:19, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I've fixed the {{reflist}}, but this won't be enough to save the article. -- John of Reading (talk) 06:24, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
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How can I remove all redlinks from an article? I mean automatically not manually. Is their any special tool or script for this purpose, like there is dabsolver, reflinks etc. I tried searching but couldn't find any. — Managerarc[Talk] 09:35, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know if there is one but I suspect there is not because red links are extremely useful when used properly, so a tool which removed all redlinks would be a terrible idea. Of course, if there was a tool that removed only improper redlinks, that would be great. The problem with that is that unlike dabs and reflinks, until we have bots that can pass Turing tests, only a human being has the ability to decide whether a red link is proper (i.e. on a notable and verifiable topic that warrants an article).--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 10:05, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
See WP:REDLINK. Dismas|(talk) 10:29, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Searching Page History

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Is there any way to searching a page's history for the first occurrence of a string or phrase? Often when I see a suspicious "fact" in an article, I want to find when it was inserted. If it was the sole change made by an anonymous author, I'm more inclined to treat it as potential vandalism, than if it was made as part of a well-referenced change by a respected contributor. At the moment, I have to scroll back through the page history, viewing random versions, and then narrowing in on the correct edit. Rojomoke (talk) 10:30, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think there's any special tool to do that, but if it's clearly unconstructive or suspicious, you could delete it straight away or put there {{fact}}. If there's a long edit history, it may be too hard to find out who wrote it. DARTH SIDIOUS 2 (Contact) 10:37, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Oh yes, in fact there are three: WikiBlame, Article Blamer and User:AmiDaniel/WhodunitQuery. I use the first of these and I use it all the time. By the way, check out WP:TOOLS where these and many other tools for other purposes are listed. Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 10:41, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Article links to controversial sides. Race and IQ debate

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Hey, I just wanted to ask if it is okay to link to controversial sides such as American Renaissance, as the article on the controversial politician Thilo Sarrazin does (links to an article written by the controversial scientist Volkmar Weiss for AR)? Is it okay somebody linked to that or is Wikipedia looking for more mainstream sources? Mr. Sarrazin sparked a debate on Race and IQ and Dysgenics and both are very controversial topics. So I think it is important, that both sides are pictured in a fair light. So I wonder if it is okay that the article only has a paragraph "Statements of support", but no paragraph "criticism" and does not mention much cristics at all.

So far, to my mind the article seems to be written by persons who agree with Sarrazins opinions that Muslims might be gentically inferior and that dysgenics is happening in Germany. I am not sure if this is the right place to ask this questions, but I think someone should have a look at this article as it might be onesided.-- Greatgreenwhale (talk) 11:00, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I've remove the recent IP edits, which were partially original research. The best place for questions like this, which are basically about our WP:NPOV policy, is our neutral point of view noticeboard, WP:NPOVN. I'll start a discussion there and point to this one. Dougweller (talk) 11:31, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. I di not know about WP:NPOVN.-- Greatgreenwhale (talk) 11:39, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Step by Step guide to creating a portal

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Hi is there any step by step guide to create a complete portal in wikipedia? I am currently working on a portal but progress is slow due to lack of my knowledge in creating portals? NëŧΜǒńğerTalk to me 11:29, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

  Done - See WP:Portal for information on this, if you scroll down there are instructions on how to create one. Jennie--x (talk) 13:13, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I am ashamed I missed that!!!! thanks a lot for helping out.. NëŧΜǒńğerTalk to me 04:48, 27 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Featured article/good article (or others with stars) articles with the biggest average rate

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hello,

are there any tools, that calculate the average rate of stars? e.g. Dürer's Rhinoceros, it has on 10 wikipedias a featured article star out of 17, thats 58,823529411764705882352941176471. you know what i mean? another example: the planet mars, it has 13 stars and 1 GA.thx.-- ♫Greatorangepumpkin♫ T 11:58, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Could you explain what your asking clearer? Jennie--x (talk) 13:15, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
the article with the most featured article in other languages.-- ♫Greatorangepumpkin♫ T 14:37, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Not really a worthwile comparison. Standards are much lower on other language Wikipedias. Grsz11 14:43, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I'm glad you clarified your question because it shows you aren't actually looking for any type of "average rate"! Please see Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2010 August 19#Wikipedia article Featured in most Languages. Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 17:31, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Image for Wikipedia article Shesh Paul Vaid

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I have been doing some research and have come across two valid sources for adding an image to Shesh Paul Vaid article. However I encounter a specific problem for both the sources for which I need help.

Source A: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9691428@N07/1082538580/

This is indeed a very clear image and would perfectly represent the article Shesh Paul Vaid. The problem is that it is under the License: "Copyright. All Rights Reserved". I have tried contacting the owner of image through flickr but have received no response. I believe if some way could be found the retrieve this image, it would make the article more vivid.

Source B: http://www.jkcivildefence.org/newsletters/images_06feb/igp_jammu.jpg

However a little blur, this image also is suitable for the respective article, but as apparent it is available only on this website which has no license or copyright notice whatsoever. I have had a look at the whole website and am not at all able to find the copyright notice.

Kindly help. Regards *Truth* (talk) 14:22, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I don't understand what you need help with. You don't seem to be asking a question, you're only telling us that you have found these pictures. You should assume both images are copyrighted; therefore they cannot be used to represent a living person. Xenon54 (talk) 15:20, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Actually I was wondering if there is anyway by which we could get any of the pictures mentioned above on wikipedia and use it in this respective article. Some additional permission? some No-objection certificate? etc. Kindly help. Regards, *Truth* (talk) 11:07, 27 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Only if you can get the copyright owner to release them under an appropriate, Wikipedia acceptable, license. – ukexpat (talk) 16:01, 27 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
If you wanted to, you could approach the copyright owners (via email if you can find that) and ask if they are willing to donate the image(s) to Wikipedia. Read Wikipedia:Donating copyrighted materials which explains the process they need to follow -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 16:53, 28 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Editing a page

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I am trying to correct a misspelling of a name. It says "special page" at the top so it is impossible to edit...I have tried to follow directions given but it is simply "Greek"! I am very frustrated as it is such a simple thing I want to do but not simple to actually do it!!!Mlh125 (talk) 15:10, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Please be much more specific. What is the name you're trying to change? What page are you on? I am unfortunately not a mind-reader. Pages whose titles begin with "Special:" cannot be edited. Xenon54 (talk) 15:20, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Pages beginning with "Special:" cannot be edited the normal way but their contents can often be influenced by other methods. However, we really need to know which page and what you want to change. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:37, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Declan Henry

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I have just uploaded profile of Declan Henry - Irish author. How do I submit this for publication - and how do I upload a picture? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kathleencallaghan (talkcontribs) 16:19, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sorry, but I've deleted your page as an advertisement. Phrases like "It was a childhood with loving parents steeped in Catholicism. It ranged from serving Mass on Sundays to a strong sense of rural community. Music and laughter was at its heart" really have no place in a neutrally written encyclopedia. Please take a moment to read our guide to writing your first article before re-submitting your article. TNXMan 16:27, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

monobook.js and .css

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can u say what it is pls? i forgot, because i didnt edit something on wikipedia for months, i created this: User:GreatOrangePumpkin/monobook.js but i dont know what to write there. maybe i forgot to write something on this page when i created it. thx.-- ♫Greatorangepumpkin♫ T 16:46, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Please will you clarify what your problem is, or what you are asking? --ColinFine (talk) 18:26, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Pages like monobook.js and monobook.css are used to customise your account instead of the default behaviour. There are various possibilities and it's all optional. User:GreatOrangePumpkin/monobook.js is currently blanked which gives the same result as not having created the page. You have not created User:GreatOrangePumpkin/monobook.css. See more at Wikipedia:Skin and Wikipedia:Customisation. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:31, 27 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

ah yes its the skins, totally forgot. well, thx prime.-- ♫Greatorangepumpkin♫ T 10:35, 27 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Signature.

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Currently, if you get the spacing just right by putting my signature at the right side of the page, it splits between Awesomeness and talk like two words. My username code is this:

<small style="border:1px solid #444;background:grey"> [[User:Awesomeness|<strong style="background:grey;color:#FFF"> Awesomeness</strong>]] [[User talk:Awesomeness|<span style="color:#333;background:#BBB"> talk </span>]] </small>

That code (which took a while to make) gives this signature whenever I post on a talk page:  Awesomeness  talk 

You can try out the split if you want.

How can I fix this? Remember my signature is pretty close to the character limit for signatures.  Awesomeness  talk  18:28, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It seems to work to simply replace the space with &nbsp; like this:  Awesomeness  talk  . I see in the wiki source when editing that you already use several &nbsp;. Is there a reason you don't use it for this? PrimeHunter (talk) 20:57, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks so much. I'm not even sure why I did that; I had to remove a bunch of them and replace them with normal spaces to make it fit, but apparently I still had room.  Awesomeness  talk  21:04, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

What does "(top)" mean in contributions list?

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Some entries in my contributions list say "(top)" beside them. What does this mean? --70.57.229.24 (talk) 18:32, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"(top) signifies that the edit is the current revision. The page is as the user last saved it. This can be used to watch pages (if your last edit to the page does not display (top), the page has been changed)." See Help:User contributions. In other words, your revision is the latest.--Bbb23 (talk) 18:38, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the speedy answer. --70.57.229.24 (talk) 18:43, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I thought it meant that the lead section has been edited. --Devourer09 16:18, 29 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]


Nevermind, Bbb23 is correct. --Devourer09 16:21, 29 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Interwiki question

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Is there a search tool which can tell me which articles in a specified category don't contain an interwiki link to a specifed language ie which articles in [nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorie:Spoorwegstation_in_Nederland] don't contain a link to the english relevent english wikipedia page. Waacstats (talk) 19:00, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

That doesn't sound like a function the regular search box could carry out. There may be a specialized script someone has written for this task out there but I don't know of any. --Devourer09 16:14, 29 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Infobox help

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Trying to change County to County in US articles. Trying to fix the Sequoyah County, Oklahoma article but find that County appears in the Template:Infobox law enforcement agency. I can change it to display as County (US) but not County, is this possible or should I just change to County (US) ? Thanks GrahamHardy (talk) 19:02, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Sequoyah County, Oklahoma#Demographics uses subdivtype which should not be linked according to the documentation at Template:Infobox law enforcement agency. It looks like there is no pretty way to make it a piped link without changing the code of the template itself. An ugly way is subdivtype = County (US){{!}}County but I don't know whether it will be stable. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:48, 27 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I'll just change it to County (US) for now then, Thanks ... GrahamHardy (talk) 12:42, 27 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, please delete my account, and then this post. —Preceding unsigned comment added by RBLibertarian2 (talkcontribs) 21:44, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, but accounts are not deleted per policy. You can simply stop using the account. Individual posts can be deleted under very limited circumstances, but you've not identified any reason why this post should be deleted. Sample reasons include accidental disclosure of personal information, but that doesn't fit this instance.--SPhilbrickT 22:26, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
This user has gone through the same pattern of behaviour recently with another account. I've replied on his talk page. Karenjc 23:19, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Where is my post?

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I just spent 20 minutes adding info about the Univac 1005, which I know intimately. Where is my post? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Davidrwatson (talkcontribs) 22:48, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It was removed. This is an encyclopaedia, not a repository of anecdotes. You are welcome to add factual information about the 1005; please read Your first article if you plan to do so. Xenon54 (talk) 23:00, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Your text is here: [1]. If you want it restored to a sub page of your User page so that you can work on the text there, that can be done. Bielle (talk) 23:29, 26 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]